https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2009.017
Published: Kem. Ind. 59 (3) (2010) 107–110
Paper reference number: KUI-17/2009
Paper type: Original scientific paper
Download paper:  PDF

Atmospheric pollutants monitoring by analysis of epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

J. Huremović, M. Horvat, M. Veber and M. Memić+

Abstract

The ability of lichens to accumulate levels of elements in excess of physiological requirements in close correlation with atmospheric elemental levels has led to their wide-scale application as practical biomonitors of inorganic atmospheric contamination. The advantages of using lichens over conventional air sampling techniques are that lichens are perennial and can be found in most terrestrial habitats. The epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes was used to monitor atmospheric pollution in the Sarajevo city region, Bosnia and Herzegovina. H. physodes is a very common epiphytic lichen on trees with a slightly acidic or neutral bark. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used for the determination of 14 elements (Al, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr and Zn) in lichen samples from five locations in the Sarajevo area. Achieved results have been compared with literary data from northwestern countries of Europe and Slovenia. A detailed analysis of air pollution with toxic metals and other elements has not yet been made in the area of Sarajevo. So far, analyses of the air quality in Sarajevo have been based on determining the fraction of: SO2, NOx, CO2, CO, O3, smoke, PM 10. This motivated us (especially after the war 1992–1995) to conduct multi-elemental analyses of epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes. The results show that the mass fraction of Cr, Pb and Zn in our samples significantly differ from data on the fraction of these elements in samples of lichen in Northwestern European countries.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Keywords

lichen, pollution, air, City of Sarajevo