Determinación de contaminantes atmosféricos en el sector del parque industrial de la ciudad de Ambato utilizando briofitas como biomonitor biológico

Abstract

The aim of the research was to determine the atmospheric pollutants in the area of the industrial park, located in Ambato city using bryophytes as a biological biomonitor; thus, 3 species of bryophytes were subjected to tolerance tests for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollutants. The tests performed were qualitative and quantitative, in which the wilting of the bryophyte and the absorbance of each species were observed respectively. The biomonitors were placed in 22 randomly selected points of the industrial park located in Ambato and the exposure of the samples was carried out during a 2-month period, removing the samples after a month and placing new ones for the second month, the analysis was performed with the use of UV-Visible spectrophotometry, which allowed obtaining the concentration of the pollutants. Thus, it was determined that the Sphaugnum species is the most appropriate for using it as a biomonitor due to its capacity to bioaccumulate pollutants. The results obtained revealed that the pollution of the industrial park, located in Ambato, are within the permissible limits established by the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador, with a maximum of 3.4570 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of nitrogen dioxide in a 1-hour measurement and a maximum of 1.230 µg/m3 of nitrogen dioxide in a 24-hour measurement. Thus, it is concluded that the application of biomonitors to determine atmospheric pollutants is useful due to their accessibility and minimal cost. It is recommended to use biomonitors in a permanent way for studies related to air quality or determination of pollutants in places established, since this study technique provides acceptable and reliable values.