Characterization of industrial aerosol and quantifying its contribution to atmospheric PM2.5

In order to limit the impact of air quality on human health, public authorities need reliable and accurate information on the sources contribution. So, the identification of the main sources of PM2.5 is the first step to adopt efficient mitigation policies. This work carry out in this thesis take place in this issue and was to determine the main sources of PM2.5 inside an industrial area. To determinate the main sources of PM2.5, two campaigns were lead to collect daily PM2.5 to: 1/ determine the enrichment of atmospheric pollutants downwind from the main industrial activities and 2/ collect PM2.5 in urban areas characteristic of the population exposition. Results allowed to obtain very representative profiles for the main industrial activities implanted inside the studied area. ME-2 analysis, combined to radiocarbon measurements, allowed to highlight the very high impact of Biomass Burning sources for all the PM2.5 pollution events recorded from early autumn to March. This study showed that industrial sources, even if they are the major sources during spring and summer, are not the major PM2.5 driver. However, this study highlights that industrial sources impact significantly the aerosol population (size, composition, etc.) in the studied area. (author)