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This investigation was carried out to characterize the composition of different particulate matters (PM) in urban street dust. Samples of street dust were collected on a weekly basis for three summer months from the intersection of Bucharest Avenue and Paris Street in Cluj-Napoca city, Romania. The samples were processed to determine the composition by X-ray diffraction. A large amount of minerals, such as quartz, kaolinite and calcite, and some traces of portlandite and goethite were found. Particle shape was investigated by optical transmitted light and cross polarized light microscopy. The data revealed a wide range of particle size, from a few μm to several hundred μm. The surface morphology and the size distribution of different submicron particles were confirmed by AFM on various thin films of particulate matters deposited on glass support from aqueous dispersion drops, taken out at different sedimentation times. The fine particles observed by AFM had the diameter between 100 and 180 nm and they correspond to kaolinite. Chemical characteristics of urban street dust indicate that the particulate matters have a natural and an anthropogenic origin. Particulate matters, such as PM2.5 and PM10, as well as the fine kaolinite particles found in the urban street dust are very dangerous for lung health due to the potential risk of silicosis.

Keywords: street dust, particulate matter, particle size, morphology, chemical composition, X-ray diffraction, AFM