Chemistry Analysis for Atmospheric Water Utilization as Drinking Water

With the aim of developing condensed atmospheric water resources as drinking water, atmospheric water samples were collected in six different areas of Shenzhen, China: industrial area, commercial area, road, residential area, green land, and school. The following chemical analytes of atmospheric water were investigated: electrical conductivity (EC), pH, six anions (${\mathrm{F}}^{-}$, ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$, ${\mathrm{NO}}_2^{-}$, ${\mathrm{NO}}_3^{-}$, ${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-}$, ${\mathrm{PO}}_4^{3-}$), five cations (${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$, ${\mathrm{K}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{2+}$, ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$), total organic carbon (TOC), total bacterial count, and nine trace metals (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Pb). Most of analyses met drinking water standards in China, and European Commission, except ${\mathrm{NO}}_2^{-}$ and total bacterial count; after filtered, all indicators for water quality were better than drinking water standards and even tap water. In different areas, atmospheric water quality was affected by certain ambient pollutants and showed its own specialty. In samples from road areas, high concentrations of Mn, ${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$, ${\mathrm{NO}}_2^{-}$, ${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-}$, and TOC were attributable to vehicle exhaust and fuel combustion according to correlations between analytes and meteorological data. In industrial areas, high concentrations of ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$ (${2.94\mathrm{mg}\mathrm{L}}^{-1}$), ${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-}$ ($5.96\mathrm{mg}{\mathrm{L}}^{-1}$), ${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$ ($6.12\mathrm{mg}{\mathrm{L}}^{-1}$) and ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$ ($3.80\mathrm{mg}{\mathrm{L}}^{-1}$) were from soil dust and exhaust from two power plants. Acidity potential (AP), neutralization potential (NP) and pAi were discussed in this study.