PM2.5 source apportionment identified with total and soluble elements in positive matrix factorization

Wenshuai Li; Yuxuan Qi; Wen Qu; Wenjun Qu; Jinhui Shi; Daizhou Zhang; Yingchen Liu; Yanjing Zhang; Weihang Zhang; Danyang Ren; Yuanyuan Ma; Xinfeng Wang; Li Yi; Lifang Sheng; Yang Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159948

PM_2.5 source apportionment identified with total and soluble elements in positive matrix factorization

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Feb 1;858(Pt 2):159948. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159948. Epub 2022 Nov 3.

Authors

Wenshuai Li¹, Yuxuan Qi¹, Wen Qu², Wenjun Qu¹, Jinhui Shi³, Daizhou Zhang⁴, Yingchen Liu¹, Yanjing Zhang¹, Weihang Zhang¹, Danyang Ren¹, Yuanyuan Ma¹, Xinfeng Wang⁵, Li Yi¹, Lifang Sheng⁶, Yang Zhou⁷

Affiliations

¹ Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China; College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
² North China Sea Marine Forecasting Center of State Ocean Administration, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
³ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
⁴ Faculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto 862-8502, Japan.
⁵ Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
⁶ Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China; College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China. Electronic address: shenglf@ouc.edu.cn.
⁷ Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China; College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China. Electronic address: yangzhou@ouc.edu.cn.

PMID: 36336053
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159948

Abstract

Source apportionments of urban aerosols identified with positive matrix factorization (PMF) are sensitive to input variables. So far, total elements were frequently included as effective factors in PMF-based source apportionment. We investigated the advances to involve soluble parts of elements in the source apportionment with four data sets of PM_2.5 composition observed at a coastal city (Qingdao) in northern China: water-soluble ions plus organic and elemental carbon (IC set), the IC set plus total elements (ICTE set), the IC set plus soluble elements (ICSE set), and the IC set plus both total elements and soluble elements (ICAE set). The apportionments of six sources, including secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate, secondary oxalate, sea salt, biomass burning and dust, were identified with the IC set. In comparison, pollutants from vehicle + coal combustion, ship emissions, waste incineration and industrial activities were also identified with the ICTE, ICSE, or ICAE sets. We found that the PMF solutions of the ICAE set could distinguish aged and fresh dust, and identify fly ash and aged pollutants from industrial sources. The profiles and corresponding time series of vehicle + coal combustion, secondary aerosols, ship emissions, sea salt, and biomass burning emissions identified with the four data sets were very similar, while discrepancies were encountered for waste incineration, dust, and industrial sources. These results indicate the benefits and potentials with total and soluble elements involved in PMF-based source apportionments.

Keywords: Aerosols; Composition data set; PMF; Soluble elements; Source apportionment.

MeSH terms

Aerosols / analysis
Air Pollutants* / analysis
China
Coal / analysis
Dust / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Nitrates / analysis
Particulate Matter* / analysis
Seasons
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Particulate Matter
Air Pollutants
Vehicle Emissions
Dust
Aerosols
Coal
Nitrates