Characteristics and major sources of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 from Sanya, China

Jingzhi Wang; Steven Sai Hang Ho; Junji Cao; Rujin Huang; Jiamao Zhou; Youzhi Zhao; Hongmei Xu; Suixin Liu; Gehui Wang; Zhenxing Shen; Yongming Han

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.005

Characteristics and major sources of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 from Sanya, China

Sci Total Environ. 2015 Oct 15:530-531:110-119. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.005. Epub 2015 May 28.

Authors

Jingzhi Wang¹, Steven Sai Hang Ho², Junji Cao³, Rujin Huang⁴, Jiamao Zhou¹, Youzhi Zhao⁵, Hongmei Xu⁶, Suixin Liu¹, Gehui Wang¹, Zhenxing Shen⁷, Yongming Han¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; State Key Lab of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG), Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China.
² Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, United States.
³ Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; State Key Lab of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG), Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China. Electronic address: cao@loess.llqg.ac.cn.
⁴ Key Lab of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; State Key Lab of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG), Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China; Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
⁵ College of Science and Technology, Qiongzhou University, Sanya, China.
⁶ Department of Environmntal Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
⁷ Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.

PMID: 26026415
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.005

Abstract

PM2.5 samples were collected in Sanya, China in summer and winter in 2012/2013. Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and non-polar organic compounds including n-alkanes (n-C14-n-C40) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified. The concentrations of these carbonaceous matters were generally higher in winter than summer. The estimated secondary organic carbon (OCsec) accounted for 38% and 54% of the total organic carbon (TOC) in winter and summer, respectively. The higher value of OCsec in addition to the presences of photochemically-produced PAHs in summer supports that photochemical conversions of organics are much active at the higher air temperatures and with stronger intense solar radiation. Carbon preference index (CPI) and percent contribution of wax n-alkanes suggest that anthropogenic sources were more dominant than derivation from terrestrial plants in Sanya. Diagnostic ratios of atmospheric PAHs further indicate that there was a wide mix of pollution sources in winter while fossil fuel combustion was the most dominant in summer. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis with 18 PAHs in the winter samples found that motor vehicle emissions and biomass burning were the two main pollution sources, contributing 37.5% and 24.6% of the total quantified PAHs, respectively.

Keywords: Carbonaceous aerosols; PAHs; PMF; Sanya; Secondary organic carbon; n-Alkanes.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aerosols / analysis*
Air Pollutants / analysis*
Carbon / analysis*
China
Particulate Matter / analysis
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis

Substances

Aerosols
Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Carbon