Characterizing carbonyl compounds and their sources in Fuzhou ambient air, southeast of China

Zhen He; Xin Zhang; Yunfeng Li; Xuefen Zhong; Hong Li; Rui Gao; Jinjuan Li

doi:10.7717/peerj.10227

Characterizing carbonyl compounds and their sources in Fuzhou ambient air, southeast of China

PeerJ. 2020 Nov 5:8:e10227. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10227. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Zhen He^{1

2}, Xin Zhang^{2

3}, Yunfeng Li^{2

3}, Xuefen Zhong⁴, Hong Li², Rui Gao², Jinjuan Li¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Resource and Environment Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China.
⁴ Fujian Academy of Environmental Sciences, Fuzhou, China.

Abstract

In recent years, ozone (O₃) concentrations in the southeastern coastal areas of China have shown a gradual upward trend. As precursors and intermediates in the formation of O₃, carbonyl compounds play key roles in the atmospheric photochemical oxidation cycle. To explore the main pollution characteristics of carbonyl compounds in a typical coastal city in southeast China, ambient samples were collected in Fuzhou (the provincial capital of Fujian province, located on the southeast coast of China) and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The study was continuously carried out at an urban site (Jinjishan) and a suburban site (Gushan) in Fuzhou from May 8 to 20, 2018. The total concentration of 16 carbonyl compounds at the urban site was 15.45 ± 11.18 ppbv, and the total concentration at the suburban site was 17.57 ± 12.77 ppbv. Formaldehyde (HCHO), acetaldehyde, and acetone were the main species detected in the samples, and acetone had the highest concentration among the species detected. The suburban site had a higher formaldehyde/acetaldehyde ratio and lower acetaldehyde/propionaldehyde ratio than the urban site, implying that biogenic sources potentially contributed to the carbonyl compound concentrations at the suburban site. The results of an observation-based model showed that anthropogenic hydrocarbons promoted HCHO production on May 17 at the urban site. Compared to biogenic emissions, anthropogenic activity is a more important source of carbonyl compounds.

Keywords: Carbonyl compounds; Fuzhou; Ozone; Source apportionment; VOCs.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Public Welfare Scientific Research Institutes of China, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (No. 2019YSKY-012 and 2019YSKY-018), and Capital Blue Sky Action Training Project from Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (No. Z181100005418015). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.