Composition of inorganic elements in fine particulate matter emitted during surface fire in relation to moisture content of forest floor combustibles

Ziyan Huang; Yuanfan Ma; Xiaoyu Zhan; Haichuan Lin; Chenyue Zheng; Mulualem Tigabu; Futao Guo

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137259

Composition of inorganic elements in fine particulate matter emitted during surface fire in relation to moisture content of forest floor combustibles

Chemosphere. 2023 Jan;312(Pt 1):137259. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137259. Epub 2022 Nov 15.

Authors

Ziyan Huang¹, Yuanfan Ma², Xiaoyu Zhan³, Haichuan Lin⁴, Chenyue Zheng⁵, Mulualem Tigabu⁶, Futao Guo⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: huangziyan5336@163.com.
² College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: 17746076057@163.com.
³ College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: 15136715272@163.com.
⁴ College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: linsear99@163.com.
⁵ College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: cpaaccountant@126.com.
⁶ College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 190, SE-234 22 Lomma, Sweden. Electronic address: mulualem.tigabu@slu.se.
⁷ College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. Electronic address: guofutao@126.com.

PMID: 36400192
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137259

Abstract

The moisture content of combustible material on the forest floor is constantly changing due to environmental factors, which have a direct impact on the composition and emission intensity of particulate matter released during fire. In this study, an indoor biomass combustion analysis device was used to analyze the emission characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) from combustion of herbaceous combustible materials with different moisture contents (0%, 15%, and 30%). The composition of inorganic elements in PM_2.5 (Zn, K, Mg, Ca, and other 13 measurable elements) were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results showed that the PM_2.5 emission factor increased significantly with the increase of moisture content of combustible materials in the range of 11.63 ± 0.55 for dry samples to 36.71 ± 1.21 g/kg for samples with 30% moisture content. The main elemental components of PM_2.5 were K, Zn, Ca, Mg, and Na and K, Ca, Mg, and Na emission factors increased with the increase of moisture content of combustibles. The proportion of macronutrients in PM_2.5 released by combustion of each herb increased as the moisture content increased, but the proportion of trace elements gradually decreased. There was a good correlation between elemental composition of PM_2.5 and that of herbaceous combustibles. The results provide evidence that the moisture content of combustible materials has a significant effect on the emission of inorganic elements in particulate matter, and hence cautions should be exercised during fuel reduction treatments, such as early prescribed fire.

Keywords: Elemental analysis; Forest fire; Fuel moisture; Herbaceous combustibles; PM(2.5).

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Environmental Monitoring
Fires*
Forests
Particulate Matter / analysis

Substances

Particulate Matter
Air Pollutants