Improved Time-Resolved Measurements of Inorganic Ions in Particulate Matter by PILS-IC Integrated with a Sample Pre-Concentration System

Abstract

A particle-into-liquid sampler coupled with ion chromatograph (PILS-IC) for the on-line measurement of inorganic ions has been modified by the insertion of two ionexchange pre-concentration cartridges that enrich the sample during the period of the IC analysis. The limits of detection of the modified instrument were 10-15 times lower and the time coverage 24 times higher (from 2 to 48 min per hour) than those of the original PILS-IC setup. The instrumental performance in terms of recovery and break-through volume from the cartridges was satisfactory. The modified PILS-IC was operated in comparison with a diffusion denuder line and with a highresolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS) during a short intensive measurement period organized in the framework of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), a co-operative program for monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of the air pollutants in Europe. The instrument showed a quantitative response in agreement with the results of the diffusion lines, and an ability to trace fine concentration variations not so different from the performance of the much more complex HR-TOF-AMS. From the time patterns of the ion concentrations measured by the modified PILS-IC, it was possible to obtain useful information about the variations in the air quality and in the strength of the particulate matter sources.

An annual time series of weekly size-resolved aerosol properties in the megacity of Metro Manila, Philippines

“…LOD and LOQ were calculated using 3 S a b −1 and 10 S a b −1 methods, respectively, where S a is the standard deviation of the response and b is the slope of the calibration curve 41 . Recoveries were calculated by taking the ratio of the mass of a specific measured species to the known amount of that species in that sample 42 . Recoveries for IC and ICP-QQQ were all above 93% with repeatability ranging from 2% to 18% (Tables 4 and 5).…”

First Results of the “Carbonaceous Aerosol in Rome and Environs (CARE)” Experiment: Beyond Current Standards for PM10

“…For reference, we show data of natural radioactivity due to Radon progeny to provide relevant information of the mixing properties of the lower atmosphere during the same days [45,47]. The remaining data will be presented in future and possibly associated with source contributions.…”

“…Interesting additional information about the mixing properties of the lower atmosphere can be obtained by monitoring natural radioactivity due to Radon progeny [45][46][47]. During CARE, natural radioactivity was continuously measured on a 1-h basis.…”

“…These are collected by inertial impact on a collection plate, washed by deionized water. The resulting solution was collected every 2 h for subsequent analyses [47].…”

A Sampler for Collecting Fine Particles into Liquid Suspensions

“…In PILS, the grown droplets are collected by a single-nozzle impactor, and the liquid sample collected on the impactor surface is removed by a small, constant flow of purified water that also contains an internal standard. Both SJAC and PILS have been adopted for online measurements of ionic components of PM in combination of ion chromatograph (IC) (Perrino et al, 2015;Stieger et al, 2019). A similar aerosol sampler was introduced by Wubulihairen et al (2015a, b), in which a condensed water splitter is included to prevent sample dilution.…”