Source apportionment of fine organic aerosols in Beijing

Abstract

Abstract. Fine particles (PM 2.5 , i.e., particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 µm) were collected from the air in August 2005, August-September 2006, and JanuaryFebruary 2007, in Beijing, China. The chemical compositions of particulate organic matter in the ambient samples were quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The dominant compounds identified in summertime were n-alkanoic acids, followed by dicarboxylic acids and sugars, while sugars became the most abundant species in winter, followed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nalkanes, and n-alkanoic acids. The contributions of seven emission sources (i.e., gasoline/diesel vehicles, coal burning, wood/straw burning, cooking, and vegetative detritus) to particulate organic matter in PM 2.5 were estimated using a chemical mass balance receptor model. The model results present the seasonal trends of source contributions to organic aerosols. Biomass burning (straw and wood) had the highest contribution in winter, followed by coal burning, vehicle exhaust, and cooking. The contribution of cooking was the highest in summer, followed by vehicle exhaust and biomass burning, while coal smoke showed only a minor contribution to ambient organic carbon.

Characteristics of concentrations and chemical compositions for PM<sub>2.5</sub> in the region of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, China

“…Some studies have given the general characteristics of PM 2.5 chemical compositions and discussed their seasonal variations, correlations, or sources (He et al, 2001;Sun et al, 2004;Song et al, 2006). Some studies have focused on the concentrations, correlations, sources or formation of some specific species (such as inorganic ions, carbonaceous components, or organic matters) of PM 2.5 in Beijing (Yao et al, 2002;Dan et al, 2004;Huang et al, 2006;Wang et al, 2009;Pathak et al, 2009;Ianniello et al, 2011). In addition, the size distributions of aerosol chemical species Cheng et al, 2009;Guo et al, 2010;Li et al, 2012), aerosol number concentrations or new particle formation processes Yue et al 2009Yue et al , 2011Shen et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2011;Gao et al, 2012), and aerosol optical characteristics or mixing state (Cheng et al, 2009;Deng et al, 2011;Ma et al, 2011Ma et al, , 2012Chen et al, 2012) have also been discussed for Beijing and the surrounding region.…”

Seasonal variations in high time-resolved chemical compositions, sources, and evolution of atmospheric submicron aerosols in the megacity Beijing

“…In previous studies, it was reported that COA accounted for 14-25 % (∼ 20 % on average) of the total OA in summer and winter in Beijing, with an average concentration (∼ 6 µg m −3 ), which is a relatively stable component of OA (Hu et al, 2016a;Wang et al, 2009). In this study, the concentrations and proportions of COA in OA during seasonal observations were in the range of 2.5-5.2 µg m −3 and 15-28 %, respectively, comparable to previous results.…”

Column aerosol optical properties and aerosol radiative forcing during a serious haze-fog month over North China Plain in 2013 based on ground-based sunphotometer measurements

“…In contrast, the coarse mode radius in the pollution period was about 0.06-0.38 µm less than that in the non-pollution period. It could be speculated that the higher wind speed during non-pollution periods results in more coarse particles in the atmosphere such as, for instance, the fugitive dust (Wang et al, 2009) and fly ash emissions from coal burning (Yang et al, 2009). …”