A mass balance method is applied to assess main source contributions to PM2.5 and PM10 levels in Karachi. Carbonaceous species (elemental carbon, organic carbon, carbonate carbon), soluble ions ...(Ca++, Mg++, Na+, K+, NH4+, Cl−, NO3−, SO4−), saccharides (levoglucosan, galactosan, mannosan, sucrose, fructose, glucose, arabitol and mannitol) were determined in atmospheric fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) aerosol samples collected under pre-monsoon conditions (March–April 2009) at an urban site in Karachi (Pakistan). The concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were found to be 75 μg/m3 and 437 μg/m3 respectively. The large difference between PM10 and PM2.5 originated predominantly from mineral dust. “Calcareous dust” and „siliceous dust” were the over all dominating material in PM, with 46% contribution to PM2.5 and 78% to PM10–2.5. Combustion particles and secondary organics (EC + OM) comprised 23% of PM2.5 and 6% of PM10–2.5. EC, as well as OC ambient levels were higher (59% and 56%) in PM10–2.5 than in PM2.5. Biomass burning contributed about 3% to PM2.5, and had a share of about 13% of “EC + OM” in PM2.5. The impact of bioaerosol (fungal spores) was minor and had a share of 1 and 2% of the OC in the PM2.5 and PM10–2.5 size fractions. In case of secondary inorganic aerosols, ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4 contributes 4.4% to PM2.5 and no detectable quantity were found in fraction PM10–2.5. The sea salt contribution is about 2% both to PM2.5 and PM10–2.5.
•This study focuses on the impact of biomass burning in an urban environment.•Carbonaceous species like EC, OC, and anhydrosugars along with water soluble ions has been measured in the mega city of Karachi.•Levoglucosan has been used as tracer for biomass burning.
The characterization of saccharidic compounds in atmospheric aerosols is important in order to retrieve information about organic carbon sources and their transport pathways through the atmosphere. ...In this study, composition and sources of saccharides in PM
10
were determined in a South Asian megacity (Faisalabad) during the year 2015 – 2016. PM
10
sampled on quartz filters was analyzed by anion exchange chromatography for the selected saccharidic compounds. The average PM
10
concentration was found to be 744 ± 392 μg m
−3
, exceeding the daily limits proposed by Pak-EPA (150 μg m
−3
), US-EPA (150 μg m
−3
), and WHO (50 μg m
−3
). The average total saccharidic concentration was found to be 2820 ± 2247 ng m
−3
. Among the different saccharidic categories, anhydrosugars were the most abundant in concentration followed by primary sugars and sugar alcohols. The correlation and principal component analysis indicated emissions from biomass combustion, soil suspensions from areas such as farmlands having high microorganism activity, and biogenic emissions such as airborne fungal spores and vegetation detritus as major sources of saccharides in the aerosol samples.
The awareness of environmental pollution has been continuously growing in recent decades and is currently reaching its maximum. Europe and most developed countries are determined to ensure safe ...breathing air for their citizens, and the measures to do so are stricter than ever before. Combustion procedures remain the primary means of producing energy and warmth in Poland. Among the notable constituents of flue gases produced as a result of fuel combustion, solid particles (or particulate matter) hold significant prominence. The paper presents the chemical characterisation of particulate matter emitted from stationary and automotive emission sources. Stationary emission sources included the combustion process of fossil fuels (soft wood, bituminous coal, ecopea coal, culm) in domestic heating units and the process of combustion of bituminous coal in a power plant. Automotive emission sources included light duty and medium duty vehicles fuelled by diesel. Exhaust toxicity tests were carried out maintaining the real conditions of PM emission. In all field measurements particulate matter was gravimetrically measured and collected on quartz or glass fibre filters. Subsequently, the content of carbonaceous fraction, inorganic ions, and metals and metalloids was analyzed using different analytical techniques. The chemical composition of the particulate matter differed depending on the emission source. With respect to stationary combustion sources, the main factors determining solid particle emission are related primarily to the fuel quality. The duty of vehicles was also a factor that influenced the chemical characterisation of the particulate matter emitted from the engines.
In early 2017 high particulate matter (PM) levels were observed across mid-Europe, including Austria. Here we characterize PM pollution in the city of Graz during January to March 2017, a period with ...substantial exceedances (34 days) of the European Union (EU) PM10 short time limit value. This study evaluates whether the observed exceedances can be attributed to the accumulation of pollutants emitted by local sources or to a larger scale pollution episode including transport. The analyses are based on the ratios of PM10 concentrations determined at an urban and background site, and the analyses of chemical composition of PM2.5 samples (i.e., water soluble ions, organic and elemental carbon, anhydro-sugars, humic-like substances, aluminum, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Source apportionment was realized using a macro-tracer model. Overall, the combination of different approaches (PM10 ratios, chemical composition, and macro-tracer derived source apportionment) enabled a conclusive identification of time periods characterized by the accumulation of emissions from local sources or regional pollution episodes.
Krakow is a city in southern Poland inhabited by about 741,000 people. However, Krakow’s agglomeration includes neighboring cities, hence more than 1 million people live there. The agglomeration is ...struggling with the problem of air pollution. In 2016, admissible average annual concentrations of PM10 (40 μg / m
3
) were exceeded at all measuring points. Furthermore, daily PM10 concentrations were regularly exceeded in the winter, which is associated with increased coal combustion during this period. Fortunately, interest in the subject of air quality in the world is constantly growing. People are more often aware of the negative impact on health of chemical compounds present in particulate matter (PM) such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which were proved to be cancerogenic and mutagenic for people. That is why it is so important to study their presence in the ambient air. PM10 collected in the center of Wadowice (22.12.2016 – 13.10.2017) were investigated. PAHs were extracted from particulate matter and analysed applying the GC/MS technique. The results are discussed in the article.
Organic and elemental carbon content in PM10 was studied at three sites in Malopolska District representing the city centre (Krakow), rural/residential (Bialka) and residential/industrial ...environments (Krakow). The PM10 samples were collected during the winter time study. The highest concentrations of carbonaceous species were observed in Skawina (36.9 μg·m-3 of OC and 9.6 μg·m-3 of EC). The lowest OC and EC concentrations were reported in Krakow (15.2 μg·m-3 and 3.9 μg·m-3, respectively. The highest concentration of carbonaceous species and the highest wind velocities in Skawina influenced the highest values of the dry deposition fluxes. Correlations between OC, EC and chemical constituents and meteorological parameters suggest that a) Krakow was influenced by local emission sources and temperature inversion occurrence; b) Bialka was under the influence of local emission sources and long-range transport of particles; c) Skawina was impacted by local emission sources.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the ambient particulate matter pose one of the most important issues in the focus of environmental management. The concentration of their representative, ...Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), undergoes limitations according to European Union directive. However, a successful control over the pollution levels and their sources is limited by the high uncertainty of analytical and statistical approaches used for their characterization. Here we compare differences in PAH concentrations related to the use of different solvents in the course of ultrasonic extraction of a certified reference material (PM10-like PAH mixture) and filter samples of ambient particulate matter collected in Austria for the CG-MS PAH analysis. Using solvents of increasing polarity: Cyclohexane (0,006), Toluene (0,099), Dichloromethane (0,309), Acetone (0,43) and Acetonitrile (0,460), as well as mixtures of those, filters representing high and low concentrations of particulate matter were investigated. Although some scatter of the obtained concentrations was observed no trend related to the polarity of the solvent became visible. Regarding the reproducibility, which can be expected of PAH analysis no significant difference between the different solvents was determined. This result is valid for all compounds under investigation.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), their nitro-derivatives (NPAHs) and hundreds of other organic compounds are present in ambient air in gas and particulate form. PAHs and NPAHs originate from ...diesel and gasoline exhaust emission and other combustion sources. NPAHs are also formed through the nitration of parent PAHs in the atmosphere. Concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs in the particulate matter fraction PM10 collected in the centre of Kraków (27.01.2014 – 17.02.2014) were investigated. The thirteen PAHs and four NPAHs: fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzoaanthracene, benzoapyrene, chrysene, benzobfluoranthene, benzokfluoranthene, indeno1,2,3-c,dpyrene, benzog,h,iperylene, dibenza,hanthracene, 2-nitrofluorene, 9-nitroanthracene, 3-nitrofluoranthene and 1-nitropyrene were extracted from particulate matter and analysed applying the GC/MS technique. Depending on the compounds the relative recoveries ranged from 72 to 94%. The concentrations of PM10 in the study period ranged between 23.5 and 153.8 μg·m-3. The average concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs ranged from 26.6 to 276.4 ng·m-3 and from 0.6 to 9.1 ng·m-3, respectively. The highest concentrations were observed for benzoapyrene, benzoaanthracene, pyrene and fluoranthene. The average concentration of benzoapyrene (BaP), which is a marker for the particle-bound atmospheric PAHs, was 9.5 ng·m-3. The concentrations of 3-nitrofluoranthene and 1-nitropyrene were below the quantification limits of the method (< MQL).
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