Characteristics and Seasonal Variations of Carbonaceous Species in PM2.5 in Taiyuan, China

Atmosphere

Qiusheng He¹  Wendi Guo¹  Guixiang Zhang¹  Yulong Yan¹  Laiguo Chen² 

[1] School of Environment and Safety, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China; E-Mails:;Urban Environment and Ecology Research Center, South China Institute of Environmental Science (SCIES), Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) of the People’s Republic of China, Guangzhou 510655, China

关键词: PM_2.5;    organic carbon (OC);    elemental carbon (EC);    second organic carbon (SOC);    Taiyuan;   

DOI  :  10.3390/atmos6060850

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Seasonal characteristics of PM_2.5, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were studied in Taiyuan from 2009 to 2010. PM_2.5 samples were collected by pre-baked quartz filters with high-volume air sampler, and then OC and EC were analyzed by thermal/optical reflectance method. The annual average concentrations of PM_2.5, OC and EC were 220.2, 37.4 and 19.6 µg/m³ respectively, which were higher than those in most regions in China. Total carbonaceous aerosol (TCA) accounted for more than one third of the total PM_2.5 mass. The levels of PM_2.5, OC and EC were the highest in winter, followed by spring, fall and summer. OC and EC were well correlated in summer compared with other seasons, indicating the presence of other additional sources such as biomass burning in fall, coal combustion for heating in winter and dust in spring. Higher OC/EC ratios in winter might be primarily attributed to the significant increase of direct emission of OC as a result of coal and biomass combustion, and also cooling effect of carbonaceous aerosols due to low temperature and stagnated atmospheric condition. These results showed that the pollution of carbonaceous particles in Taiyuan was serious, and might be an inducing factor of dust haze, especially in winter.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.