Organic composition of atmospheric urban aerosol: Variations and sources of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons |
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| Authors: | Miguel A Barrero Mazquiarn Lourdes Cantn Ortiz de Pinedo |
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| Institution: | aChemical Engineering Group, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country, P. Manuel de Lardizabal, 3, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain |
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| Abstract: | The non-polar organic composition of airborne particulate matter was analysed over a two year period in an urban area under oceanic climate conditions (Errenteria, Basque Country, Spain). In addition, the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) among different aerosol particle sizes was determined. Clues as to the origin of various particle types were gained by using scanning electron microscopy to view the morphology of the particulates in each size fraction. Samples were collected on glass fibre filters and analysed by means of soxhlet extraction and gas chromatography (either with a flame ionization detector or coupled to a mass spectrometry). In general, total PAH levels were moderate (0.96–50 ng m− 3) as compared to other studies conducted in Europe, and showed clear seasonal variation with maxima in winter and minima in summer. Vehicular traffic was identified as a major source of PAHs in the study area. Regarding particle size, a bimodal distribution was observed. The large sized particles exhibited an apparent seasonal variation with higher concentrations in winter than in summer. The dependences between particle size, PAH distribution and meteorological variables were studied with multivariate statistics. Three main sources of organic compounds were identified: combustion, vegetation, and atmospheric oxidation. |
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| Keywords: | PAHs Particle size distribution Seasonal variation Urban air Multivariate statistics |
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