Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China?
The ambient formation of secondary particulate matter (ambient FSPM) is commonly recognized as the major cause of severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> air pollution in China. We present observational evidence showing that the ambient FSPM was too weak to yield a detectable contribution to extreme PM&...
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/673 |
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| author | Yanjie Shen He Meng Xiaohong Yao Zhongren Peng Yele Sun Jie Zhang Yang Gao Limin Feng Xiaohuan Liu Huiwang Gao |
| author_facet | Yanjie Shen He Meng Xiaohong Yao Zhongren Peng Yele Sun Jie Zhang Yang Gao Limin Feng Xiaohuan Liu Huiwang Gao |
| author_sort | Yanjie Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ambient formation of secondary particulate matter (ambient FSPM) is commonly recognized as the major cause of severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> air pollution in China. We present observational evidence showing that the ambient FSPM was too weak to yield a detectable contribution to extreme PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution events that swept northern China between 11 and 14 January 2019. Although the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model (v5.2) reasonably reproduced the observations in January 2019, it largely underestimated the concentrations of the PM<sub>2.5</sub> during the episode. We propose a novel mechanism, called the “in-fresh-stack-plume non-precipitation-cloud processing of aerosols” followed by the evaporation of semi-volatile components from the aerosols, to generate PM<sub>2.5</sub> at extremely high concentrations because of highly concentrated gaseous precursors and large amounts of water droplets in fresh cooling combustion plumes under poor dispersion conditions, low ambient temperature, and high relative humidity. The recorded non-precipitation-cloud processing of the aerosols in fresh stack combustion plumes normally lasts 20–30 s, but it prolongs as long as 2–5 min under cold, humid, and stagnant meteorological conditions and expectedly causes severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution events. Regardless of the presence of the natural cloud in the planetary boundary layer during the extreme events, the fast conversion of air pollutants in water droplets and the generation of the PM<sub>2.5</sub> through the non-precipitation-cloud processing of aerosols always occur in fresh combustion plumes. The processing of aerosols is detectable using a nano-scan particle sizer assembled on an unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the particle formation in stack plumes. In-fresh-stack-plume processed aerosols under varying meteorological conditions need to be studied urgently. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:21:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45818a99ed4146f4946e6b5294985344 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:21:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-45818a99ed4146f4946e6b52949853442023-11-23T10:01:03ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-04-0113567310.3390/atmos13050673Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China?Yanjie Shen0He Meng1Xiaohong Yao2Zhongren Peng3Yele Sun4Jie Zhang5Yang Gao6Limin Feng7Xiaohuan Liu8Huiwang Gao9Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaQingdao Eco-Environment Monitoring Center of Shandong Province, Qingdao 266003, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaInternational Center for Adaptation Planning and Design, College of Design, Construction and Planning, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAState Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology (MoE), Institute for Advanced Ocean Study, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaThe ambient formation of secondary particulate matter (ambient FSPM) is commonly recognized as the major cause of severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> air pollution in China. We present observational evidence showing that the ambient FSPM was too weak to yield a detectable contribution to extreme PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution events that swept northern China between 11 and 14 January 2019. Although the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model (v5.2) reasonably reproduced the observations in January 2019, it largely underestimated the concentrations of the PM<sub>2.5</sub> during the episode. We propose a novel mechanism, called the “in-fresh-stack-plume non-precipitation-cloud processing of aerosols” followed by the evaporation of semi-volatile components from the aerosols, to generate PM<sub>2.5</sub> at extremely high concentrations because of highly concentrated gaseous precursors and large amounts of water droplets in fresh cooling combustion plumes under poor dispersion conditions, low ambient temperature, and high relative humidity. The recorded non-precipitation-cloud processing of the aerosols in fresh stack combustion plumes normally lasts 20–30 s, but it prolongs as long as 2–5 min under cold, humid, and stagnant meteorological conditions and expectedly causes severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution events. Regardless of the presence of the natural cloud in the planetary boundary layer during the extreme events, the fast conversion of air pollutants in water droplets and the generation of the PM<sub>2.5</sub> through the non-precipitation-cloud processing of aerosols always occur in fresh combustion plumes. The processing of aerosols is detectable using a nano-scan particle sizer assembled on an unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the particle formation in stack plumes. In-fresh-stack-plume processed aerosols under varying meteorological conditions need to be studied urgently.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/673PM<sub>2.5</sub>COair pollutionfast conversioncombustion plumes |
| spellingShingle | Yanjie Shen He Meng Xiaohong Yao Zhongren Peng Yele Sun Jie Zhang Yang Gao Limin Feng Xiaohuan Liu Huiwang Gao Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China? Atmosphere PM<sub>2.5</sub> CO air pollution fast conversion combustion plumes |
| title | Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China? |
| title_full | Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China? |
| title_fullStr | Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China? |
| title_short | Does Ambient Secondary Conversion or the Prolonged Fast Conversion in Combustion Plumes Cause Severe PM<sub>2.5</sub> Air Pollution in China? |
| title_sort | does ambient secondary conversion or the prolonged fast conversion in combustion plumes cause severe pm sub 2 5 sub air pollution in china |
| topic | PM<sub>2.5</sub> CO air pollution fast conversion combustion plumes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/5/673 |
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