Measurement report: Source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosol using dual-carbon isotopes (<sup>13</sup>C and <sup>14</sup>C) and levoglucosan in three northern Chinese cities during 2018–2019
<p>To investigate the characteristics and changes in the sources of carbonaceous aerosols in northern Chinese cities after the implementation of the Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control in 2013, we collected PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub&...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/6255/2022/acp-22-6255-2022.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>To investigate the characteristics and changes in the sources of
carbonaceous aerosols in northern Chinese cities after the implementation of the Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control in 2013, we
collected PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> samples from three representative inland cities, i.e., Beijing (BJ), Xi'an (XA), and Linfen (LF), from January 2018 to April 2019. Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), levoglucosan, stable carbon
isotope, and radiocarbon were measured in PM<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2.5</sub></span> to quantify the sources
of carbonaceous aerosol, combined with Latin hypercube sampling. The best
estimate of source apportionment showed that the emissions from liquid
fossil fuels contributed <span class="inline-formula">29.3±12.7</span> %, <span class="inline-formula">24.9±18.0</span> %, and
<span class="inline-formula">20.9±12.3</span> % of the total carbon (TC) in BJ, XA, and LF,
respectively, whereas coal combustion contributed <span class="inline-formula">15.5±8.8</span> %, <span class="inline-formula">20.9±18.0</span> %, and <span class="inline-formula">42.9±19.4</span> %, respectively. Non-fossil
sources accounted for <span class="inline-formula">55±11</span> %, <span class="inline-formula">54±10</span> %, and <span class="inline-formula">36±14</span> % of the TC in BJ, XA, and LF, respectively. In XA, <span class="inline-formula">44.8±26.8</span> % of non-fossil sources were attributed to biomass burning. The highest contributors to OC in LF and XA were fossil sources (<span class="inline-formula">74.2±9.6</span> % and <span class="inline-formula">43.2±10.8</span> %, respectively), whereas those in BJ were non-fossil sources (<span class="inline-formula">66.8±13.9</span> %). The main contributors to EC were
fossil sources, accounting for <span class="inline-formula">91.4±7.5</span> %, <span class="inline-formula">66.8±23.8</span> %,
and <span class="inline-formula">88.4±10.8</span> % in BJ, XA, and LF, respectively. The decline
(6 %–16 %) in fossil source contributions in BJ since the implementation of the Action Plan indicates the effectiveness of air quality management. We suggest that specific measures targeted at coal combustion, biomass burning, and vehicle emissions in different cities should be strengthened in the future.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |