Just Accepted

This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

Characteristics, potential sources, and interaction of carbonaceous components in PM2.5 in two adjacent areas in Shanxi, China

Xiaofeng Liu , Xin Tan, Xinyang Li, Xuan Li, Yuhuan Cheng, Kun Wang

Abstract

Rationale. Carbonaceous aerosols seriously affect people’s health and have a strong scattering effect on visible light. The pollution of carbonaceous components in Taiyuan was serious. Numerous universities in Taiyuan have been moving to Yuci college town since 2013, and organic pollutants increased gradually with the growing population. It is necessary to study the characteristics and relationship of carbonaceous aerosols in two adjacent areas. Methodology. PM2.5 samples were collected in Taiyuan and Yuci college town in 2017 and 2018, and 8 carbonaceous components were analyzed using a Sunset Laboratory analyzer. Pollution characteristic, potential sources, and interaction of carbonous aerosols in two adjacent areas were investigated. Results. The average organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations were 12.6 µg·m-3 and 6.8 µg·m-3 in Taiyuan, and 11.7 µg·m-3 and 6.9 µg·m-3 in Yuci. The OC and EC concentrations in Taiyuan can be roughly divided into 3 levels from 2009 to 2020, and the OC and EC levels in Taiyuan were in the middle. The OC and EC concentrations were higher when the temperature was lower. Discussion. The OC concentration in December was the highest among three winter periods, which may be caused by secondary organic carbon formation related to the lower temperature and the inversion layer. Four source categories were identified using PMF, namely secondary source (25.0%), dust source (16.6%), vehicle exhaust (27.0%), and coal combustion (31.4%). In Taiyuan and Yuci, the trajectory clusters were mainly from northwest and west in winter, while the air masses not only originated from northwest, but also north and south in autumn. Yuci may be affected by regional transport of Taiyuan in winter. The results clarify the characteristics of carbon aerosols in two adjacent areas, and provide fundamental data for the prevention and control of regional air pollutants.

EN23106  Accepted 12 April 2024

© CSIRO 2024