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Environmental problems - Chemical approaches
RESEARCH ARTICLE

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

Xiaofeng Liu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6019-4965 A * , Xin Tan A , Xinyang Li A , Xuan Li A , Yuhuan Cheng A and Kun Wang A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, PR China.

* Correspondence to: liuxiaofeng01@tyut.edu.cn

Handling Editor: Graeme Batley

Environmental Chemistry 21, EN23106 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN23106
Submitted: 24 October 2023  Accepted: 12 April 2024  Published: 6 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.

Abstract

Environmental context

Carbonaceous components in PM2.5 have a negative effect on the environment, human health and climate. We explored the pollution characteristic, potential sources and interaction of carbonous aerosols in two adjacent areas in Shanxi, China. The concentration levels of organic carbon and elemental carbon were of a moderate level of all those measured between 2009 and 2020. Vehicle exhaust and coal combustion were the two main sources, and Yuci may be affected by the regional transport of Taiyuan in winter.

Rationale

Carbonaceous aerosols seriously affect people’s health and have a strong scattering effect on visible light. Pollution cuased by carbonaceous components in Taiyuan is serious. Numerous universities in Taiyuan have been moving to Yuci college town since 2013, and the amount of organic pollutants has increased gradually with the growing population. It is necessary to study the characteristics and relationship of carbonaceous aerosols in these two adjacent areas.

Methodology

PM2.5 samples were collected in Taiyuan and Yuci college town in 2017 and 2018, and eight carbonaceous components were analysed using a Sunset Laboratory analyser. Pollution characteristic, potential sources and interaction of carbonous aerosols in the two adjacent areas were investigated.

Results

The average organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations were 12.6 and 6.8 µg m−3 in Taiyuan and 11.7 and 6.9 µg m−3 in Yuci. The OC and EC concentrations in Taiyuan can be approximately divided into three levels between 2009 and 2020, and the OC and EC levels in Taiyuan studied here (2017 and 2018) were in the middle level. 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 an inversion layer. Four source categories were identified using positive matrix factorisation, 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 north-west and west in winter, whereas the air masses not only originated from north-west, but also north and south in autumn. Yuci may be affected by Taiyuan's regional transport in winter. The results clarify the characteristics of carbon aerosols in the two adjacent areas, and provide fundamental data for the prevention and control of regional air pollutants.

Keywords: air pollution, backward trajectories, correlation analysis, elemental carbon, organic carbon, PM2.5, positive matrix factorisation, source apportionment.

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