Development, characterization, and application of an improved online reactive oxygen species analyzer based on the Monitor for AeRosols and Gases in ambient Air (MARGA)

Abstract

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the human body is an important factor leading to diseases. Therefore, research on the content of reactive oxygen species in atmospheric particles is necessary. In recent years, the online detection technology of ROS has been developed. However, there are few technical studies on online detection of ROS based on the dithiothreitol (DTT) method. Here, to modify the instrument, a DTT experimental module is added that is protected from light and filled with nitrogen at the end based on the Monitor for AeRosols and Gases in ambient Air (MARGA). The experimental study found that the detection limit of the modified instrument is 0.024 nmol min−1. The DTT consumption rate of blank sample (ultrapure water) is reduced by 44 %, which eliminates the influence of outside air and light in the experiment. And the accuracy of the online instrument is determined by comparing the online and offline levels of the samples, which yielded good consistency (slope 0.97, R2=0.95). It shows that the performance of the instrument is indeed optimized, the instrument is stable, and the characterization of ROS is accurate. The instrument not only realizes online detection conveniently and quickly, but also achieves the hour-by-hour detection of ROS based on the DTT method. Meanwhile, reactive oxygen and inorganic ions in atmospheric particles are quantified using the online technique in the northern suburbs of Nanjing. It is found that the content of ROS during the day is higher than that at night, especially after it rains; ROS peaks appear in the two time periods of 08:00–10:00 and 16:00–18:00 (China Standard Time, UTC+8:00; expressed here in local time – LT). In addition, examination of the online ROS, water-soluble ion (SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, Na+, Ca2+, K+), BC, and polluting gas (SO2, CO, O3, NO, NOx) measurements revealed that photo-oxidation and secondary formation processes could be important sources of aerosol ROS. This breakthrough enables the quantitative assessment of atmospheric particulate matter ROS at the diurnal scale, providing an effective tool to study sources and environmental impacts of ROS.