Characteristics of Carbonaceous PM_2.5 in a Small Residential City in Korea

Abstract

PM2.5 has been a serious issue in South Korea not only in urban and industrial areas but also in rural and background areas. In this study, PM2.5 and its carbonaceous compounds including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were collected and analyzed in a small residential city. The PM2.5 concentration frequently exceeded the national ambient air quality standard during the spring and the winter, which often occurred concurrently with fog and mist events. Over the whole sampling period, both OC and the OC/EC ratio were considerably higher than the ratios in other cities in Korea, which suggests that sources other than vehicular emissions were important. The top 10% of OC/EC ratio samples could be explained by regional and long-range transport because there was a strong correlation between primary and secondary organic carbon. However, biomass combustion was likely to account for the consistently high OC concentration due to a strong correlation between WSOC and primary OC as well as the diagnostic ratio results of PAHs.

Keywords

• PM_2.5
• organic carbon
• PAHs
• biomass combustion
• diagnostic ratio