Chemical Characteristics of PM<sub>2.5</sub> and Water-Soluble Organic Nitrogen in Yangzhou, China
Yuntao Chen,
Yanfang Chen,
Xinchun Xie,
Zhaolian Ye,
Qing Li,
Xinlei Ge,
Mindong Chen
Affiliations
Yuntao Chen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Yanfang Chen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Xinchun Xie
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Zhaolian Ye
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China
Qing Li
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China
Xinlei Ge
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Mindong Chen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Chemical characterization of fine atmospheric particles (PM2.5) is important for effective reduction of air pollution. This work analyzed PM2.5 samples collected in Yangzhou, China, during 2016. Ionic species, organic matter (OM), elemental carbon (EC), and trace metals were determined, and an Aerodyne soot-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) was introduced to determine the OM mass, rather than only organic carbon mass. We found that inorganic ionic species was dominant (~52%), organics occupied about 1/4, while trace metals (~1%) and EC (~2.1%) contributed insignificantly to the total PM2.5 mass. Water-soluble OM appeared to link closely with secondary OM, while water-insoluble OM correlated well with primary OM. The PM2.5 concentrations were relatively low during summertime, while its compositions varied little among different months. Seasonal variations of water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) concentrations were not significant, while the mass contributions of WSON to total nitrogen were remarkably high during summer and autumn. WSON was found to associate better with secondary sources based on both correlation analyses and principle component analyses. Analyses of potential source contributions to WSON showed that regional emissions were dominant during autumn and winter, while the ocean became relatively important during spring and summer.