Carbon in Particulate Matter in the air

Abstract

Carbon in Particulate Matter in the AirCarbon (Latin carbo) in elemental form appears as diamond, graphite, fullerene, and black amorphous carbon. Black amorphous carbon can be found in atmospheric aerosols and its main forms are elemental (EC), organic (OC), and carbonate (CC) carbon. Atmospheric carbon particles are transmitted through more than 70 sources of air pollutants. Elemental carbon is the primary pollutant, which results from incomplete combustion of fossil and biomass fuels. It also appears as soot, in sediment, soil, and ice core. Many quantitative determinations of elemental carbon are based on its chemical inertness, thermal stability, and visual features. Organic carbon includes organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans, polybrominated diphenylethers, and other organic pollutants are the products of combustion and formation of secondary organic aerosols.The aim of this paper was to describe different forms of carbon in the atmosphere, how they affect people, climate, and the atmosphere, and to give an overview of different methods for their determination.