Characterization and Identification of Inorganic Water-Soluble Ions in PM<sub>2.5</sub>

Abstract

PM2.5and ionic components have been measured from summer 2009 to winter 2010 in the suburb of Shenzhen. Serious PM2.5 pollution was observed, especially in winter. SO42-, NO3- and NH4+ in winter were the predominant ions in PM2.5. In summer, the mean contributions of SO42-, NO3-and NH4+ to PM2.5 decreased, while the contributions of Cl- and metal ions increased significantly. Furthermore, ion balance, ratio analysis and correlation analysis were conducted to identify the sources of ions in PM2.5.