Characterizing the source apportionment of black carbon and ultrafine particles near urban roads in Xi'an, China

Abstract

Better knowledge of the sources of black carbon (BC) and ultrafine particles (UFPs) in urban roadway region will provide helpful information for improving road air pollution caused by vehicle emissions. For this purpose, we conducted daily observation of BC and UFPs at two trafficked sites (intersection and roadside), and a background site in Xi'an, China. The concentration data of BC and UFPs measured were combined with Aethalometer model and UFPs source apportion model, to determine and analyze the sources of BC in an urban road region. Further, the source and variation characteristics of primary and secondary UFPs at the roadside sites were clarified. The results showed that average BC concentrations at the intersection, roadside, and background were respectively 3577 ± 2771, 3078 ± 2343, and 1914 ± 1229 ng/m3. The BC source apportionment results revealed contribution rates of on-board fossil fuel combustion (BCff) at the intersection and near the road of ca. 78.7% and 73.6%, respectively. Moreover, the proportion of particles number concentrations directly emitted from vehicles and nucleated upon emission (47%) was lower than that of particles formed during the dilution and cooling of vehicle emissions and by in-situ new particle formation (53%) at the roadside site. At 49%, the proportion of primary particles number was slightly higher at the intersection. The impacts of new particle-formation events on the diurnal variation of secondary particles were explored. Generally, the majority of BC originated from traffic exhausts, while the secondary particles from non-traffic sources are dominant at the road intersections. By providing a better understanding of near-road pollution issues, this study's findings can be useful for taking effective regulatory efforts to improve air quality and reduce people's exposure to traffic-pollutants in an urban environment.