Abstract
As one of the biggest cities in North China, Jinan has been suffering heavy air pollution in recent decades. To better characterize the ambient particulate matter in Jinan during heavy pollution periods, we collected daily PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters equal to or less than 2.5 μm) filter samples from 15 October 2017 to 31 January 2018 and analyzed their chemical compositions (including inorganic water-soluble ions (WSIs), carbonaceous species, and inorganic elements). The daily average concentration of PM2.5 was 83.5 μg/m3 during the sampling period. A meteorological analysis revealed that both low wind speed and high relative humidity facilitated the occurrence of high PM2.5 pollution episodes. A chemical analysis indicated that high concentrations of water-soluble ions, carbonaceous species, and elements were observed during heavy pollution days. The major constituents of PM2.5 in Jinan were secondary aerosol particles and organic matter based on the results of mass closure. Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) was used to track possible sources and identified that nitrate, sulfate, vehicle exhaust and coal fly ash were the main contributors to PM2.5 during heavy pollution days in Jinan, accounting for 25.4%, 18.6%, 18.2%, and 13.3%, respectively.
Highlights
With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, the Chinese economy has progressed quickly over the last few decades
PM2.5 samples were collected on quartz filters (47 mm, Whatman, UK) and Teflon filters (47 mm, Pall, UK), which were pre-heated at 450 ◦ C for 4h before use in order to reduce the residual carbon levels that were associated with the filters
Atmospheric PM2.5 and its major components were measured from 15 October 2017 to 31 January
Summary
With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, the Chinese economy has progressed quickly over the last few decades. The economic boom has imposed tremendous pressure on the environment, especially the ambient atmosphere in Northern China [1,2,3]. PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters equal to or less than 2.5 μm) is regarded as the main contributor to heavy air pollution [4,5]. A previous study showed that cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are associated with long-term exposure to high PM2.5 [6]. Another study found that 3.45 million premature deaths around the world were linked to PM2.5 pollution in 2007 [7]. PM2.5 was the primary air pollutant in
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
