Determination of Levoglucosan in Particulate Matter Reference Materials

Abstract

Source identification is critical for the effective management of air pollution. The ratio of levoglucosan (1,6-anhydro- β -D-glucose) to organic carbon has been used to identify and quantify the contribution of biomass combustion to the organic carbon content in aerosols. Therefore, accurate levoglucosan measurements in particulate matter are important. This study determined levoglucosan concentrations in urban dust Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) 1649a and 1648 available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as well as two particulate matter samples with particle sizes nominally 2.5 μ m and smaller collected in Baltimore, MD. Levoglucosan was extracted using both pressurized fluid and Soxhlet techniques. Quantification was performed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using a deuterated levoglucosan internal standard and two different GC columns. Levoglucosan concentrations were 81.1 μ g g−1 with a standard deviation of 9.4 μ g g−1 (n = 9) for SRM 1649a, 107 μ g g−1 with a standard deviation of 18 μ g g −1 (n = 8) for SRM 1648, 225 μ g g−1 (standard deviation of 41 μ g g−1 n = 4) and 138 μ g g−1 (standard deviation of 39 μ g g − 1 n = 5) for the two fine particulate matter samples collected in Baltimore, MD.