Mass balance of organic carbon fractions in atmospheric aerosols

Abstract

Total suspended particulate matter was collected in two Portuguese urban areas (Lisbon and Aveiro) and in a Finnish forested site. Samples were sequentially extracted with dichloromethane and water. The solvent extract was separated by flash chromatography into aliphatics, aromatics, carbonyls, alcohols, and an acidic fraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. An organic/black carbon analyzer was used to evaluate the carbonaceous matter in filters, the water‐soluble fraction, solvent extractable material, and the content of different organic classes. Results showed that the common simple extraction with dichloromethane is able to dissolve less than 50% of the particulate organic material. The successive extraction with water removes an important quantity of the leftover organic polar compounds. The sum of both extractions recovers between 70% and 90% of the organic carbon present. The amount of oxygenated compounds is frequently more than 70% of the extracted material, with a large predominance of organic acids and alcohols, especially for particles with diameters less than 0.49 μm. The organic compounds identified in the extractable atmospheric particulate matter are represented by primary compounds with both anthropogenic and biogenic origin, which mainly derive from vegetation waxes and from petrogenic sources. Secondary products resulting from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds were also detected. The water‐soluble fraction contains essentially oxocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids, and cellulosic constituents. In accordance with the anthropogenic characteristics of the sampling sites, nonpolar fractions constitute up to 24% of the extracted organic carbon in Lisbon and present high levels of petroleum markers, while in the forested station these compounds represent 8%. The oxygenated organic compounds account for 76–92% of the extracted carbon in samples from Aveiro and Finland. Owing to favorable photochemical conditions during the sampling campaign, secondary organic constituents present higher levels in Aveiro. The forested site is the one where the water‐soluble components show greater variability and concentrations.