Measurement of Ambient PAHs in Kumamoto: Differentiating Local and Transboundary Air Pollution

Taichi Sugiyama,Kojiro Shimada,Kaori Miura,Akinori Takami,Neng-Huei Lin,Shiro Hatakeyama,Chak K Chan,Yong Pyo Kim

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2016.12.0585

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe developed an index to investigate the effect of transboundary air pollution (TAP) on the air quality of Kumamoto City, Japan. We estimated the effect of TAP by using the index and positive matrix factorization (PMF). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace metals were analyzed from the daily samples of the Total Suspended Particles (TSPs) collected seasonally from Oct. 2014 to Aug. 2015. These chemical components exhibited high concentrations in spring and winter, which is consistent with the data in the literature. Pb was identified as the TAP tracer owing to its high concentrations in winter and spring. Indeno(1, 2, 3-cd)pyrene (IcdP) was used as the local emission tracer in Kumamoto on the basis of previous studies. We applied the IcdP/Pb ratio as the index. The index enables the detection of TAP in daily data sets. PMF identified six factors: soil and road dust, biomass and waste burning, heavy oil combustion, fishing boats, vehicle emission, and coal combustion. The average contribution of TAP on the days when transboundary pollution was high was evaluated as being 46%.

Highlights

In Japan, transboundary air pollution (TAP) caused by particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) is frequently reported by the media
We developed an index to investigate the contribution of TAP to the air quality in Kumamoto, Japan
The seasonal pattern of the Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentration observed in Kumamoto was similar to that of the ambient PAH concentrations reported in previous studies in East Asia (Tang et al, 2005; Sato et al, 2008; Ma et al, 2010; Yang et al, 2017)

Summary

Introduction

In Japan, transboundary air pollution (TAP) caused by particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) is frequently reported by the media. Kaneyasu and Takada (2004) collected fine atmospheric aerosols from Miyako Island and Amami Island and analyzed their chemical components. Numerous studies conducted in Japan (Kaneyasu and Takada, 2004; Tang et al, 2005; Ogawa et al, 2012; Sato et al, 2013) reported that PAHs were transported from China to Japan. They observed high PAH concentrations in winter. The black carbon (BC) concentration exhibited a strong positive correlation with PAH concentration This result suggests that PAHs are transported together with BC from China in winter. Sato et Sugiyama et al, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 17: 3106–3118, 2017 al. (2013) reported that PAHs observed in Fukuoka City and Fukue Island mainly were originated from coal or biomass combustion in spring or winter, whereas they were originated from petroleum combustion and coal and biomass combustion in summer

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Conclusion