Abstract
A method for measurement of atmospheric carbonaceous particulate matter is proposed and evaluated. A diffusion denuder, placed ahead of a filter, is used to exclude vapor-phase organic compounds which might be retained by adsorption on the filter. The carbonaceous material lost by volatilization from the filter after collection is retained with a fluidized bed of powdered Al 2O 3. The efficiencies of the denuder and Al 2O 3 were evaluated with vapor phase phenanthrene and octadecane. Atmospheric sampling was done at two urban and one background site in California using the proposed technique in parallel with conventional hi-vol and dichotomous samplers. Hi-vol samples appear to have lost up to half of the particle phase carbon during sampling. About half this error could be eliminated by sampling at low face velocity. The effects of face velocity appear to distort the proportions of fine and coarse particulate carbon obtained with a dichotomous sampler.
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