Size Segregated Carbonaceous Aerosol Down to Ultrafine Particle in Medan City, Indonesia

Abstract

In this study, the distribution of PMs and their carbonaceous components, including organic (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) was evaluated to determine how much carbon profiles within ambient aerosol differ between four different sites in Medan city or (roadside (RS), school environment (SE), industrial area (IA), and volcano area (VA). Samples were taken by using ambient nano sampler (ANS) from February 19th to March 12th, 2019. Carbon analyser followed by IMPROVE_TOR methods was used to evaluate the carbonous component in all sites. Overall, OC is the primary carbon component, comprising more than 60% of all sites. Regarding particle size, the largest OC content was recorded in PM0.5-1 across all locations, suggesting that this particle size should be the primary focus of future evaluations of the consequences of biomass burning. The concentration of soot-EC dropped with the increase in particle size, since it was commonly influenced by vehicle emissions, which typically generated ultrafine and fine particles. PM0.1 has the greatest concentration of soot-EC. Due to their proximity to the city’s busiest thoroughfare, RS and SE sites had a larger soot-EC proportion than the two remaining sites (IA and VA) (Sisingamangaraja Street).