Study on the Characteristics of PM2.5 Components from Emission Sources in Chungcheongnam-do

Abstract

We conducted a principal component analysis of PM2.5 (particles with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) at four sites located in Chungcheongnam-do, a province of South Korea, to determine the level of pollution and characteristics of PM2.5 components at each emission source. The four monitoring sites included a steel complex near Songsan-myeon (SS) area, a petrochemical complex near Dokgot-ri (DG) area, a residential complex near Mojong-dong (MJ) area, and a village near Naepo (NP) area. Samples collected at these sites were analyzed and the concentrations of mass, ion, carbon, and element in PM2.5 were compared. The mass concentrations were found to be the highest in SS, followed by MJ, DG, and NP. The concentration of dominant ion species were recorded in a ascending order of NO3-> SO42+> NH4+ in MJ and SO42-> NO3- > NH4+ in SS, DG, and NP. The results indicate that MJ had the highest NOx concentration, which is emitted by automobiles. Moreover, MJ exhibited the highest organic carbon concentration of 5.67 μg/m3 and elemental carbon concentration of 0.51 μg/m3. The analysis of the elemental composition of PM2.5 indicated a significantly higher concentration of Fe, Zn, and Mn in SS and As, V, and Ni in DG. Different component analysis results from each emission source suggest the need to understand the distribution of pollutants in each region while establishing measures to reduce PM2.5 levels. Key Words: PM2.5, Chemical composition, Ionic species, Carbon components, Element components, emission source