The chemical composition of inorganic and carbonaceous materials in PM2.5 in Nanjing, China

Abstract

PM2.5 samples were collected at an urban and a suburban site in Nanjing, China in 2001. They were analyzed for inorganic ions, elemental carbon, organic carbon (OC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and individual WSOC and nonpolar organic species. Sulfate and organic matter were the two most abundant constituents in these samples. Sulfate accounted for an average of 23% (urban site) and 30% (suburban site) of the identified aerosol mass. Organic matter accounted for an average of 37% (urban) and 28% (suburban) of the identified aerosol mass. WSOC was a significant portion of OC, accounting for about one-third of OC at the urban site and 45% of OC at the suburban site. The suburban–urban gradient in the WSOC/OC ratio also reflected that the aerosol OC was more aged at the suburban location. The correlations of WSOC with sulfate and nitrate suggest that the WSOC fraction was dominated by secondary organics. More than 30 individual WSOC species in the compound classes of organic anions, amino acids, aliphatic amines, and carbohydrates were quantified, accounting for approximately 8% of the WSOC on a carbon mass basis. In addition, 46 individual nonpolar organic compounds in the compound classes of n-alkanes, hopanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were quantified using an in-injection port thermal desorption technique. These nonpolar organic species accounted for less than 7% of the OC on a carbon mass basis. The quantification of individual compounds allowed the identification of major aerosol sources through principal component analysis. Coal combustion, vehicular emissions, secondary inorganic and organic aerosols, and road/sea salt were the major contributing sources to the identified PM2.5 aerosol mass.