Effect of biomass burning on PM 2.5 composition and secondary aerosol formation during post‐monsoon and winter haze episodes in Delhi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Lalchandani ◽  
D. Srivastava ◽  
J. Dave ◽  
S. Mishra ◽  
N. Tripathi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Secondary Aerosol ◽  
Pm 2.5 ◽  
Post Monsoon

Major secondary aerosol formation in southern African open biomass burning plumes

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 580-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ville Vakkari ◽  
Johan P. Beukes ◽  
Miikka Dal Maso ◽  
Mika Aurela ◽  
Miroslav Josipovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Secondary Aerosol

scholarly journals Influences of emission sources and meteorology on aerosol chemistry in a polluted urban environment: results from DISCOVER-AQ California

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (23) ◽  
pp. 35057-35115 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Young ◽  
H. Kim ◽  
C. Parworth ◽  
S. Zhou ◽  
X. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Time Of Flight ◽  
Organic Aerosols ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Aerosol Chemistry ◽  
Secondary Aerosol

Abstract. The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in California experiences persistent air quality problems associated with elevated particulate matter (PM) concentrations due to anthropogenic emissions, topography, and meteorological conditions. Thus it is important to unravel the various sources and processes that affect the physico-chemical properties of PM in order to better inform pollution abatement strategies and improve parameterizations in air quality models. During January and February 2013, a ground supersite was installed at the Fresno-Garland California Air Resources Board (CARB) monitoring station, where comprehensive, real-time measurements of PM and trace gases were performed using instruments including an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and an Ionicon Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) as part of the NASA Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) campaign. The average submicron aerosol (PM1) concentration was 31.0 μg m−3 and the total mass was dominated by organic aerosols (OA, 55 %), followed by ammonium nitrate (35 %). High PM pollution events were commonly associated with elevated OA concentrations, mostly from primary sources. Organic aerosols had average atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O / C), hydrogen-to-carbon (H / C), and nitrogen-to-carbon (N / C) ratios of 0.42, 1.70, and 0.017, respectively. Six distinct sources of organic aerosol were identified from positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis of the AMS data: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA; 9 % of total OA; O / C = 0.09) associated with local traffic, cooking OA (COA; 28 % of total OA; O / C = 0.19) associated with food cooking activities, two biomass burning OAs (BBOA1; 13 % of total OA; O / C = 0.33 and BBOA2; 20 % of total OA; O / C = 0.60) most likely associated with residential space heating from wood combustion, and semi-volatile oxygenated OA (SV-OOA; 16 % of total OA; O / C = 0.63) and low volatility oxygenated OA (LV-OOA; 24 % of total OA; O / C = 0.90) formed via chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Large differences in aerosol chemistry at Fresno were observed between the current campaign (winter 2013) and a previous wintertime campaign (winter 2010), most notably that PM1 concentrations were nearly three times higher in 2013 than in 2010. These variations were attributed to differences in the meteorological conditions, which influenced primary emissions and secondary aerosol formation. In particular, COA and BBOA concentrations were greater in 2013 than 2010, where colder temperatures in 2013 likely resulted in increased biomass burning activities. The influence from a nighttime formed residual layer that mixed down in the morning was found to be much more intense in 2013 than 2010, leading to sharp increases in ground-level concentrations of secondary aerosol species including nitrate, sulfate, and OOA, in the morning between 08:00 to 12:00 PST. This is an indication that nighttime chemistry might also be higher in 2013. As solar radiation was stronger in 2013 the higher nitrate and OOA concentrations in 2013 could also be partly due to greater photochemical production of secondary aerosol species. The greater solar radiation and larger range in temperature in 2013 also likely led to both SV-OOA and LV-OOA being observed in 2013 whereas only a single OOA factor was identified in 2010.

scholarly journals Dramatic changes in Harbin aerosol during 2018–2020: the roles of open burning policy and secondary aerosol formation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Cheng ◽  
Qin-qin Yu ◽  
Jiu-meng Liu ◽  
Xu-bing Cao ◽  
Ying-jie Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Secondary Aerosol ◽  
Open Burning ◽  
Measurement Period ◽  
Related Increase

Abstract. Despite the growing interest in understanding haze formation in Chinese megacities, air pollution has been largely overlooked for the Harbin-Changchun (HC) metropolitan area located in the severe cold climate region in Northeast China. In this study, we unfolded significant variations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in HC’s central city (Harbin) during two sequential heating seasons of 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, and explored major drivers for the observed variations. The two campaigns showed comparable organic carbon (OC) levels but quite different OC sources. The biomass burning (BB) to OC contribution decreased substantially for 2019–2020, which was attributed primarily to the transition of local policies on agricultural fires, i.e., from the “legitimate burning” policy released in 2018 to the “strict prohibition” policy in 2019. Meanwhile, the contribution of secondary OC (OCsec) increased significantly, associated with the much more frequent occurrences of high relative humidity (RH) conditions during the 2019–2020 measurement period. Similar to OCsec, the major secondary inorganic ions, i.e., sulfate, nitrate and ammonium (SNA), also exhibited RH-dependent increases. Given the considerable aerosol water contents predicted for the high-RH conditions, heterogeneous reactions were likely at play in secondary aerosol formation even in the frigid atmosphere in Harbin (e.g., with daily average temperatures down to below −20 °C). In brief, compared to 2018–2019, the 2019–2020 measurement period was characterized by a policy-driven decrease of biomass burning OC, a RH-related increase of OCsec and a RH-related increase of SNA, with the former two factors generally offsetting each other. In addition, we found that open burning activities were actually not eliminated by the “strict prohibition” policy released in 2019, based on a synthesis of air quality data and fire count results. Although not evident throughout the 2019–2020 measurement period, agricultural fires broke out within a short period before crop planting in spring of 2020, and resulted in off-the-chart air pollution for Harbin, with 1- and 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations peaking at ~2350 and 900 μg/m3, respectively. This study indicates that sustainable use of crop residues remains a difficult challenge for the massive agricultural sector in Northeast China.

scholarly journals Sources and oxidative potential of water-soluble humic-like substances (HULIS<sub>WS</sub>) in fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in Beijing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiqiu Ma ◽  
Yubo Cheng ◽  
Xinghua Qiu ◽  
Gang Cao ◽  
Yanhua Fang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Waste Incineration ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Redox Activity ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Heating Season ◽  
Secondary Aerosol ◽  
Fine Particulate

Abstract. Water-soluble humic-like substances (HULISWS) are a major redox-active component of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5); however, information on their sources and associated redox activity is limited. In this study, total HULISWS, various HULISWS species, and HULISWS-associated dithiothreitol (DTT) activity were quantified in PM2.5 samples collected during a 1-year period in Beijing. Strong correlation was observed between HULISWS and DTT activity; both exhibited higher levels during the heating season than during the non-heating season. Positive matrix factorization analysis of both HULISWS and DTT activity was performed. Four combustion-related sources, namely coal combustion, biomass burning, waste incineration, and vehicle exhaust, and one secondary factor were resolved. In particular, waste incineration was identified as a source of HULISWS for the first time. Biomass burning and secondary aerosol formation were the major contributors (> 59 %) to both HULISWS and associated DTT activity throughout the year. During the non-heating season, secondary aerosol formation was the most important source, whereas during the heating season, the predominant contributor was biomass burning. The four combustion-related sources accounted for > 70 % of HULISWS and DTT activity, implying that future reduction in PM2.5 emissions from combustion activities can substantially reduce the HULISWS burden and their potential health impact in Beijing.

scholarly journals Sources and oxidative potential of water-soluble humic-like substances (HULIS<sub>WS</sub>) in fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in Beijing

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 5607-5617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiqiu Ma ◽  
Yubo Cheng ◽  
Xinghua Qiu ◽  
Gang Cao ◽  
Yanhua Fang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Waste Incineration ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Redox Activity ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Heating Season ◽  
Secondary Aerosol ◽  
Fine Particulate

Abstract. Water-soluble humic-like substances (HULISWS) are a major redox-active component of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5); however, information on their sources and associated redox activity is limited. In this study, HULISWS mass concentration, various HULISWS species, and dithiothreitol (DTT) activity of HULISWS were quantified in PM2.5 samples collected during a 1-year period in Beijing. Strong correlation was observed between HULISWS and DTT activity; both exhibited higher levels during the heating season than during the nonheating season. Positive matrix factorization analysis of both HULISWS and DTT activity was performed. Four combustion-related sources, namely coal combustion, biomass burning, waste incineration, and vehicle exhausts, and one secondary factor were resolved. In particular, waste incineration was identified as a source of HULISWS for the first time. Biomass burning and secondary aerosol formation were the major contributors (> 59 %) to both HULISWS and associated DTT activity throughout the year. During the nonheating season, secondary aerosol formation was the most important source, whereas during the heating season, the predominant contributor was biomass burning. The four combustion-related sources accounted for > 70 % of HULISWS and DTT activity, implying that future reduction in PM2.5 emissions from combustion activities can substantially reduce the HULISWS burden and their potential health impact in Beijing.

scholarly journals Dramatic changes in Harbin aerosol during 2018–2020: the roles of open burning policy and secondary aerosol formation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 15199-15211
Author(s):  
Yuan Cheng ◽  
Qin-qin Yu ◽  
Jiu-meng Liu ◽  
Xu-bing Cao ◽  
Ying-jie Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Secondary Aerosol ◽  
Open Burning ◽  
Measurement Period ◽  
Related Increase

Abstract. Despite the growing interest in understanding haze formation in Chinese megacities, air pollution has been largely overlooked for the Harbin–Changchun (HC) metropolitan area, located in the severe cold climate region in northeast China. In this study, we unfolded significant variations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in HC's central city (Harbin) during two sequential heating seasons of 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, and we explored major drivers for the observed variations. The two campaigns showed comparable organic carbon (OC) levels but quite different OC sources. The biomass burning (BB) to OC contribution decreased substantially for 2019–2020, which was attributed primarily to the transition of local policies on agricultural fires, i.e., from the “legitimate burning” policy released in 2018 to the “strict prohibition” policy in 2019. Meanwhile, the contribution of secondary OC (OCsec) increased significantly, associated with the much more frequent occurrences of high relative humidity (RH) conditions during the 2019–2020 measurement period. Similar to OCsec, the major secondary inorganic ions, i.e., sulfate, nitrate and ammonium (SNA), also exhibited RH-dependent increases. Given the considerable aerosol water contents predicted for the high-RH conditions, heterogeneous reactions were likely at play in secondary aerosol formation even in the frigid atmosphere in Harbin (e.g., with daily average temperatures down to below −20 ∘C). In brief, compared to 2018–2019, the 2019–2020 measurement period was characterized by a policy-driven decrease of biomass burning OC, a RH-related increase of OCsec and a RH-related increase of SNA, with the first two factors generally offsetting each other. In addition, we found that open burning activities were actually not eliminated by the strict prohibition policy released in 2019, based on a synthesis of air quality data and fire count results. Although not occurring during the 2019–2020 measurement period, agricultural fires broke out within a short period before crop planting in spring of 2020, and this resulted in off-the-charts air pollution for Harbin, with 1 h and 24 h PM2.5 concentrations peaking at ∼ 2350 and 900 µg/m3, respectively. This study indicates that sustainable use of crop residues remains a difficult challenge for the massive agricultural sector in northeast China.

scholarly journals Secondary organic aerosol formation from biomass burning emissions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Y. Lim ◽  
David H. Hagan ◽  
Matthew M. Coggon ◽  
Abigail R. Koss ◽  
Kanako Sekimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Total Concentration ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oh Radicals ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Atmospheric Aging ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Photochemical Aging ◽  
Organic Gases

Abstract. Biomass burning is an important source of aerosol and trace gases to the atmosphere, but how these emissions change chemically during their lifetimes is not fully understood. As part of the Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environments Experiment (FIREX 2016), we investigated the effect of photochemical aging on biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA), with a focus on fuels from the western United States. Emissions were sampled into a small (150 L) environmental chamber and photochemically aged via the addition of ozone and irradiation by 254 nm light. While some fraction of species undergoes photolysis, the vast majority of aging occurs via reaction with OH radicals, with total OH exposures corresponding to the equivalent of up to 10 days of atmospheric oxidation. For all fuels burned, large and rapid changes are seen in the ensemble chemical composition of BBOA, as measured by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation is seen for all aging experiments and continues to grow with increasing OH exposure, but the magnitude of the SOA formation is highly variable between experiments. This variability can be explained well by a combination of experiment-to-experiment differences in OH exposure and the total concentration of non-methane organic gases (NMOGs) in the chamber before oxidation, measured by PTR-ToF-MS (r2 values from 0.64 to 0.83). From this relationship, we calculate the fraction of carbon from biomass burning NMOGs that is converted to SOA as a function of equivalent atmospheric aging time, with carbon yields ranging from 24 ± 4 % after 6 hours to 56 ± 9 % after 4 days.

scholarly journals Impacts of primary emissions and secondary aerosol formation on air pollution in an urban area of China during the COVID-19 lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 106426
Author(s):  
Jie Tian ◽  
Qiyuan Wang ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Mengyuan Yan ◽  
Huikun Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Secondary Aerosol ◽  
Primary Emissions

scholarly journals Quantifying primary and secondary humic-like substances in urban aerosol based on emission source characterization and a source-oriented air quality model

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinghua Li ◽  
Junzan Han ◽  
Philip K. Hopke ◽  
Jingnan Hu ◽  
Qi Shu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Coal Combustion ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Source Characterization ◽  
Air Quality Model ◽  
Coal Burning ◽  
Residential Coal

Abstract. Humic-like substances (HULIS) are a mixture of high molecular weight, water-soluble organic compounds that are widely distributed in atmospheric aerosol. Their sources are rarely studied quantitatively. Biomass burning is generally accepted as a major primary source of ambient humic-like substances (HULIS) with additional secondary material formed in the atmosphere. However, the present study provides direct evidence that residential coal burning is also a significant source of ambient HULIS, especially in the heating season in northern China based on source measurements, ambient sampling and analysis, and apportionment with source-oriented CMAQ modeling. Emissions tests show that residential coal combustion produces 5 to 24 % of the emitted organic carbon (OC) as HULIS carbon (HULISc). Estimation of primary emissions of HULIS in Beijing indicated that residential biofuel and coal burning contribute about 70 % and 25 % of annual primary HULIS, respectively. Vehicle exhaust, industry, and power plants contributions are negligible. Average concentration of ambient HULIS was 7.5 μg/m3 in atmospheric PM2.5 in urban Beijing and HULIS exhibited obvious seasonal variations with the highest concentrations in winter. HULISc account for 7.2 % of PM2.5 mass, 24.5 % of OC, and 59.5 % of water-soluble organic carbon, respectively. HULIS are found to correlate well with K+, Cl−, sulfate, and secondary organic aerosol suggesting its sources include biomass burning, coal combustion and secondary aerosol formation. Source apportionment based on CMAQ modeling shows residential biofuel and coal burning, secondary formation are important annual sources of ambient HULIS, contributing 57.5 %, 12.3 %, and 25.8 %, respectively.

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