Mass spectral characterization of primary emissions and implications in source apportionment of organic aerosol

<p>Source apportionment of organic aerosol (OA) from aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) or aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) measurements relies largely upon mass spectral profiles from different source emissions. However, the changes in mass spectra of primary emissions from AMS–ACSM with the newly developed capture vaporizer (CV) are poorly understood. Here we conducted 21 cooking, crop straw, wood, and coal burning experiments to characterize the mass spectral features of OA and water-soluble OA (WSOA) using SV-AMS and CV-ACSM. Our results show overall similar spectral characteristics between SV-AMS and CV-ACSM for different primary emissions despite additional thermal decomposition in CV, and the previous spectral features for diagnostics of primary OA factors are generally well retained. However, the mass spectral differences between OA and WSOA can be substantial for both SV-AMS and CV-ACSM. The changes in <span class="inline-formula"><i>f</i>₅₅</span> (fraction of <span class="inline-formula"><i>m</i>∕<i>z</i></span> 55 in OA) vs. <span class="inline-formula"><i>f</i>₅₇</span>, <span class="inline-formula"><i>f</i>₄₄</span> vs. <span class="inline-formula"><i>f</i>₆₀</span>, and <span class="inline-formula"><i>f</i>₄₄</span> vs. <span class="inline-formula"><i>f</i>₄₃</span> in CV-ACSM are also observed, yet the evolving trends are similar to those of SV-AMS. By applying the source spectral profiles to a winter CV-ACSM study at a highly polluted rural site in the North China Plain, the source apportionment of primary OA was much improved, highlighting the two most important primary sources of biomass burning and coal combustion (32&thinsp;% and 21&thinsp;%). Considering the rapidly increasing deployments of CV-ACSM and WSOA studies worldwide, the mass spectral characterization has significant implications by providing essential constraints for more accurate source apportionment and making better strategies for air pollution control in regions with diverse primary emissions.</p>

Abstract licence: CC BY

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