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Chemical characterization and multivariate analysis of atmospheric PM2.5 particles

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Abstract

The new European Council Directive (PE-CONS 3696/07) frames the inhalable (PM10) and fine particles (PM2.5) on priority to chemically characterize these fractions in order to understand their possible relation with health effects. Considering this, PM2.5 was collected during four different seasons to evaluate the relative abundance of bulk elements (Cl, S, Si, Al, Br, Cu, Fe, Ti, Ca, K, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Cr and V) and water soluble ions (F−, Cl−, NO2 −, NO3 −, SO4 2−, Na+, NH4 +, Ca2+ and Mg2+) over Menen, a Belgian city near the French border. The air quality over Menen is influenced by industrialized regions on both sides of the border. The most abundant ionic species were NO3 −, SO4 2− and NH4 +, and they showed distinct seasonal variation. The elevated levels of NO3 − during spring and summer were found to be related to the larger availability of the NOx precursor. The various elemental species analyzed were distinguished into crustal and anthropogenic source categories. The dominating elements were S and Cl in the PM2.5 particles. The anthropogenic fraction (e.g. Zn, Pb, and Cu) shows a more scattered abundance. Furthermore, the ions and elemental data were also processed using principal component analysis and cluster analysis to identify their sources and chemistry. These approach identifies anthropogenic (traffic and industrial) emissions as a major source for fine particles. The variations in the natural/anthropogenic fractions of PM2.5 were also found to be a function of meteorological conditions as well as of long-range transport of air masses from the industrialized regions of the continent.

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Acknowledgements

This study presents a part of the results obtained in the project “Measurement campaigns in Euro region 2002–2004”, a study realized with the help of the European Union program INTERREG III. The authors gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the HYSPLIT-v4 model used in this publication. The authors also thank Dr. S. Potgieter-Vermaak for a discussion and Dr. Z. Spolnik for some of the analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Atmospheric and Instrumentation Research (CAIR), University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK

    Khaiwal Ravindra

  2. Micro and Trace Analysis Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium

    Khaiwal Ravindra, Marianne Stranger & Rene Van Grieken

  3. Higher Institute for Product Development, University College Antwerp, Ambtmanstraat 1, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium

    Marianne Stranger

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  1. Khaiwal Ravindra
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Correspondence to Khaiwal Ravindra.

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Fig S1

Location of Menen in Europe (DOC 335 KB).

Fig S2

Wind roses for the winter and the summer campaigns at a nearby station of Menen (DOC 35.5 KB).

Table S1

Annual average levels of element at Menen (ng m−3) (DOC 40.5 KB).

Table S2

Factor analysis of daily levels of Ions and metals levels at Menen (DOC 57.5 KB).

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Ravindra, K., Stranger, M. & Van Grieken, R. Chemical characterization and multivariate analysis of atmospheric PM2.5 particles. J Atmos Chem 59, 199–218 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-008-9102-5

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