Organic material has become the predominant component by mass in China’s ambient fine aerosol. However, the detailed chemical composition of organic aerosol emissions from major combustion sources remains poorly understood. To address this, leveraging the source samples library created by Nankai University, the chemical compositions of carbonaceous aerosol emissions from various combustion sources were measured. These sources included gasoline and diesel engine combustions, crop (such as straw and wood) burning, and residential household combustion of bituminous, anthracite, and clean coals. Measurements were performed using a Thermal-Optical Carbon Analyzer coupled with Single- and Multiple-Photo-Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOCA-PI-TOF-MS) [1]. Mass spectra of the carbonaceous aerosols from these source samples, measured across different temperature ranges, were compared to better illustrate their potential source fingerprints, aiding in the discrimination of sub-type sources. Clustering analysis was also performed to objectively examine their similarities. The measurement data of these source samples provide updated information regarding real-world emission sources, thereby facilitating the source apportionment study of organic aerosols.
Literature:
[1] J. Grabowsky, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2011, 401, 3153–3164.
