Chemical composition and mass closure of ambient particulate matter at a crossroads and a highway in Katowice, Poland

The concentration, chemical composition, and mass closure of various fractions of ambient particulate matter (PM) were analyzed at crossroads and at a highway in Katowice (Poland). It was shown that at both sites organic carbon can constitute even 57% of the fine PM mass, about 20% of the fine PM mass can originate from the photochemical transformations of inorganic gaseous precursors, and that the coarse PM was mainly the organic matter (up to 39%) and crustal matter (up to 24%). Traffic emissions in Katowice can affect the formation of secondary aerosol (organic and inorganic), the contributions to PM and ambient concentrations of soil matter, NaCl, and trace elements. At the highway, the greatest impact on the concentrations and chemical composition of fine particles was probably due to exhaust emissions. At the crossroads, in the center of the city, the non-exhaust traffic emissions probably affected the coarse PM

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in particulate matter in the cities of Upper Silesia

Z uwagi na swoje właściwości mutagenne i kancerogenne wielopierścieniowe węglowodory aromatyczne (WWA) są najszerzej badanymi trwałymi połączeniami organicznymi związanymi z aerozolem atmosferycznym. W pracy zaprezentowano i przeanalizowano historyczne, sięgające lat siedemdziesiątych ubiegłego wieku i dostępne z ostatnich lat, dane o ich stężeniach w całkowitym pyle zawieszonym na terenie Aglomeracji Górnośląskiej. Po ogromnej redukcji zanieczyszczenia powietrza, jaka miała miejsce na przełomie XX i XXI wieku, zmniejszył się znacząco poziom stężeń, zarówno pyłu zawieszonego jak i związanych z nim WWA. O ile pod koniec lat 90-tych średnioroczne stężenie sumy WWA osiągały wartości z przedziału od 260 do 590 ng/m3, to po roku 2000 w zimie nie przekracza wartości 160 ng/m3 a latem 10 ng/m3. W odróżnieniu od innych regionów, na Górnym Śląsku, wciąż emisje przemysłowe, a w szczególności, emisja komunalna odpowiedzialne są za kształtowanie stężeń WWA w powietrzu.Due to their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most widely researched persistent organic compounds linked with the particulate matter (PM). The following paper presents the analysis of the historical data embracing the period since 1970s. It concerns the information on the PAH concentrations in the total PM in the Upper Silesia urban area. As the air pollution was largely reduced at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the concentrations of PM and the related PAHs also considerably decreased. In the late-1990s, the mean yearly concentration of the PAHs sum ranged between 260 and 590 ng/m3. The winter and summer values obtained after the year 2000 have not exceeded 160 ng/m3 and 10 ng/m3, respectively. When compared to other regions, the PAH concentrations in the air in Upper Silesia are still affected by industrial and, particularly, municipal emissions

Influence of Vehicular Traffic on Ambient Concentration and Mass Size Distribution of Two Fractions of Carbon in an Urban Area Atmospheric Aerosol

Ambient particulate matter (PM) is a component of the natural environment and a certain number of particles that varies with time, having many different properties which also change over time, is constantly present in the air. It can be assumed that the scope of environmental effects of PM is the broadest among all air pollutants: it affects the human health, climate, ecological conditions and visibility. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) are the two most important components of suspended dust. The continuously increasing road traffic intensity is highly correlated with increasing concentrations of both of these components in the air of urbanized areas all over the world. In spite of this, the amount of data on OC and EC concentrations in Poland is still insufficient, especially in the case of areas located close to busy roads. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of vehicular traffic on ambient concentrations of PM-related OC and EC, and their mass size distribution in a typical urban area of the Upper Silesia. PM samples were collected simultaneously at two sites located in the Katowice city. One of the selected measurement points was situated in the city centre and characterized so-called urban background. The second measurement point, located near the A4 motorway, was in the area directly exposed to the influence of traffic emission. Dust was sampled during two measurement periods (2–10 August and 15–22 September 2011) using thirteen-stage impactors – DEKATI Ltd. (DLPI, Dekati Low Pressure Impactor). Analysis for the content of OC and EC in the collected dust samples was carried out by means of a thermo-optical method with the use of a Sunset Laboratory OC/EC carbon analyzer. During the entire measurement program strict adherence to the rigorous requirements for quality control of the obtained results was ensured. Concentrations of PM1-, PM2.5- and PM10-related OC and EC in Katowice, near the A4 motorway, were close to values obtained in other parts of the world in different measurement periods, at traffic sites of similar characteristics. Also values of the concentration ratio of OC bound to PM10 and PM2,5 (or PM2,5) were similar to quantities determined in different locations. In Katowice, due to municipal emission and poor quality of vehicles travelling the roads, also the coarse fraction of dust was enriched in EC. This situation is unusual in comparison to other regions. The effect of emission from engines of the cars travelling the motorway manifested itself mainly by elevated EC concentrations compared to the urban background site. For TSP the EC concentration was higher, five times in the beginning of August and two times in the second half of September. The largest differences between EC concentrations in the location near the motorway and in the urban background area were observed for the PM0.06–0.108, PM0.108–0.17 and PM0.17–0.26 fractions. In both measurement periods, at the traffic site in Katowice, the maxima of mass size distribution of EC were in the diameter range characteristic for soot emitted from Diesel engines (0.108–0.26µm). The fact that the influence of exhaust emission from vehicles travelling the motorway on EC concentrations was more pronounced in the second half of September than in the first half of August, was caused by larger EC emission from various sources in Katowice during the period following summer holidays. Concentrations of organic carbon bound to TSP in both measurement periods in Katowice was only 10% higher in the urban traffic site than in the urban background site. The largest differences between OC concentrations near the motorway and in the urban background are observed in the ranges 0.06–0.17 and 1.0–2.5 µm. Maxima of the mass size distribution of PM-related OC, both at the urban traffic site and at the background site, were similar in both measurement periods. It was inferred that the small differences between OC concentrations in the traffic and the background site are caused by the process of secondary aerosol formation, less intensive near the motorway than in the urban site

Niebezpieczne związki w miejskim pyle zawieszonym w centralnej części Górnego Śląska w zimie

Thirteen fractions of ambient dust were investigated in Zabrze, a typical urban area in the central part of Upper Silesia (Poland), during a heating season. Fifteen PAH and Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, As, Se, Cd, Pb contents of each fraction were determined. The dust was sampled with use of a cascade impactor and chemically analyzed with an energy dispersive X-ray fl uorescence spectrometer (PANalytical Epsilon 5) and a gas chromatograph with a fl ame ionisation detector (Perkin Elmer Clarus 500). The concentrations of PM1 and the PM1-related PAH and elements were much higher than the ones of the coarse dust (PM2.5-10) and the substances contained in it. The concentrations of total PAH and carcinogenic PAH were very high (the concentrations of PM1-, PM2.5-, and PM10-related BaP were 16.08, 19.19, 19.32 ng m-3, respectively). The municipal emission, resulted mainly from hard coal combustion processes, appeared to be the main factor affecting the air quality in Zabrze in winter.Próbki trzynastu frakcji pyłu zawieszonego były pobierane w Zabrzu w okresie grzewczym (centralna część Górnego Śląska, Polska). Punkt poboru jest charakterystyczny dla obszaru miejskiego. Zbadano zawartość 15 WWA oraz Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, As, Se, Cd, Pb w każdej frakcji pyłu. Do poboru pyłu zastosowano impaktor kaskadowy, a do analizy chemicznej – spektrometr fl uorescencji rentgenowskiej z dyspersją energii (PANalytical Epsilon 5) oraz chromatograf gazowy z detektorem płomieniowo-jonizacyjnym (Perkin Elmer Clarus 500). Zarówno stężenia pyłu PM1 jak i stężenia związanych z nim WWA i pierwiastków były znacznie wyższe niż stężenia pyłu grubego (PM2.5-10) i związanych z nim substancji. Stężenia sumy WWA, a w szczególności kancerogennych związków tej grupy były bardzo wysokie (np. stężenia dla BaP związanego z PM1- i PM2.5- oraz PM10- wynosiły odpowiednio: 16.08, 19.19, 19.32 ng m-3). Na podstawie uzyskanych wyników badań dla ww. zanieczyszczeń stwierdzono, że za stan jakości powietrza w Zabrzu, w zimie, odpowiedzialna jest emisja komunalna – stacjonarne źródła spalania, głównie spalanie węgla

Analysis of the data set from a two-year observation of the ambient water-soluble ions bound to four particulate matter fractions in an urban background site in Southern Poland

Ten water-soluble ions (F–, Cl–, NO3–, PO43–, SO42–, Na+, NH4+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+), distributed among four fractions of particulate matter, PM, were investigated in an urban background site. The PM was sampled twice a week during a two-year sampling period. Mass distribution among the PM fractions and ambient concentrations of the ten PM-bound ions in the heating and non-heating periods, the seasonal effects in the PM fraction-bound ion concentrations (generalized regression model), and the principal components of all the resulting sets of ambient concentrations (principal component analysis) were determined, discussed, and interpreted in the terms of source apportionment of PM emissions. The formation of secondary inorganic aerosol in transformations of gaseous precursors (e.g., SOx, NOx, NH3) appeared to be most probable and significant source of PM2.5, especially of its sub-fraction PM1–2.5, in the non-heating period. In the heating period, PM and PM2.5 bound water-soluble ions originated mainly from combustion of coal and other solid fuels, or waste. Coarse particles (PM2.5–10 and PM10–40) and some PM2.5–40-bound ions (e.g. Na+, K+, Mg2+) may come from re-suspension of mineral matter and road dust. In some part, coarse PM may consist of mineral and salt particles containing gaseous and semi-volatile compounds