Do vehicular emissions dominate the source of C6–C8 aromatics in the megacity Shanghai of eastern China?

The characteristic ratios of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) to i-pentane, the indicator of vehicular emissions, were employed to apportion the vehicular and non-vehicular contributions to reactive species in urban Shanghai. Two kinds of tunnel experiments, one tunnel with more than 90% light duty gasoline vehicles and the other with more than 60% light duty diesel vehicles, were carried out to study the characteristic ratios of vehicle-related emissions from December 2009 to January 2010. Based on the experiments, the characteristic ratios of C6–C8aromatics to i-pentane of vehicular emissions were 0.53 ± 0.08(benzene), 0.70 ± 0.12(toluene),0.41 ± 0.09(m,p-xylenes), 0.16 ± 0.04(o-xylene), 0.023 ± 0.011(styrene), and 0.15 ± 0.02(ethylbenzene), respectively. The source apportionment results showed that around 23.3% of C6–C8 aromatics in urban Shanghai were from vehicular emissions, which meant that the non-vehicular emissions had more importance. These findings suggested that emission control of non-vehicular sources, i.e. industrial emissions, should also receive attention in addition to the control of vehicle-related emissions in Shanghai. The chemical removal of VOCs during the transport from emissions to the receptor site had a large impact on the apportionment results. Generally, the overestimation of vehicular contributions would occur when the VOC reaction rate constant with OH radicals(k OH) was larger than that of the vehicular indicator, while for species with smaller k OH than the vehicular indicator, the vehicular contribution would be underestimated by the method of characteristic ratios.     

Observation and analysis of atmospheric volatile organic compounds in a typical petrochemical area in Yangtze River Delta, China

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a kind of important precursors for ozone photochemical formation. In this study, VOCs were measured from November 5th, 2013 to January 6th, 2014 at the Second Jinshan Industrial Area, Shanghai, China. The results showed that the measured VOCs were dominated by alkanes (41.8%), followed by aromatics (20.1%), alkenes (17.9%), and halo-hydrocarbons (12.5%). The daily trend of the VOC concentration showed a bimodal feature due to the rush-hour traffic in the morning and at nightfall. Based on the VOC concentration, a receptor model of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) coupled with the information related to VOC sources was applied to identify the major VOC emissions. The result showed five major VOC sources: solvent use and industrial processes were responsible for about 30% of the ambient VOCs, followed by rubber chemical industrial emissions (23%), refinery and petrochemical industrial emissions (21%), fuel evaporations (13%) and vehicular emissions (13%). The contribution of generalized industrial emissions was about 74% and significantly higher than that made by vehicle exhaust. Using a propylene-equivalent method, alkenes displayed the highest concentration, followed by aromatics and alkanes. Based on a maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) method, the average hourly ozone formation potential (OFP) of VOCs is 220.49?ppbv. The most significant source for ozone chemical formation was identified to be rubber chemical industrial emissions, following one by vehicular emission. The data shown herein may provide useful information to develop effective VOC pollution control strategies in industrialized area.     

Vehicular emissions in China in 2006 and 2010

Vehicular emissions in China in 2006 and 2010 were calculated at a high spatial resolution based on the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, by taking the emission standards into consideration. China's vehicular emissions of carbon monoxide(CO),nitrogen oxides(NO_x), volatile organic compounds(VOCs), ammonia(NH_3), fine particulate matters(PM_(2.5)), inhalable particulate matters(PM_(10)), black carbon(BC), and organic carbon(OC) were 30,113.9, 4593.7, 6838.0, 20.9, 400.2, 430.5, 285.6, and 105.1 Gg, respectively, in 2006 and 34,175.2, 5167.5, 7029.4, 74.0, 386.4, 417.1, 270.9, and 106.2 Gg, respectively, in 2010. CO,VOCs, and NH_3 emissions were mainly from motorcycles and light-duty gasoline vehicles,whereas NO_X, PM_(2.5), PM_(10), and BC emissions were mainly from rural vehicles and heavyduty diesel trucks. OC emissions were mainly from motorcycles and heavy-duty diesel trucks. Vehicles of pre-China Ⅰ(vehicular emission standard of China before phase Ⅰ) and China Ⅰ(vehicular emission standard of China in phase Ⅰ) were the primary contributors to all of the pollutant emissions except NH_3, which was mainly from China Ⅲ and China Ⅳ gasoline vehicles. The total emissions of all the pollutants except NH_3 changed little from2006 to 2010. This finding can be attributed to the implementation of strict emission standards and to improvements in oil quality.     

Characteristics and anthropogenic sources of carbonyl sulfide in Beijing

Atmosphericmixing ratios of carbonyl sulfide (COS) in Beijingwere intensivelymeasured from March 2011 to June 2013. COS mixing ratios exhibited distinct seasonal variation, with a maximumaverage value of 849 ± 477 pptv in winter and a minimal value of 372 ± 115 pptv in summer. The seasonal variation of COS was mainly ascribed to the combined effects of vegetation uptake and anthropogenic emissions. Two types of significant linear correlations (R² > 0.66) were found between COS and CO during the periods from May to June and from October to March, with slopes (ΔCOS/ΔCO) of 0.72 and 0.14 pptv/ppbv, respectively. Based on the emission ratios of COS/CO from various sources, the dominant anthropogenic sources of COS in Beijing were found to be vehicle tire wear in summer and coal burning in winter. The total anthropogenic emission of COS in Beijing was roughly estimated as 0.53 ± 0.02 Gg/year based on the local CO emission inventory and the ΔCOS/ΔCO ratios.     

Volatile organic compounds in wintertime North China Plain: Insights from measurements of proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS)

The characteristics of wintertime volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the North China Plain (NCP) region are complicated and remain obscure. VOC measurements were conducted by a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) at a rural site in the NCP from November to December 2018. Uncalibrated ions measured by PTR-ToF-MS were quantified and the overall VOC compositions were investigated by combining the measurements of PTR-ToF-MS and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer/flame ionization detector (GC-MS/FID). The measurement showed that although atmospheric VOCs concentrations are often dominated by primary emissions, the secondary formation of oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) is non-negligible in the wintertime, i.e., OVOCs accounts for 42% ± 7% in the total VOCs (151.3 ± 75.6 ppbV). We demonstrated that PTR-MS measurements for isoprene are substantially overestimated due to the interferences of cycloalkanes. The chemical changes of organic carbon in a pollution accumulation period were investigated, which suggests an essential role of fragmentation reactions for large, chemically reduced compounds during the heavy-polluted stage in wintertime pollution. The changes of emission ratios of VOCs between winter 2011 and winter 2018 in the NCP support the positive effect of “coal to gas” strategies in curbing air pollutants. The high abundances of some key species (e.g. oxygenated aromatics) indicate the strong emissions of coal combustion in wintertime of NCP. The ratio of naphthalene to C8 aromatics was proposed as a potential indicator of the influence of coal combustion on VOCs.     

Sources and characteristics of fine particles over the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea using online single particle aerosol mass spectrometer

Marine aerosols over the East China Seas are heavily polluted by continental sources. During the Chinese Comprehensive Ocean Experiment in November 2012, size and mass spectra of individual atmospheric particles in the size range from 0.2 to 2.0 μm weremeasured onboardby a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS). The average hourly particle number (PN) was around 4560 ± 3240 in the South Yellow Sea (SYS), 2900 ± 3970 in the North Yellow Sea (NYS), and 1700 ± 2220 in the Bohai Sea (BS). PN in NYS and BS varied greatly over 3 orders of magnitude, while that in SYS varied slightly. The size distributions were fitted with two log-normal modes. Accumulation mode dominated in NYS and BS, especially during episodic periods. Coarse mode particles played an important role in SYS. Particles were classified using an adaptive resonance theory based neural network algorithm (ART-2a). Six particle types were identified with secondary-containing, aged sea-salt, soot-like, biomass burning, fresh sea-salt, and lead-containing particles accounting for 32%, 21%, 18%, 16%, 4%, and 3% of total PN, respectively. Aerosols in BS were relatively enriched in particles from anthropogenic sources compared to SYS, probably due to emissions from more developed upwind regions and indicating stronger influence of continental outflowonmarine environment. Variation of source types dependedmainly on origins of transported air masses. This study examined rapid changes in PN, size distribution and source types of fine particles in marine atmospheres. It also demonstrated the effectiveness of high-time-resolution source apportionment by ART-2a.     

Source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment core from Lake Dagze Co, Tibetan Plateau, China: Comparison of three receptor models

Receptor models are a useful tool for identifying sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in multiple environmental media. In this study, three different receptor models (including the principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR), positive matrix factorization (PMF), and Unmix models) were used to apportion the sources of 16 priority PAHs in a sediment core of Lake Dagze Co. The ∑PAHs (sum of all 16 measured PAHs) concentrations ranged from 51.89 to 132.82 ng/g with an average of 80.39 ng/g. The ∑PAHs were dominated by 2-3 ring PAHs, accounting for 80.12% on average, thereby indicating that they mainly originated from biomass and coal combustion and/or from long-range atmospheric transportation. The three models produced consistent source apportionment results. The greatest contributor to ∑PAHs was biomass combustion, followed by coal combustion, vehicle emissions, and petrogenic sources. Moreover, the temporal variation of the common sources was well-correlated among models. The multi-method comparison and evaluation results showed that all three models were useful tools for source apportionment of PAHs, with the PMF model providing better results than the PCA-MLR and Unmix models. The temporal trends of factor contributions were verified by PAHs with different ring numbers. Significant correlations were found between the simulated concentrations of each source factor and the PAHs with different ring numbers (P<0.01), except for the petrogenic source identified by the Unmix model (P>0.05). This study can provide useful information for further investigation of source apportionment of PAHs in the sediment cores.     

Real-world fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions of light-duty diesel vehicles and their correlation with road conditions

The real-world fuel efficiency and exhaust emission profiles of CO, HC and NO_x for light-duty diesel vehicles were investigated. Using a portable emissions measurement system, 16 diesel taxies were tested on different roads in Macao and the data were normalized with the vehicle specific power bin method. The 11 Toyota Corolla diesel taxies have very good fuel economy of (5.9 ± 0.6) L/100 km, while other five diesel taxies showed relatively high values at (8.5 ± 1.7) L/100 km due to the variation in transmission systems and emission control strategies. Compared to similar Corolla gasoline models, the diesel cars confirmed an advantage of ca. 20% higher fuel efficiency. HC and CO emissions of all the 16 taxies are quite low, with the average at (0.05 ± 0.02) g/km and (0.38 ± 0.15) g/km, respectively. The average NO_x emission factor of the 11 Corolla taxies is (0.56 ± 0.17) g/km, about three times higher than their gasoline counterparts. Two of the three Hyundai Sonata taxies, configured with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) + diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) emission control strategies, indicated significantly higher NO₂ emissions and NO₂/NO_x ratios than other diesel taxies and consequently trigger a concern of possibly adverse impacts on ozone pollution in urban areas with this technology combination. A clear and similar pattern for fuel consumption and for each of the three gaseous pollutant emissions with various road conditions was identified. To save energy and mitigate CO₂ emissions as well as other gaseous pollutant emissions in urban area, traffic planning also needs improvement.     

Pioneering observation of atmospheric volatile organic compounds in Hangzhou in eastern China and implications for upcoming 2022 Asian Games

Understanding the emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is critical for air pollution mitigation. Continuous measurements of atmospheric VOCs were conducted from January to February in Hangzhou in 2021. The average measured concentration of total VOCs (TVOCs) was 38.2 ± 20.9 ppb, > 42% lower than that reported by previous studies at the urban center in Hangzhou. The VOC concentrations and proportions were similar between weekdays and weekends. During the long holidays of the Spring Festival in China, the concentrations of TVOCs were ∼50% lower than those during the regular days, but their profiles showed no significant difference (p > 0.05). Further, we deduced that aromatics and alkenes were the most crucial chemicals promoting the formation of O₃ and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in Hangzhou. According to interspecies correlations, combustion processes and solvent use were inferred as major VOC emission sources. This study provides implications for air quality improvements before and during the upcoming Asian Games that will be hosted in Hangzhou in 2022.     

Emissions of C2 – C12 hydrocarbons in the Hsuehshan tunnel, Taiwan

The concentrations of 56 hydrocarbons from C2 to C12 were measured simultaneously in the southbound bore, the northbound bore and the exhaust air shafts of the Hsuehshan tunnel near Yilan, Taiwan for 12 days during 2007 and 2008. A total of 60 integrated air samples were collected using stainless steel canisters and analyzed using GC/FID and GC/MS. The five most abundant species in all samples were ethylene, acetylene, isopentane, propylene and toluene. The exit/entrance ratios of total non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) concentration were 7.8 and 4.8 for the southbound and northbound bores, respectively. Furthermore, the exhaust from the vertical shafts affects air quality in the neighborhood. The most abundant species of emission rate (ER) was toluene (21.93–42.89 mg/sec), followed by isopentane, ethylene, propylene and 1-butene, with ER ranging from 2.50 to 9.31 mg/sec. The species in the three exhaust air shafts showed that the reactivities of these emissions are similar to those of vehicle emissions. Notably, the control of emissions in the vertical shafts of the vehicle tunnel will be important in the future.     

On-board measurements of gaseous pollutant emission characteristics under real driving conditions from light-duty diesel vehicles in Chinese cities

A total of 15 light-duty diesel vehicles(LDDVs) were tested with the goal of understanding the emission factors of real-world vehicles by conducting on-board emission measurements. The emission characteristics of hydrocarbons(HC) and nitrogen oxides(NOx) at different speeds, chemical species profiles and ozone formation potential(OFP) of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) emitted from diesel vehicles with different emission standards were analyzed. The results demonstrated that emission reductions of HC and NOxhad been achieved as the control technology became more rigorous from Stage I to Stage IV. It was also found that the HC and NOxemissions and percentage of O2 dropped with the increase of speed, while the percentage of CO2 increased. The abundance of alkanes was significantly higher in diesel vehicle emissions, approximately accounting for 41.1%–45.2%, followed by aromatics and alkenes. The most abundant species were propene,ethane, n-decane, n-undecane, and n-dodecane. The maximum incremental reactivity(MIR)method was adopted to evaluate the contributions of individual VOCs to OFP. The results indicated that the largest contributors to O3 production were alkenes and aromatics, which accounted for 87.7%–91.5%. Propene, ethene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1-butene, and1,2,3-trimethylbenzene were the top five VOC species based on their OFP, and accounted for 54.0%-64.8% of the total OFP. The threshold dilution factor was applied to analyze the possibility of VOC stench pollution. The majority of stench components emitted from vehicle exhaust were aromatics, especially p-diethylbenzene, propylbenzene, m-ethyltoluene, and p-ethyltoluene.     

Investigation of carbonyl compound sources at a rural site in the Yangtze River Delta region of China

Carbonyl compounds are important intermediates in atmospheric photochemistry, but their primary sources are still not understood well. In this work, carbonyls, hydrocarbons,and alkyl nitrates were continuously measured during November 2011 at a rural site in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. Mixing ratios of carbonyls and hydrocarbons showed large fluctuations during the entire measurement. The average level for total measured volatile organic compounds during the pollution episode from 25 th to 27 th November, 2011 was 91.6 ppb, about 7 times the value for the clean period of 7th–8th, November, 2011. To preliminarily identify toluene sources at this site, the emission ratio of toluene to benzene(T/B) during the pollution episode was determined based on photochemical ages derived from the relationship of alkyl nitrates to their parent alkanes. The calculated T/B was5.8 ppb/ppb, significantly higher than the values of 0.2–1.7 ppb/ppb for vehicular exhaust and other combustion sources, indicating the dominant influence of industrial emissions on ambient toluene. The contributions of industrial sources to ambient carbonyls were then calculated using a multiple linear regression fit model that used toluene and alkyl nitrates as respective tracers for industrial emission and secondary production. During the pollution episode, 18.5%, 69.0%, and 52.9% of measured formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone were considered to be attributable to industrial emissions. The emission ratios relative to toluene for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone were determined to be 0.10, 0.20 and0.40 ppb/ppb, respectively. More research on industrial carbonyl emission characteristics is needed to understand carbonyl sources better.     

Source apportionment of VOCs in a typical medium-sized city in North China Plain and implications on control policy

Characteristics of atmospheric VOCs (volatile organic compounds) have been extensively studied in megacities in China, however, they are scarcely investigated in medium/small-sized cities in North China Plain (NCP). A comprehensive research on possible sources of VOCs was conducted in a medium-sized city of NCP, from May to September 2019. A total of 143 canister samples of 8 sites in Xuchang city were collected, and 57 VOC species were detected. The average VOC concentrations were 42.6 ± 31.6 μg/m³, with 53.7 ± 31.0 μg/m³ and 32.1 ± 27. 8 μg/m³, in the morning and afternoon, respectively. Alkenes and aromatics contributed 80% of the total ozone formation potential (OFP). Aromatics accounted for more than 95% of secondary organic aerosol potential (SOAP). VOCs were dominated by the local emission with significant transport from the southeast direction. PMF analysis extracted 6 sources, which were combustion (33.1%), LPG usage (19.3%), vehicular exhaust & fuel evaporation (15.8%), solvent usage (15.2%), industrial (9.11%) and biogenic (7.51%), respectively and they contributed 33.4%, 17.6%, 12.9%, 18.6%, 9.28% and 8.22% to the OFP, respectively. Combustion and LPG usage were the dominant VOC sources; and combustion, solvent usage and LPG usage were the main sources of OFP in Xuchang city, which were different to megacities in China with a high contribution from vehicular exhaust, solvent usage and industry, suggesting specific control strategies on VOCs need to be implemented in medium-sized city such as Xuchang city.     

Evaluating the emission status of light-duty gasoline vehicles and motorcycles in Macao with real-world remote sensing measurement

Roadside remote sensing measurement was used to explore the real-world emission status of light duty gasoline vehicles （LDGVs） and motorcycles in Macao. Both fuel-based and distance-based emission factors were derived using the mass balance method. The emission concentration profile of LDGVs illustrated the benefits of tightening emission standards at the source country or region of import. The distance-based emission factors for CO, HC and NOx of LDGVs registered before 2000 were 8.00, 1.04 and 1.36 g/km, respectively. The distance-based emission factors for CO, HC and NOx of LDGVs registered in or after 2000 were 1.16, 0.15 and 0.18 g/km, respectively. The fuel-based CO emission factors of light duty motorcycles （LDMCs） and heavy duty motorcycles （HDMCs） registered before 2000 were about 10 times higher than those of LDGVs of the same age group. As the emissions of LDGVs decreased more quickly after 2000, the gap widens for newer vehicles. The distance-based HC emission factors of LDMCs and HDMCs registered before 2000 were 4.81 and 2.91 g/km, respectively. The distance-based HC emission factors of LDMCs and HDMCs registered in or after 2000 were 3.52 and 0.93 g/km, respectively. The poor emission performance of motorcycles and their larger share in the traffic flow will cause them to be the major contributor to traffic CO and HC emissions. LDMCs, especially two-stroke models, should be the priority for vehicle emission control efforts in Macao.     

Environmental impact and health risk assessment of volatile organic compound emissions during different seasons in Beijing

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major contributors to air pollution. Based on the emission characteristics of 99 VOCs that daily measured at 10 am in winter from 15 December 2015 to 17 January 2016 and in summer from 21 July to 25 August 2016 in Beijing, the environmental impact and health risk of VOC were assessed. In the winter polluted days, the secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAP) of VOC (199.70 ± 15.05 μg/m³) was significantly higher than that on other days. And aromatics were the primary contributor (98.03%) to the SOAP during the observation period. Additionally, the result of the ozone formation potential (OFP) showed that ethylene contributed the most to OFP in winter (26.00% and 27.64% on the normal and polluted days). In summer, however, acetaldehyde was the primary contributor to OFP (22.00% and 21.61% on the normal and polluted days). Simultaneously, study showed that hazard ratios and lifetime cancer risk values of acrolein, chloroform, benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, acetaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene exceeded the thresholds established by USEPA, thereby presenting a health risk to the residents. Besides, the ratio of toluene-to-benzene indicated that vehicle exhausts were the main source of VOC pollution in Beijing. The ratio of m-/p-xylene-to-ethylbenzene demonstrated that there were more prominent atmospheric photochemical reactions in summer than that in winter. Finally, according to the potential source contribution function (PSCF) results, compared with local pollution sources, the spread of pollution from long-distance VOCs had a greater impact on Beijing.     

Evaluation of the International Vehicle Emission （IVE） model with on-road remote sensing measurements

Intemational Vehicle Emissions （IVE） model funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency （USEPA） is designed to estimate emissions from motor vehicles in developing countries. In this study, the IVE model was evaluated by utilizing a dataset available from the remote sensing measurements on a large number of vehicles at five different sites in Hangzhou, China, in 2004 and 2005. Average fuel-based emission factors derived from the remote sensing measurements were compared with corresponding emission factors derived from IVE calculations for urban, hot stabilized condition. The results show a good agreement between the two methods for gasoline passenger cars＇ HC emission for all 1VE subsectors and technology classes. In the case of CO emissions, the modeled results were reasonably good, although systematically underestimate the emissions by almost 12%-50% for different technology classes. However, the model totally overestimated NOx emissions. The IVE NOx emission factors were 1.5-3.5 times of the remote sensing measured ones. The IVE model was also evaluated for light duty gasoline truck, heavy duty gasoline vehicles and motor cycles. A notable result was observed that the decrease in emissions from technology class State II to State I were overestimated by the IVE model compared to remote sensing measurements for all the three pollutants. Finally, in order to improve emission estimation, the adjusted base emission factors from local studies are strongly recommended to be used in the IVE model.     

Yearly variation in characteristics and health risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitro-PAHs in urban shanghai from 2010–2018

This study encompassed the regular observation of nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and three nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) in particulate matter (PM) in Shanghai in summer and winter from 2010 to 2018. The results showed that the mean concentrations of ?PAHs in summer decreased by 24.7% in 2013 and 18.1% in 2017 but increased by 10.2% in 2015 compared to the data in 2010. However, the mean concentrations of ?PAHs in winter decreased by 39.7% from 2010 (12.8 ± 4.55 ng/m³) to 2018 (7.72 ± 3.33 ng/m³), and the mean concentrations of 1-nitropyrene in winter decreased by 79.0% from 2010 (42.3 ± 16.1 pg/m³) to 2018 (8.90 ± 2.09 pg/m³). Correlation analysis with meteorological conditions revealed that the PAH and NPAH concentrations were both influenced by ambient temperature. The diagnostic ratios of PAHs and factor analysis showed that they were mainly affected by traffic emissions with some coal and/or biomass combustion. The ratio of 2-nitrofluoranthene to 2-nitropyrene was near 10, which indicated that the OH radical-initiated reaction was the main pathway leading to their secondary formation. Moreover, backward trajectories revealed different air mass routes in each sampling period, indicating a high possibility of source effects from the northern area in winter in addition to local and surrounding influences. Meanwhile, the mean total benzo[a]pyrene-equivalent concentrations in Shanghai in winter decreased by 50.8% from 2010 (1860 ± 645 pg/m³) to 2018 (916 ± 363 pg/m³). These results indicated the positive effects of the various policies and regulations issued by Chinese authorities.     

Impact of municipal solid waste incineration on heavy metals in the surrounding soils by multivariate analysis and lead isotope analysis

Municipal solid waste(MSW) incineration has become an important anthropogenic source of heavy metals(HMs) to the environment. However, assessing the impact of MSW incineration on HMs in the environment, especially soils, can be a challenging task because of various HM sources. To investigate the effect of MSW incineration on HMs in soils, soil samples collected at different distances from four MSW incinerators in Shanghai, China were analyzed for their contents of eight HMs(antimony, cadmium, chromium, copper,lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc) and lead(Pb) isotope ratios. Source identification and apportionment of HMs were accomplished using principal component analysis and Pb isotope analysis. Results indicated that the relatively high contents of cadmium, lead,antimony, and zinc in the soils at 250 m and 750–1250 m away from the MSW incinerators were related to MSW incineration, while the elevated contents of the other four HMs were associated with other anthropogenic activities. Based on Pb isotope analysis, the contribution ratio of MSW incineration(which had been operated for more than 14 years)to the accumulation of Pb in soil was approximately 10% on average, which was lower than coal combustion only. Incinerator emissions of Pb could have a measurable effect on the soil contamination within a limited area(≤1500 m).     

Characterization of VOC emissions from construction machinery and river ships in the Pearl River Delta of China

Speciated characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), including oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs), from construction machinery and river ships in China is currently lacking. In this regard, we conducted field measurement on speciated VOC (including OVOC) emissions from six construction machinery and five river ships in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region to identify VOC emission characteristics. We noticed that OVOC emissions from construction machinery and ships accounted for more than 50% of the total VOC emissions, followed by alkenes, aromatics and alkanes. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the most emission species, accounting for 61.8%-83.2% of OVOCs. For construction machinery, the fuel-based emission factors of roller, grader and pile driver were 3.12, 3.12 and 7.36 g/kg, respectively. With the rigorous restraint by the national emission standards, VOC emissions of construction machinery had decreased considerably, especially during stage Ⅲ. Ozone formation potential was also significantly reduced due to the significant decrease in emissions of OVOCs and alkenes with higher reactivity. For river ships, the fuel-based emission factors of cargo ships and speedboat were 1.46 and 0.44 g/kg, respectively. VOC emissions from construction machinery and river ships in Guangdong Province in 2017 were 8851.0 and 4361.0 ton, respectively. This study filled the knowledge gaps of reactive gas emissions from different kinds of non-road mobile sources over the PRD, and more importantly, highlighted the necessity in adding OVOC measurement to give a complete and accurate depiction of reactive gas emissions from non-road mobile sources.     

Chemical characterisation of particulate matter in urban transport modes

Traffic is a main source of air pollutants in urban areas and consequently daily peak exposures tend to occur during commuting. Personal exposure to particulate matter (PM) was monitored while cycling and travelling by bus, car and metro along an assigned route in Lisbon (Portugal), focusing on PM2.5 and PM10 (PM with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 and 10 µm, respectively) mass concentrations and their chemical composition. In vehicles, the indoor-outdoor interplay was also evaluated. The PM2.5 mean concentrations were 28?±?5, 31?±?9, 34?±?9 and 38?±?21?µg/m³ for bus, bicycle, car and metro modes, respectively. Black carbon concentrations when travelling by car were 1.4 to 2.0 times higher than in the other transport modes due to the closer proximity to exhaust emissions. There are marked differences in PM chemical composition depending on transport mode. In particular, Fe was the most abundant component of metro PM, derived from abrasion of rail-wheel-brake interfaces. Enhanced concentrations of Zn and Cu in cars and buses were related with brake and tyre wear particles, which can penetrate into the vehicles. In the motorised transport modes, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni and K were correlated, evidencing their common traffic-related source. On average, the highest inhaled dose of PM2.5 was observed while cycling (55 µg), and the lowest in car travels (17 µg). Cyclists inhaled higher doses of PM2.5 due to both higher inhalation rates and longer journey times, with a clear enrichment in mineral elements. The presented results evidence the importance of considering the transport mode in exposure assessment studies.