Chemical characterization of fine particles from on-road vehicles in the Wutong tunnel in Shenzhen, China

Vehicle populations in China have been increasing sharply since 1990s. Vehicle emissions including various gaseous pollutants and particulate matter cause deterioration of air quality. However, measurements of particulate mater from on-road vehicles in China are scarcely reported, and thus the chemical compositions of particles emitted from vehicles in China are unknown. In this research, tunnel experiments were performed to measure PM2.5 in the Wutong tunnel, Shenzhen, China. Detailed PM2.5 chemical compositions, with organic compounds determined by GC/MS, in the tunnel were presented. Elemental carbon and organic matter composed 63% and 34% of the total PM2.5 mass in the Wutong tunnel, respectively. Alkanes, PAHs, hopanes, fatty acids, and dicarboxylic acids were the major identified organic compounds, and their source profiles in the PM2.5 in the Wutong tunnel were characterized. The comparisons of our measurements with those in the literature were also made to demonstrate the characteristics of the vehicle source profiles in the Wutong tunnel. The experimental results in this paper can improve understanding of particulate matter emitted from vehicles in China.