Fuwang Zhang

Pollution characteristics of organic and elemental carbon in PM2:5 in Xiamen, China

Xiamen, located on the southeastern coastal line of China, is undergoing rapid urbanization and industrialization, so its air quality has a trend of degradation. However, studies on level, temporal and spatial changes of fine particles (PM2.5) and their carbonaceous fractions are scarce. In this article, abundance, sources, seasonal and spatial variations, distribution of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in PM2.5, were studied at suburban, urban and industrial sites in Xiamen during four season-representative months in 2009-2010. PM2.5 samples were collected with middle volume sampler and were analyzed for OC and EC with thermal optical transmittance (TOT) method. Results showed that the annual average PM2.5 concentrations were 63.88-74.80 microg/m3 at three sites. While OC and EC concentrations were in the range of 15.81-19.73 microg/m3 and 2.74-3.49 microg/m3, respectively, and clearly presented the summer minima and winter maxima in this study. The carbonaceous aerosol accounted for 42.8%-47.3% of the mass of PM2.5. The annual average of secondary organic carbon (SOC) concentrations in Xiamen were 9.23-11.36 micro/m3, accounting for approximately 56% of OC. Strong correlations between OC and EC was found in spring (R2 = 0.50) and autumn (R2 = 0.73), suggesting that there were similar emission and transport processes for carbonaceous aerosols in these two seasons, while weak correlations were found in summer (R2 = 0.33) and winter (R2 = 0.41). The OC/EC ratios in PM2.5 varied from 2.1 to 8.7 with an annual average of 5.7, indicating that vehicle exhaust, coal smoke and biomass burning were main source apportionments of carbonaceous fractions in Xiamen.

Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and gas/particle partitioning in a coastal city, Xiamen, southeast China.

An intensive sampling program had been undertaken in autumn (October, 2008) and winter (December, 2008 and January, 2009) at urban (Xiamen University and Xianyue residential area), suburban (Institute of Urban Environment), industrial area (Lulian Hotel) and background (Tingxi Reservoir) in Xiamen, Fujian Province, to characterize the atmospheric concentration and gas-particle phase partitioning of PAHs. The average concentration of total PAHs in winter was almost 1.7 times higher than those in autumn. The log scale plot of Kp versus sub-cooled liquid vapor pressure (P(L)0 for all the data of autumn and winter season samples gave significantly different slopes. The slope for the winter samples (-0.72) was steeper than that for the autumn samples (-0.58). The partitioning results indicated that slope values varied depending on characteristics of specific site, source region and meteorological conditions which play important roles in the partitioning of PAHs. In addition, local emission sources had a stronger effect on partitioning results than long-transported polluted plume. The sources of PAHs in five sampling sites in Xiamen also have been discussed initially. Diagnostic ratios showed that the primary source of PAHs in urban, suburban and industrial area was from vehicle exhausts. While emission from petrochemical factory and power plant was another main contributor to industrial area.

Spatial distribution and sources identification of elements in PM2.5 among the coastal city group in the Western Taiwan Strait region, China

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial variations of 20 elements (Al, Si, Ti, Ca, Fe, Mg, Cr, Mn, Ni, P, S, K, Cu, Cl, V, Se, Br, As, Zn, and Pb) in PM(2.5) (particle matters ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) in the coastal city group in the Western Taiwan Strait (WTS) region, China during spring 2011. The average PM(2.5) mass concentration at 13 sites was 77.0 μg/m(3) and the elemental fraction accounted for about 10-20%. Multivariate analyses (principal component analysis and cluster analysis) and a correlation matrix were used to identify the sources of elements in PM(2.5). The results revealed that the elements originated mainly from traffic emissions, coal combustion, pyrometallurgical processes, and crustal sources. Spatially, the concentrations of elements were generally higher in several rapidly growing locations, and the enrichment factors (EFs) for most elements were much higher at the northern sites than those at the southern sites, suggesting that the air quality in the northern part of the study area was strongly affected by anthropogenic activity. Backward wind trajectory analysis during the sampling period indicated that the concentrations of elements in PM(2.5) in the WTS region were greatly impacted by dust particles transported from Northern China in spring.

Source contributions to carbonaceous species in PM2.5 and their uncertainty analysis at typical urban, peri-urban and background sites in southeast China.

Determination of (14)C and levoglucosan can provide insights into the quantification of source contributions to carbonaceous aerosols, yet there is still uncertainty on the partitioning of organic carbon (OC) into biomass burning OC (OCbb) and biogenic emission OC (OCbio). Carbonaceous species, levoglucosan and (14)C in PM2.5 were measured at three types of site in southeast China combined with Latin hypercube sampling, with the objectives to study source contributions to total carbon (TC) and their uncertainties, and to evaluate the influence of levoglucosan/OCbb ratios on OCbb and OCbio partitioning. It was found reliably that fossil fuel combustion is the main contributor (62.90-72.23%) to TC at urban and peri-urban sites. Biogenic emissions have important contribution (winter, 52.98%; summer, 45.71%) to TC at background site. With the increase in levoglucosan/OCbb ratios, the contribution of OCbio is increased while OCbb is decreased in a pattern of approximate natural logarithm at a given range.

Spatial and temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmosphere of Xiamen, China

An intensive sampling program was conducted from October 2008 to September 2009 at the five different environmental sites in Xiamen, Fujian Province, to study the spatial and temporal characteristics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the gaseous and particulate phase, respectively. The PAHs concentrations at different sites were quite distinct during four seasons. The average concentrations of PAHs in winter were about 8.4 times higher than those in spring, and the concentrations of background were 0.56 times lower than those of industrial area. In addition, the higher temperature in summer affected the particle/gas partitioning of PAHs and led to the higher concentrations of gaseous PAHs. Diagnostic ratios of PAHs, which were employed to indicate the primary sources of PAHs in Xiamen, showed that the traffic vehicle exhaust was the largest contributor and the primary source for PAHs in Xiamen, especially in urban area; while the stationary combustion processes, such as petrochemical factories and power plants, were mainly responsible for PAHs sources in the industrial areas. The health risk of PAHs in the particulate phase was higher than those of the gaseous phase at the five sampling sites. The average toxic equivalent (BaPeq) of the benzo[a]pyrene values for PAHs were 0.14, 0.32, 1.38 and 3.59 ng m(-3) in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. Furthermore, the results of average BaPeq in all four seasons indicated that the health risks of particulate PAHs were higher than those of the gaseous PAHs at different sampling sites.

Characterization of PM10 atmospheric aerosol at urban and urban background sites in Fuzhou city, China

BackgroundPM10 aerosol samples were simultaneously collected at two urban and one urban background sites in Fuzhou city during two sampling campaigns in summer and winter. PM10 mass concentrations and chemical compositions were determined.MethodsWater-soluble inorganic ions (Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, NH4+, K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), carbonaceous species (elemental carbon and organic carbon), and elements (Al, Si, Mg, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, and Pb) were detected using ion chromatography, thermal/optical reflectance, and proton-induced X-ray emission methods, respectively.ResultsPM10 mass concentrations, as well as most of the chemical components, were significantly increased from urban background to urban sites, which were due to enhanced anthropogenic activities in urban areas. Elements, carbonaceous species, and most of the ions were more uniformly distributed at different types of sites in winter, whereas secondary ion SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+ showed more evident urban-background contrast in this season. The chemical mass closure indicated that mineral dust, organic matters, and sulfate were the most abundant components in PM10. The sum of individually measured components accounted for 86.9–97.7% of the total measured PM10 concentration, and the discrepancy was larger in urban area than in urban background area.ConclusionAccording to the principal component analysis–multivariate linear regression model, mineral dust, secondary inorganic ions, sea salt, and motor vehicle were mainly responsible for the PM10 particles in Fuzhou atmosphere, and contributed 19.9%, 53.3%, 21.3%, and 5.5% of PM10, respectively.

Particulate Air Pollution from Combustion and Construction in Coastal and Urban Areas of China

ABSTRACT In China, the areas that are undergoing rapid urban growth are faced with increasingly more complicated air pollution problems. Sources of air pollution need to be identified and their contributions quantified. In this study, PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm), PM2.5–10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters 2.5–10 μm), organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations were measured from April to July 2009 at four selected areas in Xiamen (the downtown area, an industrial park, a suburb, and one remote site). The contributions of carbonaceous aerosols to PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 were 20–30% and 10–20%, respectively, indicating that finer particles contained more carbonaceous aerosols. The EC concentrations in PM2.5 at the downtown, industrial, suburb, and remote sites were 2.16 ± 0.61, 2.05 ± 0.45, 1.69 ± 0.54, and 0.65 ± 0.43 μg m−3, respectively, showing a decrease from the urban and industrial hotspots to the surrounding areas. These data show that carbonaceous aerosols emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels in urban and industrial hotspots influence air quality at the regional scale. Higher levels of PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 were observed at the suburb site compared to the urban and industrial sites. Peak EC concentrations in PM2.5 were observed during the morning and evening rush hours. However, peak PM2.5 levels at the suburb site were observed around noon, which coincides with construction work hours, instead of the morning and evening rush hours when emissions from combustion dominated. These findings indicate that both fuel combustion and construction have exacerbated air pollution in coastal and urban areas in China. IMPLICATIONS Over the past two decades, China has been experiencing arguably the most rapid, dramatic, and far-reaching process of urbanization in human history. Despite the rising concern for air quality in coastal urbanized areas, emission sources of air pollutants have yet to be distinguished. Herein the authors demonstrate that emissions from construction and combustion have intensified air pollution in coastal areas. This paper addresses an important environmental issue that the public and policy makers should consider for the management of air pollution.

Application of the Environmental Internet of Things on monitoring PM2.5 at a coastal site in the urbanizing region of southeast China

Particulate matter pollution, nowadays, is one of the most concerning environmental problems in Chinese cities, and yet monitoring of PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter of particle ≤2.5 μm) by means of Environmental Internet of Things (EIoT) is still limited in the urbanizing regions in China. A real-time 1 year continuous observation of PM2.5 by EIoT was carried out at a coastal site in Xiamen City during 2012, with the objective to explore the temporal variations and possible sources of PM2.5 in this urbanizing region. The annual average PM2.5 mass concentration was 32.7 ± 9.6 μg m−3, with the highest level in spring (43.6 ± 5.0 μg m−3) and lowest in summer (21.0 ± 2.5 μg m−3). The mean diurnal pattern of PM2.5 mass concentrations had an obvious morning peak and low values from midnight to dawn. Additionally, the concentrations on workdays were clearly higher in contrast to those on weekends. These results indicate that particulate matter in this region is mainly influenced by anthropogenic activities, and could be effectively scavenged by precipitation. Pollution rise suggested that particulate matters were mainly from civil engineering during the construction of new urban area. A distinct characteristic of particulate matters in this urbanizing region was the low ratio (0.40) of PM2.5/PM10, which might result from the increment of coarse particles emission from freeways, construction, and sea spray. The outcomes also show that EIoT technology is convenient for the management of particulate matter pollution.

The effects of carbonized buffer layer on the growth of SiC on Si

Carbonized buffer layers were formed with C2H4 on Si(100) and Si(111) substrates using different methods and SIC epilayers were grown on each buffer layer at 1050 degrees C with simultaneous supply of C2H4 and Si2H6. The structure of carbonized and epitaxy layers was analyzed with in situ RHEED. The buffer layers formed at 800 degrees C were polycrystalline on both Si(100) and Si(111) substrates whereas they were single crystals, with twins on Si(100) and without tu ins on Si(111)substrates. when formed with a gradual rise in substrate temperature from 300 degrees C to growth temperature. Raising the substrate temperature slowly results in the formation of more twins. Epilayers grown on carbonized polycrystalline lavers are polycrystalline. Single crystal epilayers without twins grow on single crystalline buffer layers without twins or with a few twins

The growth of SiC on Si substrates with C2H4 and Si2H6

SiC was grown on Si (100) substrates oriented and off-oriented by 2-5 degrees towards [011] with simultaneous supply of C2H4 and S2H6 at 1050 degrees C. SiC formed during removal of oxide could be removed at 1150 degrees C. Twinned growth occurred on both oriented and off-oriented substrates during carbonization, but fewer twins formed on the off-oriented substrate than that on the oriented substrate. In SiC growth process, twinned growth continued on the off-oriented substrate whereas twinned growth stopped and single crystal SiC with double-domain (2 x 1) superstructure formed on the oriented substrate. SiC single crystal could grow on a carbonized twinned buffer layer. Obvious SiC LO and TO phonon modes were observed with Raman spectroscopy in the epilayer grown on the oriented substrate. The surface of the epilayer grown on the oriented substrate was smooth, while there was a high density of islands on the epilayer grown on the off-oriented substrate. The film grown on the oriented substrate is superior than that grown on the off-oriented substrate