TITLE:
Seasonal Trends of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Particulate Matter at an Urban Site in Beijing, China
AUTHORS:
Yanju Liu, Qingyang Liu, Xinxin Wang, Tingting Zhang
KEYWORDS:
PAHs, Particulate Matter, Traffic Pollution, Beijing
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.3 No.2,
April
1,
2015
ABSTRACT:
This study was conducted to
examine the impact of vehicular traffic emissions on the seasonal trends of
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentration in particulate matter in
Beijing. The PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected at an urban site near the
Third Ring Road in Beijing, China, from July 2009 to March 2010. Individual PAH
concentrations at urban traffic site ranged from n.d. (below the detection
limit, 0.2 ng/m3) to 558.49 ng/m3 of benzo(b)fluoranthene in PM10 samples and
from n.d. to 177.93 ng/m3 also for benzo(b)fluoranthene in PM2.5 samples.
Seasonal variations of PAHs compounds indicated that PAHs concentration in
autumn and winter was higher than those in spring and summer. Results of PCA
give four and five significant factors, which could explain 83.1% of the
variation for PM2.5 and 85.3% of the variation for PM10, respectively.