Mass-size distributions of particulate sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium in a particulate matter nonattainment region in southern Taiwan

Jiun Homg Tsai, Kai Lun Chang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Concentrations and distributions of three major water-soluble ion species (sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium) contained in ambient particles were measured at three sampling sites in the Kao-ping ambient air quality basin, Taiwan. Ambient particulate matter (PM) samples were collected in a Micro-orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor from February to July 2003 and were analyzed for water-soluble ion species with an ion chromatograph. The PM1/PM2.5 and PM1/PM10 concentration ratios at the emission source site were 0.73 and 0.53 and were higher than those (0.68 and 0.48) at the background site because there are more combustion sources (i.e., industrial boilers and traffic) around the emission source site. Mass-size distributions of PM NO3 were found in both the fine and coarse modes. SO42− and NH4+ were found in the fine particle mode (PM2.5), with significant fractions of submicron particles (PM1). The source site had higher PM1/PM10 (79, 42, and 90%) and PM1/PM2.5 concentration ratios (90, 58, and 93%) for the three major inorganic secondary aerosol components (SO42−, NO3, and NH4+) than the receptor site (65, 27, and 65% for PM1/PM10; 69, 51, and 70% for PM1/PM2.5). Results obtained in this study indicate that the PM1 (submicron aerosol particles) fraction plays an important role in the ambient atmosphere at both emission source and receptor sites. Further studies regarding the origin and formation of ambient secondary aerosols are planned.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)502-509
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the Air and Waste Management Association
Volume55
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2005 Apr

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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