Characterization of organic aerosol at a rural site influenced by olive waste biomass burning
2020
Pérez Pastor, Rosa | Salvador, Pedro | García Alonso, Susana | Alastuey, Andrés | García dos Santos Alves, Saúl | Querol, Xavier | Artíñano, Begoña
Biomass burning is a major air pollution problem all around the world. However, the identification and quantification of its contribution to ambient aerosol levels is a difficult task due to the generalized lack of observations of molecular markers. This paper presents the results of a yearlong study of organic constituents of the atmospheric aerosol at a rural site in southern Spain (Villanueva del Arzobispo, Jaén). Sampling was performed for PM10 and PM2.5, and a total of 116 and 115 samples, respectively, were collected and analyzed by GC/MS, quantifying 77 organic compounds. Higher levels of organic pollutants were recorded from November to March, coinciding with the cold season when domestic combustion is a common practice in rural areas. This jointly with adverse meteorological conditions, e.g. strong atmospheric stability, produced severe pollution episodes with high PMx ambient levels. High daily concentrations of tracers were reached, up to 26 ng m¿3 for B(a)P and 6065 ng m¿3 for levoglucosan in PM2.5, supporting that biomass burning is a major source of pollution at rural areas.
Show more [+] Less [-]The present work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing, Food and Environment through collaboration agreements with CSIC, ISCIII and CIEMAT. The Department of Air Quality of the Regional Government of Andalusia is specially acknowledged by their support in the filter sampling and data provided.
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