Characterization of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an urban atmosphere of central-southern Spain

Villanueva, Florentina; Tapia, Araceli; Cabañas, Beatriz; Martínez, Ernesto; Albaladejo, José

Characterization of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an urban atmosphere of central-southern Spain

2015

Villanueva, Florentina | Tapia, Araceli | Cabañas, Beatriz | Martínez, Ernesto | Albaladejo, José

Over 1-year period, 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with particulate matter PM₁₀ have been monitored for the first time in the atmosphere of Ciudad Real, situated at the central-southern Spain. PM₁₀-bound PAHs were collected using a high-volume sampler from autumn 2012 to summer 2013 and were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detector. The most abundant PAHs were pyrene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene and benzo[g,h,i]perylene. The ∑PAH concentrations in Ciudad Real were 888, 368, 259 and 382 pg m⁻³ for winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons, respectively. The diurnal variation of PAH was also investigated presenting the highest concentrations during the evening (19:00–23:00). Benzo[a]pyrene concentrations ranged from 2.4 to 110 pg m⁻³, these values are lower than the target value proposed by the European legislation, 1 ng m⁻³. Diagnostic ratios were used to identify potential sources of PAHs. Results suggest that vehicle emissions are the major source of identified PAHs, with a higher contribution of diesel engines although other anthropogenic sources could also have an impact on the PAH levels.

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