The use of levoglucosan for tracing biomass burning in PM₂.₅ samples in Tuscany (Italy)

Giannoni, Martina; Martellini, Tania; Del Bubba, Massimo; Gambaro, Andrea; Zangrando, Roberta; Chiari, Massimo; Lepri, Luciano; Cincinelli, Alessandra

The use of levoglucosan for tracing biomass burning in PM₂.₅ samples in Tuscany (Italy)

2012

Levoglucosan was present in all samples and its concentrations showed a pronounced annual cycle with maximum levels in the cold season. The annual percentage of ratios of levoglucosan to OC ranged from 0.04 to 9.75% evidencing a major contribution of biomass burning to the aerosol OC during the winter. In the urban-background site, OC was strongly correlated with EC in winter, suggesting that the major fraction of OC was generated as primary particles along with EC. A background levoglucosan component showed that biomass burning was continuously taking place in all the investigated sites. The biomass burning contribution to the Tuscany aerosol was made up of a background component and an additional component during winter probably due to wood burning for domestic heating.

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