Development,verification and application of a versatile aerosol calibration system for online aerosol instruments

Traditional calibration methods mostly focus on the calibration of detection systems while the calibration from the sampling and pre-condition systems to the detection system is usually ignored.In this regard,a Primary Standard Aerosol Mass Concentration Calibration System(PAMAS)is developed for the whole-process calibration of time-resolved aerosol measurement instruments.PAMAS is composed of a particle generation chamber,an ultrasonic atomizer,a dilution system,and a syringe pump.It is designed to steadily generate standard aerosol particles of known concentrations(≤250μg/m^(3)),chemical compositions,and stable particle size distributions.Monodispersed aerosol can be generated in the size range of hundreds of nanometers to several micrometers with a narrow size distribution.The generated particles with different compositions generated by PAMAS have been well verified by the filter-based gravimetric method,yielding accuracy and R^(2) of more than 95%and 0.999 in a wide concentration range.The response time by changing the target concentration of reference particles is 1-2 min.PAMAS has been applied to various types of time-resolved aerosol measurement instruments,including particle mass concentration monitors(Beta Attenuation and Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance),online Ion Chromatograph,and semi-continuous OCEC carbon aerosol analyzer.Very consistent results between PAMAS and calibrated instruments can be obtained if the instruments are functioning well.As for instruments with certain technical issues,PAMAS can serve as a good tool for performance evaluation and quality assurance of the instruments and the accuracy of the measurement data can be adjusted based on the calibration results.

Response of PM_(2.5)-bound elemental species to emission variations and associated health risk assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic in a coastal megacity

The coronavirus(COVID-19)pandemic is disrupting the world from many aspects.In this study,the impact of emission variations on PM_(2.5)-bound elemental species and health risks associated to inhalation exposure has been analyzed based on real-time measurements at a remote coastal site in Shanghai during the pandemic.Most trace elemental species decreased significantly and displayed almost no diel peaks during the lockdown.After the lockdown,they rebounded rapidly,of which V and Ni even exceeded the levels before the lockdown,suggesting the recovery of both inland and shipping activities.Five sources were identified based on receptor modeling.Coal combustion accounted for more than 70%of the measured elemental concentrations before and during the lockdown.Shipping emissions,fugitive/mineral dust,and waste incineration all showed elevated contributions after the lockdown.The total non-carcinogenic risk(HQ)for the target elements exceeded the risk threshold for both children and adults with chloride as the predominant species contributing to HQ.Whereas,the total carcinogenic risk(TR)for adults was above the acceptable level and much higher than that for children.Waste incineration was the largest contributor to HQ,while manufacture processing and coal combustion were the main sources of TR.Lockdown control measures were beneficial for lowering the carcinogenic risk while unexpectedly increased the non-carcinogenic risk.From the perspective of health effects,priorities of control measures should be given to waste incineration,manufacture processing,and coal combustion.A balanced way should be reached between both lowering the levels of air pollutants and their health risks.

Aerosol oxalate and its implication to haze pollution in Shanghai,China

A total of 238 samples of PM2.5and TSP were analyzed to study the characteristics,sources,and formation pathways of aerosol oxalate in Shanghai in four seasons of 2007.The concentrations of oxalate were0.07–0.41 lg/m3in PM2.5and 0.10–0.48 lg/m3in TSP,respectively.Oxalate displayed a seasonal variation of autumn[summer[winter[spring in both PM2.5and TSP and was dominantly present in PM2.5in all samples.Correlation between oxalate and K?and high ratio of oxalate/K?suggested that biomass burning was a secondary source of aerosol oxalate in Shanghai,in addition to urban VOCs sources(vehicular and industrial emissions),especially in autumn.Secondary formation accounted for the majority of aerosol oxalate in Shanghai,which was supported by the high correlation of oxalate with nssSO42-,K?and NO3-,proceeding from different mechanisms.Relatively high ambient RH together with high cloud cover was found benefiting the secondary formation of aerosol oxalate.The in-cloud process(aqueous-phase oxidation)was proposed to be likely the major formation pathway of aerosol oxalate in Shanghai,which was supported by the high correlation of oxalate with nss-SO42-and K?,dominant residence of oxalate in droplet mode and result of favorable meteorological condition analysis.High correlation of oxalate and NO3-reflected the OH radical involved oxidation chemistry of the two species in the atmosphere and also suggested that gas-particle surface reactions and the evaporation–condensation process were both possible secondary formation pathways of aerosol oxalate in coarser particle mode([1.0 lm).As a major water-soluble organic compound in aerosols,concentration of oxalate showed a distinct negative correlation to the atmospheric visibility,which implied that aerosol organic compounds could play an important role in haze pollution as well as in air quality in Shanghai.