Journal
ATMOSPHERE
Volume 13, Issue 5, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/atmos13050747
Keywords
low-cost LDSA; LDSA to BC Ratio; low-cost sensing; semi-volatile particles
Funding
- OSCA team (Integrated Research Observation System for Clean Air) at the Birmingham Air Quality Supersite (BAQS) - NERC [NE/T001909/1]
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This study conducted a 3-month long field test using low-cost particle sensors in an urban background environment and developed a low-cost method to assess the fraction of solid and semi-volatile particles in aerosol samples. The results showed a wide variation in the semi-volatile fraction of particles, and the measurements from low-cost sensors were comparable to high-cost analyses.
Low-cost particle sensors have proven useful in applications such as source apportionment, health, and reactivity studies. The benefits of these instruments increase when used in parallel, as exemplified with a 3-month long deployment in an urban background site. Using two lung-deposited surface area (LDSA) instruments, a low-cost method was developed to assess the solid component of an aerosol by applying a catalytic stripper to the inlet stream of one LDSA instrument, resulting in only the solid fraction of the sample being measured (LDSAc). To determine the semi-volatile fraction of the sample, the LDSA(C) was compared to the LDSA without a catalytic stripper, thus measuring all particles (LDSA(N)). The ratio of LDSA (LDSA(C)/LDSA(N)) was used to assess the fraction of solid and semi-volatile particles within a sample. Here, a low ratio represents a high fraction of semi-volatile particles, with a high ratio indicating a high fraction of solid particles. During the 3-month urban background study in Birmingham, UK, it is shown that the LDSA ratios ranged from 0.2-0.95 indicating a wide variation in sources and subsequent semi-volatile fraction of particles. A black carbon (BC) instrument was used to provide a low-cost measure of LDSA to BC ratio. Comparatively, the LDSA to BC ratios obtained using low-cost sensors showed similar results to high-cost analyses for urban environments. During a high LDSA(C)/LDSA(N) ratio sampling period, representing high solid particle concentrations, an LDSA to BC probability distribution was shown to be multimodal, reflecting urban LDSA to BC ratio distributions measured with laboratory-grade instrumentation. Here, a low-cost approach for data analyses presents insight on particle characteristics and insight into PM composition and size, useful in source apportionment, health, and atmospheric studies.
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