Sources of Organic Aerosol in China from 2005 to 2019: A Modeling Analysis

Organic aerosol (OA) is a key component of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and affects the human health and leads to climate change. With strict control measures for air pollutants during the last decade, the OA concentration in China declined slowly, while its sources remain unclear. In this study, we simulate the primary OA (POA) and secondary OA (SOA) concentrations from 2005 to 2019 with a state-of-the-art air quality model, Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ, version 5.3.2) coupled with a Two-Dimensional Volatility Basis Set (2D-VBS) module, and a long-term emission inventory of full-volatility organic compounds in China and conduct source apportionment and sensitivity analysis. The simulation results show that, from 2005 to 2019, the OA concentration in China decreased from 24.0 to 12.8 mu g/m3 with most of the reduction from POA. The OA pollution from residential biomass burning declined 75% from 2005 to 2019, while it is still the major OA source in China. OA pollution from VCP increased by more than 2-fold and became the largest SOA source in China. From 2014 to 2019, the NOx control in China slightly offset the decrease of SOA concentration due to elevated oxidation capacity.

Automated summary

Based on simulation and sensitivity analysis, this study found that the concentration of organic aerosol (OA) in China decreased from 2005 to 2019, but its sources remain unclear. Primary OA (POA) and secondary OA (SOA) were the main components of OA, with residential biomass burning being the major source of OA pollution, which decreased by 75%. Vehicle exhaust emissions became the largest SOA source in China, increasing by more than 2-fold. The control of NOx slightly offset the decrease in SOA concentration due to increased oxidation capacity.