Comparison of PM2.5 carbon measurement methods in Hong Kong, China

Samples from Hong Kong, China, were analyzed for organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon and total carbon (TC) by three thermal protocols (low-temperature IMPROVE and high-temperature STN and NIOSH) and two optical monitoring methods: reflectance and transmittance. Good agreement (+/- 10%) for TC among the three protocols was observed for sample loadings of 1-55 mu g m(3). The two protocols using a reflectance pyrolysis correction showed best agreement for EC, with <20% differences found for similar to 80% of the samples, Hong Kong has a large diesel fleet, and for some heavily loaded samples the light transmittance was too low for quantitative detection, resulting ill large uncertainties in the OC, EC Split based oil transmittance. Hong Kong experienced OC levels similar to those at US sites, but has Much higher EC concentrations OC, EC ratios range from 2 to 5 at two US sites and from 0.2 to 1.2 at three Hong Kong sites, (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.