Characteristics and Aging of Traffic-Emitted Particles with Sulfate and Organic Compound Formation in Urban Air

Abstract

Traffic is a major source of anthropogenic aerosol in urban atmosphere. In this study, aerosol particles were measured with a TEM-EDX system at the roadside of a main road in the northwestern part of Beijing, China, under clear and hazy conditions. Soot, organic, sulfur-rich (S-rich), mineral, and metal particles, as well as the mixtures, were frequently encountered in aerosols. Under hazy conditions, S-rich particles coated with organic matter (S-OM particles) accounted for most of the total particles (15% to 24%), followed by soot particles (18% to 21%), organic particles (17% to 21%), non-mixed S-rich particles (10% to 18%), and S-rich particles with soot-, mineral-, or metal-inclusions (here referred to as S-inclusion particles) (11% to 15%). Under clear conditions, non-mixed S-rich and organic particles were dominant components, while mineral and soot particles were secondary components, among which, ~14% of the total particles had a sulfate core or OM coating; inclusions of mixture particles were often mixed with sulfate cores. In the sulfate core–OM shell structure particles, the ratio of core diameter to the whole particle diameter was ~0.52 under hazy conditions and ~0.60 under clear conditions, indicating a substantial sulfate and organic formation on the particles. Soot particles accounted for 18% to 21% of the total particles. The relative growth of aged soot particles was higher under hazy conditions than under clear conditions. In sum, particles from traffic emissions on a main urban road aged with the formation of sulfate and organic matter.