Effect of Biomass Burning, Diwali Fireworks, and Polluted Fog Events on the Oxidative Potential of Fine Ambient Particulate Matter in Delhi, India

Joseph V. Puthussery, Jay Dave, Ashutosh Shukla, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Atinderpal Singh, Pawan Vats, Sudheer Salana, Dilip Ganguly, Neeraj Rastogi, Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Vishal Verma

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We investigated the influence of biomass burning (BURN), Diwali fireworks, and fog events on the ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) oxidative potential (OP) during the postmonsoon (PMON) and winter season in Delhi, India. The real-time hourly averaged OP (based on a dithiothreitol assay) and PM2.5chemical composition were measured intermittently from October 2019 to January 2020. The peak extrinsic OP (OPv: normalized by the volume of air) was observed during the winter fog (WFOG) (5.23 ± 4.6 nmol·min-1·m-3), whereas the intrinsic OP (OPm; normalized by the PM2.5mass) was the highest during the Diwali firework-influenced period (29.4 ± 18.48 pmol·min-1·μg-1). Source apportionment analysis using positive matrix factorization revealed that traffic + resuspended dust-related emissions (39%) and secondary sulfate + oxidized organic aerosols (38%) were driving the OPvduring the PMON period, whereas BURN aerosols dominated (37%) the OPvduring the WFOG period. Firework-related emissions became a significant contributor (∼32%) to the OPvduring the Diwali period (4 day period from October 26 to 29), and its contribution peaked (72%) on the night of Diwali. Discerning the influence of seasonal and episodic sources on health-relevant properties of PM2.5, such as OP, could help better understand the causal relationships between PM2.5and health effects in India.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)14605-14616
Number of pages12
JournalEnvironmental Science and Technology
Volume56
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 18 2022

Keywords

  • haze
  • health effects
  • megacity
  • reactive oxygen species
  • source apportionment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Environmental Chemistry

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