Resolving Organic Aerosol Components Contributing to the Oxidative Potential of PM2.5 in the North China Plain

Fobang Liu, Xu Yang, Weiqi Xu, Vishal Verma, Zhao Wang, Chun Chen, Yao He, Liu Yang, Yang Yang, Yele Sun, Chi He

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The oxidative potential (OP) of ambient particulate matter (PM) is a common metric for estimating PM toxicity and linking PM exposure to adverse health effects. Organic aerosol (OA), a dominant fraction of ambient PM worldwide, may significantly contribute to PM toxicity. Here, we investigated the source-based OA components contributing to the OP of PM in the urban (Beijing, summer and winter) and rural (Gucheng, winter) environments of the North China Plain (NCP). Various OA components as identified by the aerosol mass spectrometer/aerosol chemical speciation monitor (AMS/ACSM), transition metals, and black carbon were compared with the OP of PM measured by dithiothreitol assays. The results consistently demonstrate the importance of OA as a contributor to PM's OP in both urban and rural NCP environments. Higher intrinsic OP was observed in winter Beijing than in summer, possibly due to OA being predominantly from anthropogenic sources in winter. Furthermore, different OA components were found to drive the response of OP in the two environments. More-oxidized oxygenated OA (MO-OOA), cooking OA, and oxidized primary OA (during winter) are the OA contributors to OP in the urban environment, with a dominant contribution from MO-OOA. In contrast, biomass burning OA (BBOA) and OOA play a major role in the OP in the rural environment, with BBOA making the largest contribution. Overall, this work highlights the significance of OA in determining PM's OP and calls for more work to reveal the sources and characteristics of OA components contributing to OP across different regions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere2024JD040840
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume129
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 28 2024
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)

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