Size-resolved source apportionment of ambient particles by positive matrix factorization

Abstract

Size-and time-resolved aerosol samples were collected using an eight-stage Davis rotating unit for monitoring (DRUM) sampler from 23 March to 29 April 2001 at Gosan, Jeju Island, Korea, which is one of the super sites of Asia-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia). These samples were analyzed using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence for 3-hr average concentrations of 19 elements including Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, and Pb. The size-resolved data sets were then analyzed using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) technique to identify possible sources and estimate their contributions to particulate matter mass. PMF analysis uses the uncertainty of the measured data to provide an optimal weighting. Twelve sources were resolved in eight size ranges (0.09~12 µm) and included continental soil, local soil, sea salt, biomass/biofuel burning, coal combustion, oil combustion, municipal incineration, nonferrous metal source, ferrous metal source, gasoline vehicle, diesel vehicle, and volcanic emission. The PMF result of size-resolved source contributions showed that natural sources represented by local soil, sea salt, continental soil, and volcanic emission contributed about 79% to the predicted primary particulate matter (PM) mass in the coarse size range (1.15~12 µm) while anthropogenic sources such as coal combustion and biomass/biofuel burning contributed about 58% in the fine size range (0.56~2.5 µm). The diesel vehicle source contributed mostly in ultra-fine size range (0.09~0.56 µm) and was responsible for about 56% of the primary PM mass.