Simultaneous measurements of mass, chemical compositional and number characteristics of aerosol particles emitted during fireworks

Abstract

Simultaneous measurements of mass, chemical composition and number characteristics were made to study the impact of emissions from fireworks on ambient aerosol characteristics. These measurements were performed in a high-rise building of an Indian mega-city during Diwali festival. The mass concentration of total suspended particulate matter on Diwali night was found to be 364 μgm−3 and is comparable with few other samples taken at different times. Emission of Al, Ba, K, Sr and Cu could be attributed to fireworks, however mass concentration of K was equivalent for other days as well. Average aerosol number concentration for Diwali day (4.9 × 104 #/cm3) was lesser than few other sampling days. On Diwali night, average aerosol number concentration comprised of 32.3, 36.6 and 31.1% particles of nuclei, Aitken and accumulation mode size ranges, respectively. For urban environment, it could be incorrect to link changes in single aerosol characteristic to emissions during fireworks.