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| Characterization of atmospheric aerosol semi-volatility in Shenzhen using the thermal denuder |
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Abstract The aerosol semi-volatility had become a key issue in the field of atmospheric chemistry. Here, a newly-developed thermal denuder-aerosol mass spectrometer (TD-AMS) system was utilized to measure atmospheric fine particles in Shenzhen, China, continuously during August 2013, focusing on the quantification of aerosol semi-volatility. The results showed that, nitrate had the highest semi-volatility, with 63% of the total mass evaporating into the gas phase at a heating temperature of 50℃, while sulfate was the most stable component, with almost 90% of its mass remaining in the particle phase. Organic matter showed a middle level of semi-volatility between nitrate and sulfate. When heated to 200℃, each component had a similar semi-volatility level, with 20%~30% mass remaining in the particle phase. In addition, the semi-volatilities of organic matter, nitrate and sulfate at 50℃, which was the closest to the ambient temperature, showed different trends as the function of the particle pollution level. This study suggested that the aerosol in Shenzhen in summer had a significant semi-volatility level, which was worthy of further study.
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Received: 23 October 2014
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