Influence of meteorological parameters and oxidizing capacity on characteristics of airborne particulate amines in an urban area of the Pearl River Delta, China

Fengxian Liu; Guohua Zhang; Xiufeng Lian; Yuzhen Fu; Qinhao Lin; Yuxiang Yang; Xinhui Bi; Xinming Wang; Ping'an Peng; Guoying Sheng

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.113212

Influence of meteorological parameters and oxidizing capacity on characteristics of airborne particulate amines in an urban area of the Pearl River Delta, China

Environ Res. 2022 Sep;212(Pt A):113212. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113212. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Authors

Fengxian Liu¹, Guohua Zhang², Xiufeng Lian³, Yuzhen Fu², Qinhao Lin⁴, Yuxiang Yang², Xinhui Bi⁵, Xinming Wang², Ping'an Peng², Guoying Sheng⁶

Affiliations

¹ Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030024, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
² State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, CAS, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China.
³ Institute of Mass Spectrometer and Atmospheric Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, PR China.
⁴ Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, CAS, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China.

PMID: 35367230
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113212

Abstract

Nine amine species in atmospheric particles during haze and low-pollution days with low and high relative humidity (RH) were analyzed in urban Guangzhou, China. The mean concentrations of total measured amines (Ʃamines) in fine particles were 208 ± 127, 63.7 ± 21.3, and 120 ± 20.1 ng m^-3 during haze, low pollution-low RH (LP-LRH), and low pollution-high RH (LP-HRH) episodes, respectively. The dominant amine species were methylamine (MA), dimethylamine (DMA), diethylamine (DEA) and dibutylamine (DBA), which in total accounted for 82-91% of the Ʃamines during different pollution episodes. The contributions of Ʃamines-C to water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and Ʃamines-N to water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) were 1.52% and 2.49% during haze, 1.24% and 1.96% during LP-LRH, and 2.00 and 2.98% during LP-HRH days, respectively. The mass proportion of Ʃamines in fine particles was higher during LP-HRH periods (0.19%) than during haze and LP-LRH periods (0.16%). The mass proportion of DBA in Ʃamines increased from 7% during haze and LP-LRH episodes to 25% during LP-HRH episodes. Compared with other amines, DBA showed a stronger linear relationship with RH (r = 0.867, p < 0.01), which demonstrates its high sensitivity to high RH conditions. Meteorological parameters (including RH, the mixed layer depth, wind speed and temperature), the oxidizing capacity (ozone concentration), and gaseous pollutants (NO_x and SO₂) correlated with amines under different pollution conditions. Under high RH, acid-base reactions were the dominant pathway for the gas-to-particle distribution of amines in urban areas, while direct dissolution dominated in the background site. To our knowledge, this study is the first attempt to conduct in situ measurements of particulate amines during different pollution conditions in China, and further research is needed to in-depth understanding of the influence of amines on haze formation.

Keywords: Amines; Haze; Meteorological condition; Relative humidity; Urban area.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aerosols / analysis
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
Amines* / analysis
China
Dust
Environmental Monitoring
Humidity
Oxidation-Reduction
Particulate Matter / analysis
Rivers
Water

Substances

Aerosols
Air Pollutants
Amines
Dust
Particulate Matter
Water