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Six species of trees grown in the northeastern United States, including northern red oak, eastern white pine, paper birch, eastern hemlock, red maple, and balsalm fir are burned to study the particle-phase organic compounds emitted from different types of wood. Detailed speciation of the compounds emitted from the trees is charted.

Unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) are the main sources of human cell mutagenicity within airborne fine particulate matter found in Los Angeles, CA. The main types of PACs found in the airborne matter are benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[ghi]perylene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, cyclopental[cd]pyrene, and benzo[k]flouranthene. Other mutagens present in the airborne particulate matter include 6H-benzo[cd]pyren-6-one and 2-nitrofluoranthene.

A Los Angeles roadway tunnel yielded carbon monoxide emissions rates of 130 g L-1 of gasoline-equivalent fuel burned and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions of 9.1 gL-1. The concentration of organic compounds in the tunnel is consistent with a linear combination of the pollutants over a fairly wide range of about 74-97% vehicle exhaust when VOC emissions composition in the tunnel compared to that of tailpipe emissions source test date and to the composition of additional unburned whole gasoline. The fine particulate emissions within the tunnel are made up mostly of carbonaceous material and ammonium nitrate.

The fine particle organic carbon (OC) emmisions to the Los Angeles urban atmosphere appear to have come mostly from the combustion of wood. The fine organic aerosol from wood combustion accounts for 14% of the total OC emissions annually and 30% on winter days. Pine and oak logs are found to produce smoke rich with lignin decomposition products. Resin acids and their thermal alteration products mostly constitute pine smoke. Synthetic log combustion, meanwhile, yields major components of petroleum products combined with traces of sawdust components from which it is made.

N-alkanes appear to be the most abundant among the 143 non-aromatic hydrocarbons measured in 36 samples collected during a severe photochemical smog occurrence in Los Angeles, CA. The concentrations of individual low moleculer weight alkenes is reduced during transport across the city in the expected order as they react with the hydroxyl radicals. A substantial decrease in the concentration of petroleum biomarkers, which serve as tracers for particulate organics emitted from vehicle exhaust, was observed between 1982 and 1993.

Biomass burning is an important primary source of particles containing biomarker compounds, which are introduced into smoke primarily by direct volatilization/steam stripping and by thermal alteration based on combustion conditions. This study presents comprehensive organic compound source profiles for smoke from controlled burning of green vegetation native to the predominant temperate and semiarid forests of the western United States. Smoke particles were extracted with dichloromethane/methanol (2:1, v/v), and the extracts were analyzed as their lMS derivatives by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry. Carbohydrates were by far the major compound class emitted in smoke particles, encompassing 57-77% of the total extractable organic compounds detected here. Lignin derivatives (5-17%) and diterpenoids (up to 16%) from bleed resins were the next most abundant compound groups observed. The major individual compounds encompassed methylinositols (up to 41%, e.g., pinitol) for conifer smokes, deoxyinositols (up to 32%, e.g., quercitol) for samples containing oak vegetation, and the thermally altered product of cellulose combustion levoglucosan (14-21%). The remaining compound classes, i.e., n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols, n-alkanes, triterpenoids, steroids, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were present at lower abundances (mostly <5%). The results showed that burning of green (moist) vegetation imprints high amounts of polar/water-soluble compounds into the smoke probably by volatilization/steam stripping processes, resulting in a different biomarker profile compared to dry/dead vegetation and wood combustion emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source tests were conducted to analyze and characterize diagnostic key tracers for emissions from burning of coals with various ranks. Ambient aerosol particulate matter was also collected in three areas of China and a background area in Corvallis, OR (U.S.) to confirm the presence of tracers specific for coal smoke. The results showed a series of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds, including PAHs and hydroxy-PAHs as the major tracers, as well as a significant unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of compounds. The tracers that were found characteristic of coal combustion processes included hydroxy-PAHs and PAHs. Atmospheric ambient samples from Beijing and Taiyuan, cities where coal is burned in northern China, revealed that the hydroxy-PAH tracers were present during the wintertime, but not in cities where coal is not commonly used (e.g., Guangzhou, South China). Thus, the mass of hydroxy-PAHs can be apportioned to coal smoke and the source strength modeled by summing the proportional contents of EC (elemental carbon), PAHs, UCM and alkanes with the hydroxy-PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite all of the economic problems and environmental discussions on the dangers and hazards of plastic materials, plastic production worldwide is growing at a rate of about 5% per year. Increasing techniques for recycling polymeric materials have been developed during the last few years; however, a large fraction of plastics are still being discarded in landfills or subjected to intentional or incidental open-fire burning. To identify specific tracer compounds generated during such open-fire combustion, both smoke particles from burning and plastic materials from shopping bags, roadside trash, and landfill garbage were extracted for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. Samples were collected in Concón, Chile, an area frequently affected by wildfire incidents and garbage burning, and the United States for comparison. Atmospheric samples from various aerosol sampling programs are also presented as supportive data. The major components of plastic extracts were even-carbon-chain n-alkanes (C16- C40), the plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, and the antioxidants and lubricants/antiadhesives Irganox 1076, Irgafos 168, and its oxidation product tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate. Major compounds in smoke from burning plastics include the non-source-specific n-alkanes (mainly even predominance), terephthalic acid, phthalates, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, with minor amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (including triphenyl- benzenes) and tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate. 1,3,5- Triphenylbenzene and tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)- phosphate were found in detectable amounts in atmospheric samples where plastics and refuse were burned in open fires, and thus we propose these two compounds as specific tracers for the open-burning of plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of saccharides is being reported for aerosols taken in urban, rural, and marine locales. The commonly found primary saccharides area α and β-glucose, α- and β-fructose, sucrose, and mycose with lesser amounts of other monosaccharides. Saccharide polyols are also found in some airsheds and consist mainly of sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, erythritol, and glycerol. In temperate climate areas these compounds increase from negligible concentrations in winter aerosols (usually dominated by levoglucosan and related anhydrosaccharides from biomass burning) to a maximum in late spring-summer, followed by a decrease to winter. The composition of the saccharide mixtures suggests soil and associated micro- biota as the source. Saccharide analyses of soils confirmed these compositions. Therefore, we propose resuspension of soil (also unpaved road dust) from agricultural activities as a major component of aerosol particles and the saccharides are the source specific tracers. In addition, the saccharides as well as the anhydrosaccharide derivatives from biomass burning are completely water soluble and thus contribute significantly to the total water-soluble mass of aerosols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source sample extracts of vegetative detritus, motor vehicle exhaust, tire dust paved road dust, and cigarette smoke have been silylated and analyzed by GC-MS to identify polar organic compounds that may serve as tracers for those specific emission sources of atmospheric fine particulate matter. Candidate molecular tracers were also identified in atmospheric fine particle samples collected in the San Joaquin Valley of California. A series of normal primary alkanols, dominated by even carbon-numbered homologues from C26 to C32, the secondary alcohol 10-nonacosanol, and some phytosterols are prominent polar compounds in the vegetative detritus source sample. No new polar organic compounds are found in the motor vehicle exhaust samples. Several hydrogenated resin acids are present in the tire dust sample, which might serve as useful tracers for those sources in areas that are heavily impacted by motor vehicle traffic. Finally, the alcohol and sterol emission profiles developed for all the source samples examined in this project are scaled according to the ambient fine particle mass concentrations attributed to those sources by a chemical mass balance receptor model that was previously applied to the San Joaquin Valley to compute the predicted atmospheric concentrations of individual alcohols and sterols. The resulting underprediction of alkanol concentrations at the urban sites suggests that alkanols may be more sensitive tracers for natural background from vegetative emissions (i.e., waxes) than the high molecular weight alkanes, which have been the best previously available tracers for that source.

A comprehensive organic compound-based receptor model is developed that can simultaneously apportion the source contributions to atmospheric gas-phase organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, fine particle organic compounds, and fine particle mass. The model is applied to ambient data collected at four sites in the south coast region of California during a severe summertime photochemical smog episode, where the model determines the direct primary contributions to atmospheric pollutants from 11 distinct air pollution source types. The 11 sources included in the model are gasoline-powered motor vehicle exhaust, diesel engine exhaust, whole gasoline vapors, gasoline headspace vapors, organic solvent vapors, whole diesel fuel, paved road dust, tire wear debris, meat cooking exhaust, natural gas leakage, and vegetative detritus. Gasoline engine exhaust plus whole gasoline vapors are the predominant sources of volatile organic gases, while gasoline and diesel engine exhaust plus diesel fuel vapors dominate the emissions of semivolatile organic compounds from these sources during the episode studied at all four air monitoring sites. The atmospheric fine particle organic compound mass was composed of noticeable contributions from gasoline-powered motor vehicle exhaust, diesel engine exhaust, meat cooking, and paved road dust with smaller but quantifiable contributions from vegetative detritus and tire wear debris. In addition, secondary organic aerosol, which is formed from the low-vapor pressure products of gas-phase chemical reactions, is found to be a major source of fine particle organic compound mass under the severe photochemical smog conditions studied here. The concentrations of secondary organic aerosol calculated in the present study are compared with previous fine particle source apportionment results for less intense photochemical smog conditions. It is shown that estimated secondary organic aerosol concentrations correlate fairly well with the concentrations of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid in the atmospheric fine particle mass, indicating that aromatic diacids may be useful in the quantification of certain sources of secondary organic aerosol in the atmosphere.

The fireplace combustion of wood is a significant and largely unregulated source of fine particle pollution in the United States. Source apportionment techniques that use particulate organic compounds as tracers have been successful in determining the contribution of wood smoke to ambient fine particle levels in specific areas in California. To apply these techniques to the rest of the United States, the differences in emissions profiles between different wood smoke sources and fuel types should be resolved. To this end, a series of fireplace source tests was conducted on six fuel wood species found in the Southern United States to determine fine particulate emission factors for total mass, ionic and elemental species, elemental and organic carbon, and over 250 individual organic compounds. The wood species tested, chosen for their high abundance and availability in the Southern U.S. region, were yellow poplar, white ash, sweetgum, mockernut hickory, loblolly pine, and slash pine. The differences in the emissions of compounds such as substituted phenols and resin acids help to distinguish between the smoke from hardwood and softwood combustion. Levoglucosan, a cellulose pyrolysis product which may serve as a tracer for wood smoke in general, was quantified in the emissions from all the wood species burned. The furofuran lignan, yangambin, which was emitted in significant quantities from yellow poplar combustion and not detected in any of the other North American wood smokes, is a potential species-specific molecular tracer which may be useful in qualitatively identifying particulate emissions from a specific geographical area where yellow poplar is being burned.

Gas- and particle-phase organic compounds present in the tailpipe emissions from an in-use fleet of gasoline-powered automobiles and light-duty trucks were quantified using a two-stage dilution source sampling system. The vehicles were driven through the cold-start Federal Test Procedure (FTP) urban driving cycle on a transient dynamometer. Emission rates of 66 volatile hydrocarbons, 96 semi-volatile and particle-phase organic compounds, 27 carbonyls, and fine particle mass and chemical composition were quantified. Six isoprenoids and two tricyclic terpanes, which are quantified using new source sampling techniques for semi-volatile organic compounds, have been identified as potential tracers for gasoline-powered motor vehicle emissions. A composite of the commercially distributed California Phase II Reformulated Gasoline used in these tests was analyzed by several analytical methods to quantify the gasoline composition, including some organic compounds that are found in the atmosphere as semi-volatile and particle-phase organic compounds. These results allow a direct comparison of the semi-volatile and particle-phase organic compound emissions from gasoline-powered motor vehicles to the gasoline burned by these vehicles. The distribution of n-alkanes and isoprenoids emitted from the catalyst-equipped gasoline-powered vehicles is the same as the distribution of these compounds found in the gasoline used, whereas the distribution of these compounds in the emissions from the noncatalyst vehicles is very different from the distribution in the fuel. In contrast, the distribution of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their methylated homologues in the gasoline is significantly different from the distribution of the PAH in the tailpipe emissions from both types of vehicles.

The emission rates of gas-phase, semivolatile, and particle-phase organic compounds ranging in carbon number from C1 to C27 were measured from institutional-scale food cooking operations that employ seed oils. Two cooking methods and three types of seed oils were examined: vegetables stir-fried in soybean oil, vegetables stir-fried in canola oil, and potatoes deep fried in hydrogenated soybean oil. The emission rates of 99 organic compounds were quantified, and these include n-alkanes, branched alkanes, alkenes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkenoic acids, carbonyls, aromatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and lactones. Carbonyls and fatty acids (n-alkanoic and n-alkenoic acids) make up a significant portion of the organic compounds emitted from all three seed oil cooking procedures. The compositional differences in the organic compound emissions between the different cooking operations are consistent with the differences in the organic composition of the various cooking oils used. The distribution of the n-alkanoic acids between the gas and particle phases was found to be in good agreement with gas/particle partitioning theory. The relative importance of emissions from commercial deep frying operations to the total emissions of C16 and C18 n-alkanoic acids in the Los Angeles urban area was estimated using the available information and is estimated to account for approximately 7% of the total primary emissions of these acids. Additional emissions of these n-alkanoic acids from stir-frying and grill frying operations are expected. Estimates also indicate that seed oil cooking may make up a significant fraction of the emissions of lighter n-alkanoic acids such as nonanoic acid.