Issue 1, 2022

Identification of source areas of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Ulsan, South Korea, using hybrid receptor models and the conditional bivariate probability function

Abstract

This study identifies the emission source areas for the atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) detected in Ulsan, South Korea. To achieve this, in addition to a conditional bivariate probability function (CBPF), two hybrid receptor models – the three-dimensional potential source contribution function (3D-PSCF) model and the 3D concentration weighted function (3D-CWT) model – were used, both of which adopt trajectory segments within the mixing layer. Notably, the fraction-weighted trajectory (FWT), a combination of PAH gas/particle partitioning with a hybrid receptor model, was introduced for the first time in this study to support the identification of emission source areas using other approaches (i.e., 3D-PSCF, 3D-CWT, and CBPF). Consequently, it was found that gaseous PAHs in Ulsan mostly originated from local emission sources (i.e., transportation and industrial emissions) throughout the year, whereas particulate PAHs were likely to originate from emission sources in China (e.g., Shandong, Hebei, and Liaoning) during spring and winter via long-range transport. However, in summer and fall, the influence of local emissions on particulate PAHs appeared to be stronger. The FWT was able to distinguish between local and distant sources more effectively, especially in summer and fall, i.e., the periods when local sources increased their contribution. This study thus increases the understanding of the long-range transport of PAHs in Northeast Asia, and the novel FWT approach exhibits the potential to be employed in the source area identification of various semi-volatile organic chemicals.

Graphical abstract: Identification of source areas of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Ulsan, South Korea, using hybrid receptor models and the conditional bivariate probability function

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Jul 2021
Accepted
14 Dec 2021
First published
17 Dec 2021

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022,24, 140-151

Identification of source areas of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Ulsan, South Korea, using hybrid receptor models and the conditional bivariate probability function

T. N. T. Nguyen, Q. T. Vuong, S. Lee, H. Xiao and S. Choi, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022, 24, 140 DOI: 10.1039/D1EM00320H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements