Particles source apportionment, models

W. Van Borm, Source Apportionment of Atmospheric Particles by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis and Receptor Models. Doctoral Thesis, University of Antwerp, 1989. 

Although source oriented dispersion models are invaluable predictive tools, their ability to quantify the Impact of a source is limited. Receptor oriented methods of source apportionment, however, have evolved in recent years to the point where they now clearly form a new discipline of air pollution science. ( 1, ) This new discipline is distinctly different from dispersion modeling and has demonstrated that it can quantitatively apportion source contributions to particle levels. Receptor models are not pre-... 

The major limitation of microscopic receptor models is that the analytical method, the classification of particles possessing a defined set of properties, has not been separated from the source apportionment of those particles. Equation 2 has never been used in this application. The source identification takes place by recognition of the particle bv the microscopist and thus is difficult to standardize. 

Only a few source apportionment studies report on the contribution of road dust by means of receptor models. In Athens urban area road dust might contribute up to 50% to coarse fraction and up to 20% to fine particle mass [17]. The road dust contribution of 28% to PM3 and 57% to PM10 was found in the central area of Thessaloniki while for the greater area of Thessaloniki a road dust average contribution to PM10 up to 22% was calculated [23, 37]. 

So far, considerable information of the gaseous exhaust pipe emission factors and some of particulate matter is available from the 1990s. More recent studies reported emission factors for PM mass, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and some metals, which improved present knowledge about composition and size distribution of particulate motor vehicle emissions, and more important which allowed the creation of emission profiles—a prerequisite for source apportionment studies with statistic methods such as chemical mass balance models. However, since fuel composition, engines and vehicle technologies evolve (Kleeman et al. 2000) data on the combined mass emission rate and chemical composition of primary particle emissions from motor vehicles need to be updated periodically. 

Laden F, Schwartz J, Speizer FE et al (2006) Reduction in fine particulate air pollution and mortahty. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 173 667-672 Lewis CW, Norris G, Conner T et al (2003) Source apportionment of Phoenix PM s aerosol with the Unmix receptor model. J Air Waste Manage Assoc 53 325-338 Li N, Wang M, Oberley TD et al (2002a) Comparison of the pro-oxidative and proinflammatory effects of organic diesel exhaust particle chemicals in bronchial epithelial cells and macrophages. J Epidemiol 169 4531 541... 

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