A study of control policy in the Pearl River Delta region by using the particulate matter source apportionment method

In recent years, Mainland China, and in particular the industrial hotbed of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) has experienced an increasingly serious problem of high concentrations of airborne particulate matter. Following the tightening-up of China's air quality policies in recent years, and with especially fine particles now added to a new air quality objective, the identification of major source regions and major types of pollutants has become crucial. In this study, the Comprehensive Air Quality Model (CAMx), together with the Particulate Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) source apportionment method, has been applied to analyze how different emission activities influence PM concentration in the PRD region. By using this method, a detailed source region and emission category contribution matrix is derived for all regions within the Hong Kong/PRD region and source appointment results show that, on average, for different cities super-regional transport and mobile vehicles are the two major fine particle sources, contributing 62% (34.3 μg m−3) and 21% (12.2 μg m−3) of the total figure in December, and 42% (13.1 μg m−3) and 28% (9.7 μg m−3) in April. Meanwhile, over the same period in Hong Kong, in addition to these two factors, marine proved another very significant source of particle pollutant, amounting to 18% of the total figure (4.7 μg m−3). Another important cause of high PM levels has been the transport of fine particles between cities within the PRD region, with three different regions selected for detailed analysis. Results show that for the Hong Kong/PRD region local reduction of mobile sources and collaboration between different areas could have succeeded in alleviating the air pollution problem.

► We use CAMx to simulate air quality in PRD regions.
► A particulate source apportionment method is applied in the PRD regions.
► Mobile emission is one of the major emission contributors to PM2.5.
► Collaboration on emission reduction between different regions is important.