Comprehensive characterization of ambient nanoparticles collected near an industrial science park: Particle size distributions and relationships with environmental factors

We investigated the characteristics of ambient particles and their relationships with various environmental factors, including gaseous pollutants (CH4, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), total hydrocarbons (THC), NOx, CO, SO2), meteorological parameters (humidity, temperature), and time (day/night, workday/weekend). We used an electrical low-pressure cascade impactor to measure the number and size distributions of ambient particles (0.007–10 μm) that were collected approximately 1 km northwest of Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan between February and May 2007. The number concentrations of particles were enhanced through photochemical reactions during the day. In addition, high traffic flow during workdays increased the formation of particulates. Except for SO2, all of the gaseous pollutants we studied (CH4, NMHC, THC, NOx, CO) correlated positively with the total number concentrations of ambient particles during daytime, indicating that they might contribute to the particulate burden. The poorer relationship between the SO2 level and the total number concentration of particles suggests that SO2 might participate indirectly in the nucleation process during particle formation, The high enrichment factors for Zn, Pb, Cu, and Mn, which mostly comprised the ultrafine particles (diameter: < 0.1 μm) and fine particles (diameter: 0.1–1 μm), presumably arose from emissions from traffic and high technology factories. Heterogeneous reactions on solid particles might play a role in the removal of SOx and NOx from the atmosphere. Sulfides and nitrides can further react with these local pollutants, forming specific Cu-containing compounds: CuO (39%), CuSO4 (34%), and Cu(NO3)2 (27%), within the ambient particles in this industrial area.