Carbon content of atmospheric aerosols in a residential area during the wood combustion season in Sweden

Carbonaceous aerosol particles were observed in a residential area with wood combustion during wintertime in Northern Sweden. Filter samples were analyzed for elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) content by using a thermo-optical transmittance method. The light-absorbing carbon (LAC) content was determined by employing a commercial Aethalometer and a custom-built particle soot absorption photometer. Filter samples were used to convert the optical signals to LAC mass concentrations. Additional total PM10 mass concentrations and meteorological parameters were measured. The mean and standard deviation mass concentrations were 4.4±3.6 μg m−3 for OC, and 1.4±1.2 μg m−3 for EC. On average, EC accounted for 10.7% of the total PM10 and the contribution of OC to the total PM10 was 35.4%. Aethalometer and custom-built PSAP measurements were highly correlated (R2=0.92). The hourly mean value of LAC mass concentration was 1.76 μg m−3 (median 0.88 μg m−3) for the winter 2005–2006. This study shows that the custom-built PSAP is a reliable alternative for the commercial Aethalometer with the advantage of being a low-cost instrument.