Composition and major sources of organic compounds in urban aerosols

Total suspended particles (TSP), collected during June 2002 to July 2003 in Guangzhou, a typical economically developed city in South China, were analyzed for the organic compound compositions using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Over 140 organic compounds were detected in the aerosols and grouped into different classes including n-alkanes, hopanoids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanols, fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids excluding oxalic acid, polyols/polyacids, lignin products, phytosterols, phthalates and water-soluble sugars. The total amounts of the identified organic compounds including unresolved complex mixture (UCM) ranged from 3112 ng/m3 in spring to 5116 ng/m3 in winter, comprising on seasonal average 2.8% of TSP. Primary organic compounds peaked in winter although there are no heating systems burning fuels in Guangzhou. The highest saccharide levels occurred in fall due to agricultural activities. This study demonstrated that utilization of fossil fuels, biomass burning, soil resuspension and plastic/refuse burning are the major contributors to the identified organic compounds in the urban atmosphere of South China.