ReviewParticulate matter pollution over China and the effects of control policies

•In 2013, only 4.1% of the Chinese cities attained the annual average PM2.5 standard.•Secondary inorganic aerosol ranked the highest fraction among PM2.5 species.•National emissions of primary PM2.5 and SO2 have been decreasing since 2005/2006, so as NOX since 2011.•Emission controls make important contributions to decreasing trends in PM2.5 concentrations in megacities.•40-70% emission reduction in the future is needed to attain the PM2.5 standard.

China is one of the regions with highest PM2.5 concentration in the world. In this study, we review the spatio-temporal distribution of PM2.5 mass concentration and components in China and the effect of control measures on PM2.5 concentrations. Annual averaged PM2.5 concentrations in Central-Eastern China reached over 100 μg m− 3, in some regions even over 150 μg m− 3. In 2013, only 4.1% of the cities attained the annual average standard of 35 μg m− 3. Aitken mode particles tend to dominate the total particle number concentration. Depending on the location and time of the year, new particle formation (NPF) has been observed to take place between about 10 and 60% of the days. In most locations, NPF was less frequent at high PM mass loadings. The secondary inorganic particles (i.e., sulfate, nitrate and ammonium) ranked the highest fraction among the PM2.5 species, followed by organic matters (OM), crustal species and element carbon (EC), which accounted for 6-50%, 15-51%, 5-41% and 2-12% of PM2.5, respectively. In response to serious particulate matter pollution, China has taken aggressive steps to improve air quality in the last decade. As a result, the national emissions of primary PM2.5, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX) have been decreasing since 2005, 2006, and 2011, respectively. The emission control policies implemented in the last decade could result in noticeable reduction in PM2.5 concentrations, contributing to the decreasing PM2.5 trends observed in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. However, the control policies issued before 2010 are insufficient to improve PM2.5 air quality notably in future. An optimal mix of energy-saving and end-of-pipe control measures should be implemented, more ambitious control policies for NMVOC and NH3 should be enforced, and special control measures in winter should be applied. 40-70% emissions should be cut off to attain PM2.5 standard.

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