Northern Front Range air quality study: The analysis of ambient fine particulate organic matter
- Desert Research Inst., Reno, NV (United States)
The Northern Front Range Air Quality Study (NFRAQS) was carried out in the winter of 1996--1997 in the Denver, CO, area. One of the major objectives of the NFRAQS was to apportion the carbonaceous materials in airborne particles in the study region to their sources by receptor modeling. In order to accomplish this objective, ambient fine particles (PM2.5) were collected at two sites, in December 1996--February 1997, during three daily sampling periods (0600--1200, 1200--1800, and 1800--0600 hr). Particle-phase and semi-volatile organic compounds were collected on Teflon-impregnated glass fiber (TIGF) filters followed by PUF/XAD/PUF cartridges. Extracts from these samples were analyzed for organic compounds previously identified as tracers for emission sources that are likely to contribute to ambient carbonaceous aerosol in the study area. These sources include motor vehicle emissions, residential wood combustion, and commercial meat cooking. Organic compounds used to distinguish different sources of fine carbonaceous particles include particulate and gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), methoxylated phenols, hopanes, steranes, and cholesterol. In addition, selected samples were analyzed for specific nitro-PAH (2-nitrofluoranthene and 2-nitropyrene) which served as indicators of atmospheric transformation processes. In this paper the authors discuss the ambient concentrations of these organic compounds found in the Northern Front Range area
- OSTI ID:
- 361958
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980632--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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