Loss of particle nitrate from Teflon sampling filters: Effects on measured gravimetric mass. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:678948

Ashbaugh, L L; Eldred, R A

The report describes analysis of three data sets to evaluate the extent of mass loss on Teflon filters due to ammonium nitrate volatilization. The effect on measured mass is site-dependent, and depends on the meteorological conditions and the fraction of PM-10 mass that consists of ammonium nitrate particles. The highest mass loss found in the California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program network occurred during summer daytime in southern California, amounting to 30-50% of the gravimetric mass. The biased mass measurement implies that the Federal Reference Method sampler for fine particles may lead to control strategies that are biased toward sources of fugitive dust and other primary particle emission sources. This analysis also has implications for the speciation monitoring methods being considered by the EPA. Samples must be collected on nylon filters for nitrate analysis, and on Teflon and quartz filters for analysis of mass, elements, and carbon.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Crocker Nuclear Lab., Davis, CA (United States); Aerosol Dynamics, Inc., Berkeley, CA (United States); California State Air Resources Board, Research Div., Sacramento, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: California State Air Resources Board, Sacramento, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 678948
• Report Number(s): PB--99-160095/XAB; CNN: Contract CARB-96-305
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
AIR SAMPLERS
AMMONIUM NITRATES
DATA COVARIANCES
FILTERS
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICULATES