Source apportionment of PM2.5 using PMF combined online bulk and single-particle measurements: Contribution of fireworks and biomass burning.

• PMF source analysis was performed by using combined bulk and single-particle data. • Fresh/aged fireworks were identified from biomass burning during Spring Festival. • Fresh fireworks and biomass burning dominate the mass of particles on the LNY 's Eve. • Fresh fireworks contribute more to nitrate while the aged one contributes more to sulfate. Fireworks (FW) could significantly worsen air quality in short term during celebrations. Due to similar tracers with biomass burning (BB), the fast and precise qualification of FW and BB is still challenging. In this study, online bulk and single-particle measurements were combined to investigate the contributions of FW and BB to the overall mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and specific chemical species by positive matrix factorization (PMF) during the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong in February 2013. With combined information, fresh/aged FW (abundant 140K 2 NO 3 + and 213K 3 SO 4 + formed from 113K 2 Cl+ discharged by fresh FW) can be extracted from the fresh/aged BB sources, in addition to the Second Aerosol, Vehicles + Road Dust, and Sea Salt factors. The contributions of FW and BB were investigated during three high particle matter episodes influenced by the pollution transported from the Pearl River Delta region. The fresh BB/FW contributed 39.2% and 19.6% to PM 2.5 during the Lunar Chinese New Year case. However, the contributions of aged FW/BB enhanced in the last two episodes due to the aging process, evidenced by high contributions from secondary aerosols. Generally, the fresh BB/FW showed more significant contributions to nitrate (35.1% and 15.0%, respectively) compared with sulfate (25.1% and 5.9%, respectively) and OC (14.8% and 11.1%, respectively) on average. In comparison, the aged FW contributed more to sulfate (13.4%). Overall, combining online bulk and single-particle measurement data can combine both instruments' advantages and provide a new perspective for applying source apportionment of aerosols using PMF. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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