Carbonaceous aerosol and its characteristics observed in Tokyo and south Kanto region

Abstract Due to enforcing vehicle emission reduction requirements in Japan, particulate matter (PM) concentration, especially elemental carbon (EC) concentration in roadside atmosphere, obviously decreased in the last decade. In spite of the previous vehicle emission reduction, EC concentration was not shown a clear decrease, recently. To achieve the PM2.5 environmental standard, measurements based on emission source contribution are desirable. However, source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosol was ambiguous because chemical components are complicated, and the components change through photochemical reaction. The goal of this study is to determine source apportionment for carbonaceous aerosols. Examination of PM2.5 was performed in south Kanto including Tokyo in the summer of 2008 and the winter of 2009. Emissions from the industrial area around Tokyo Bay and the agricultural northern area showed transportation and accumulation due to the seasonal prevailing wind. The emissions formed a geographical distribution due to photochemical reactions. The characteristics of carbonaceous aerosol were obtained using carbon profile analysis and carbon isotope analysis, including the source information such as fossil fuel emission origin, vegetation origin, and combustion product, photochemical reaction product, etc. Soot-EC was found as a substance with fossil fuel origin which did not contain biomass combustion matter, and since it is stable, there was no observed difference by site and a uniform concentration was observed in winter. It became apparent from the carbon isotope analysis using 14 C that the carbon from the biomass origin involved 29% in total carbon in the summer, and 48% in winter even at Kudan of central Tokyo.