Chemical Characteristics of Fine Particles Emitted from Different Chinese Cooking Styles

Cooking process was regarded as one of the most significant contributor to fine particles (PM_(2.5)) in ambient atmosphere and its chemical characteristics would be great different among various cooking styles. In this study, PM_(2.5) emitted from four different Chinese cooking styles, including Home cooking, Shandong cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and Barbecue, were collected using a dilution sampling system. Then, PM_(2.5) mass concentrations were weighted, and its chemical composition were analyzed. It was found that Barbecue emitted PM_(2.5) concentrations with the highest level, followed by Home cooking, Shandong cuisine and Hunan cuisine. PM_(2.5) emission amounts and emission factors were also estimated according to the measured data. Home cooking notably had the highest levels. The difference between Barbecue and other cuisines of PM_(2.5) chemical profiles were the largest by using the coefficient of divergence (CD) method. The predominant chemical composition was organic carbon (OC) in PM_(2.5). The main water-soluble ions were Na^+, SO_4^(2-), NO_3^-, Cl^-, and Ca^(2+), and Fe, S, and Ca had made up a big proportion of element. Little difference had been found between the mass fractions of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from different cooking cuisines. However, Barbecue displayed the highest mass fractions of organic acids in cooking fume.