Composition and source apportionment of saccharides in aerosol particles from an agro-industrial zone in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

The characterization of saccharidic compounds in atmospheric aerosols is important in order to retrieve information about organic carbon sources and their transport pathways through the atmosphere. In this study, composition and sources of saccharides in PM10 were determined in a South Asian megacity (Faisalabad) during the year 2015 – 2016. PM10 sampled on quartz filters was analyzed by anion exchange chromatography for the selected saccharidic compounds. The average PM10 concentration was found to be 744 ± 392 μg m−3, exceeding the daily limits proposed by Pak-EPA (150 μg m−3), US-EPA (150 μg m−3), and WHO (50 μg m−3). The average total saccharidic concentration was found to be 2820 ± 2247 ng m−3. Among the different saccharidic categories, anhydrosugars were the most abundant in concentration followed by primary sugars and sugar alcohols. The correlation and principal component analysis indicated emissions from biomass combustion, soil suspensions from areas such as farmlands having high microorganism activity, and biogenic emissions such as airborne fungal spores and vegetation detritus as major sources of saccharides in the aerosol samples.