Chemical Composition Characteristics and Source Apportionment of PM2.5 in Ceramic Industrial Base during Winter

The national architectural ceramic industrial center in east China is suffering from serious ambient fine particle pollution. The study reported herein describes an effort to ascertain the degree and sources of the PM2.5 collected in a ceramic industrial base during winter. The major chemical components in PM2.5 were analyzed, including carbonaceous aerosols, water-soluble ions, and inorganic elements. The chemical mass balance (CMB) model, backward trajectory method and potential source contribution function model, etc. were used to track and identify possible sources and contributions in the formation of the PM2.5. The results showed that the average PM2.5 concentration during sampling period was 134 +/- 74.7 mu g m(-3), which exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines levels. The dominant components in the PM2.5 at this sampling site were found to be secondary ions (sulfate and nitrate) and carbon fractions. Water-soluble ions and total carbon contributed about 48.7% and 13.9% of the PM2.5 mass, respectively. In addition, the SO42-/NO3- ratio in the ambient PM2.5 during the sampling period was 1.16, indicating that it was the result of primarily emissions from stationary sources. Furthermore, source apportionment using the CMB model indicated that a ceramic industry source was the main contributor to the PM2.5 mass, which accounted for about 27.9%, and this was followed by secondary formation dust sources, and gasoline/diesel vehicle exhaust emissions and motor vehicle non-exhaust emissions. Based on the backward trajectory analysis and potential source apportionment, it was found that PM2.5 regional transmission existed, but it originated primarily from local sources and surrounding areas. Hence, this study provided a scientific basis for identifying the sources of PM2.5 pollution during a typical pollution period and provided important input for PM2.5 control strategies in a typical industrial area.