Source Apportionment of PM_2.5 in Florence (Italy) by PMF Analysis of Aerosol Composition Records

• Main Authors: Silvia Nava, Giulia Calzolai, Massimo Chiari, Martina Giannoni, Fabio Giardi, Silvia Becagli, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi, Franco Lucarelli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Atmosphere
• Subjects: urban aerosols; PM_2.5; source apportionment; PMF; hourly samples; daily samples
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/5/484

An extensive field campaign was carried out in Florence (Tuscany) to investigate the PM_2.5 composition and to identify its sources. The scientific objective of this study is providing a reliable source apportionment, which is mandatory for the application of effective mitigation actions. Particulate matter (PM) was collected for one year, simultaneously in a traffic site, in an urban background, and in a regional background site. While the use of two filter types (quartz and Teflon) allowed obtaining a comprehensive chemical characterization (elemental and organic carbon, ions, elements) by the application of different analytical techniques, the location of the three sampling sites allowed getting a better separation among local, urban, regional and transboundary sources. During shorter periods, the aerosol was also collected by means of a streaker sampler and PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) analysis of these samples allowed the assessment of hourly resolution elemental time trends. Positive matrix factorisation (PMF) identified seven main sources: traffic, biomass burning, secondary sulphate, secondary nitrates, urban dust, Saharan dust and marine aerosol. Traffic mass concentration contributions were found to be strong only at the traffic site (~8 μg·m⁻³, 33% of PM_2.5). Biomass burning turned out to be an important PM_2.5 source in Florence (~4 μg·m⁻³), with very similar weights in both city sites while at the regional background site its weight was negligible. Secondary sulphate is an important PM_2.5 source on a regional scale, with comparable values in all three sites (~3.5 μg·m⁻³). On average, the contribution of the “natural” components (e.g., mineral dust and marine aerosols) to PM_2.5 is moderate (~1 μg·m⁻³) except during Saharan dust intrusions where this contribution is higher (detected simultaneously in all three sites). High-time resolution data confirmed and reinforced these results.