https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1003-571X
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ABSTRACT
To investigate the effect of atmospheric particulates on the chemistry and acidity of rainwater during the washout process in areas with highly acidic rainfall, rainwater and particulates (before, during and after rain) were sampled and analyzed from June 2008 to June 2009 in the Yangtze River Delta region, China. The volume-weighted mean pH of the rainwater was only 4.44 in Hangzhou, and the average concentrations of TSP (total-suspended particulates) and PM10 (particulates with aerodynamic equivalent diameters of less than 10 μm) during the study period were 191 μg/m3 and 155 μg/m3, respectively. The measured acid buffering capacities of PM10 and TSP were 1.31 ± 0.45 and 1.61 ± 0.84 ml/mg, on average, respectively, indicating that both had a certain acid buffering capacity. Rain appeared to have a pronounced scouring effect on particulates, except for F− and Cl− in PM10. Upon combining the correlation analysis between ions in particulates and rainwater with Enrichment Factor and Principal Component Analysis of the rainwater chemistry, the results suggested that the components of rainwater were mainly derived from washout processes acting on particulates from crustal dust and building industry sources (Ca2+), marine sources (Na+, K+ (in spring), Mg2+ and Cl−) and anthropogenic sources, especially secondary aerosols emitted from agricultural land, motor vehicles and industrial plants (NO3−, SO42-, and NH4+). The F− in rainwater was mainly contributed by gaseous pollutants, such as HF from cooling systems, coal burning and surrounding factories.
Implications: The interaction between particulates and rain in areas with highly acidic rainfall include the following: rain appears to have a pronounced scouring effect on most components in the particulates; the components of the rainwater are mainly derived from washout processes acting on PM contributed by crustal dust, sea salt and secondary aerosol subcloud; and the acid buffering capacities of PM10 and TSP in Hangzhou are 1.31 ± 0.45 and 1.61 ± 0.84 ml/mg, respectively, and had a certain acid buffering capacity toward rainwater.
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Yan Han
Yan Han and Hong Xu are Ph.D students of Nankai University, College of Environmental Science and Technology; The State Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Particulate Air Pollution and Prevention in Tianjin, China.
Hong Xu
Yan Han and Hong Xu are Ph.D students of Nankai University, College of Environmental Science and Technology; The State Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Particulate Air Pollution and Prevention in Tianjin, China.
Xiaohui Bi
Xiaohui Bi, Yufen Zhang, and Yinchang Feng are research professors of Nankai University, College of Environmental Science and Technology; The State Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Particulate Air Pollution and Prevention, in Tianjin, China.
Fengmei Lin
Fengmei Lin and Li Jiao are employees of The Environmental Monitoring Center of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, China.
Li Jiao
Fengmei Lin and Li Jiao are employees of The Environmental Monitoring Center of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, China.
Yufen Zhang
Xiaohui Bi, Yufen Zhang, and Yinchang Feng are research professors of Nankai University, College of Environmental Science and Technology; The State Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Particulate Air Pollution and Prevention, in Tianjin, China.
Yinchang Feng
Xiaohui Bi, Yufen Zhang, and Yinchang Feng are research professors of Nankai University, College of Environmental Science and Technology; The State Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Particulate Air Pollution and Prevention, in Tianjin, China.
