1,365
Views
20
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Technical Paper

Effects of Open Burning of Rice Straw on Concentrations of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Central Taiwan

, , , , &
Pages 1318-1327 | Published online: 24 Jan 2012
 

Abstract

The sizes and concentrations of 21 atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured at Jhu-Shan (a rural site) and Sin-Gang (a town site) in central Taiwan in October and December 2005. Air samples were collected using semi-volatile sampling trains (PS-1 sampler) over 16 days for rice-straw burning and nonburning periods. These samples were then analyzed using a gas chromatograph with a flame-ionization detector (GC/FID). Particle-size distributions in the particulate phase show a bimode, peaking at 0.32–0.56 μm and 3.2–5.6 μm at the two sites during the nonburning period. During the burning period, peaks also appeared at 0.32–0.56 μm and 3.2–5.6 μm at Jhu-Shan, with the accumulation mode (particle size between 0.1 and 3.2 μm) accounting for approximately 74.1% of total particle mass. The peaks at 0.18–0.32 μm and 1.8–3.2 μm at Shin-Gang had an accumulation mode accounting for approximately 70.1% of total particle mass. The mass median diameter (MMD) of 3.99–4.35 μm in the particulate phase suggested that rice-straw burning generated increased numbers of coarse particles. The concentrations of total PAHs (sum of 21 gases + particles) at the Jhu-Shan site (Sin-Gang site) were 522.9 ± 111.4 ng/mł (572.0 ± 91.0 ng/mł) and 330.1 ± 17.0 ng/mł (or 427.5 ± 108.0 ng/mł) during burning and nonburning periods, respectively, accounting for a roughly 58% (or 34%) increase in the concentrations of total PAHs due to rice-straw burning. On average, low-weight PAHs (about 87.0%) represent the largest proportion of total PAHs, followed by medium-weight PAHs (7.1%), and high-weight PAHs (5.9%). Combustion-related PAHs during burning periods were 1.54–2.57 times higher than those during nonburning periods. The results of principal component analysis (PCA)/absolute principal component scores (APCS) suggest that the primary pollution sources at the two sites are similar and include vehicle exhaust, coal/wood combustion, incense burning, and incineration emissions. Open burning of rice straw was estimated to contribute approximately 5.0–33.5% to the total atmospheric PAHs at the two sites.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.