1. 11th ICCPA, Berkeley, CA, USA
Profiles of Biomass Burning Markers in Amazonian PM10 Aerosols from Porto Velho, Brazil
Magda Claeys, Reinhilde Vermeylen, Shabnam Behrouzi, Mohammad S. Shalamzari, Joel Brito,
Paulo Artaxo, Willy Maenhaut
11th ICCPA, Berkeley, CA, USA
10 – 13 August 2015

2. Objectives
Chemical characterization of biomass burning (BB) aerosol in a region of the Amazon that is heavily impacted by BB in the dry season

3. Methodology Aerosol samples
PM10 collected during the dry and wet season of 2012;
10 selected samples of each period
Measurements
organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)
thermal-optical method [Birch and Cary, 1996]
anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan), primary organic aerosol constituents, formed by pyrolysis of cellulose and hemicelluloses
gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with prior trimethylsilylation [Pashynska et al., 2002]
nitro-aromatic compounds, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) products, formed from m-cresol emitted during the fires
liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with negative ion electrospray ionization [LC/(-)ESI-MS] [Kahnt et al., 2013]

4. Sample workup for nitro-aromatic SOA compounds

5. LC/(–)ESI-MS analysis
Kahnt et al.,
Atmos. Environ., 2013

6. Results
Time series for the analytes in the dry and wet periods
Correlation of the concentrations of the targeted analytes with those of OC, EC, and a primary BB marker compound (levoglucosan) for the dry period
Summary data for concentrations of analytes in the dry and wet periods
Comparison of the tracer profiles for Amazonian BB aerosols with those obtained for other aerosols impacted by BB

7. Time series for selected analytes in the dry period
A correlation could be found between the concentrations of levoglucosan and those of 4NC, MNCs, and DMNCs

8. Time series for selected analytes in the wet period
A correlation could be found between the concentrations of levoglucosan and those of 4NC, MNCs, and DMNCs

9. Correlation analysis for data from the dry seasonOC EC L
4NC
MNC1
MNC2
MNC3
DMNC1+2
DMNC3
0.49
R > 0.70
0.34
0.73
R > 0.50
0.85
0.70
0.61
0.66
0.76
0.82
0.93
0.44
0.75
0.86
0.81
0.96
0.50
0.80
0.87
0.84
0.97
0.99
0.41
0.91
0.77
0.94
0.33
0.74
0.68
0.89
0.95
0.98

10. Results
Time series for the analytes in the dry and wet periods
Correlation of the concentrations of the targeted analytes with those of OC, EC, and a primary BB marker compound (levoglucosan) for the dry period
Summary data for concentrations of analytes in the dry and wet periods
Comparison of the tracer profiles for Amazonian BB aerosols with those obtained for other aerosols impacted by BB

11. Summary data for the dry period
Species
Dry period (N = 10)
Conc., ng/m3 (*μg/m3)
Mean % OC
mean
median
range
OC*
16.8
16.5
12.7 – 25.0
n/a
EC*
1.18
0.63 – 1.82
EC/TC
0.066
0.067
0.041 – 0.096
levoglucosan
1730
1500
770 – 3800
4.6
mannosan 64 56
30 – 110
0.167
galactosan
14.5
9.5
3.7 – 46
0.039
L/M
27.0
26.8
20.1 – 36
Σ anhydrosugars
1810
1570
26.8 – 192
4.8
4NP
0.26
0.27
0.09 – 0.43
0.001
4NC 78 74
18.3 – 143
0.208
Σ MNCs
122
110
23.1 – 232
0.33
Σ DMNCs
104 92
19.2 – 291
0.293
Σ NACs
300
276
61 – 670
0.83

12. Summary data for the dry period
wet period
Mean % OC
Species
Dry period (N = 10)
Conc., ng/m3 (*μg/m3)
Mean % OC
mean
median
OC*
16.8
16.5
n/a
EC*
1.18
EC/TC
0.066
0.067
levoglucosan
1730
1500
4.6
mannosan 64 56
0.167
galactosan
14.5
9.5
0.039
L/M
27.0
26.8
Σ anhydrosugars
1810
1570
4.8
4NP
0.26
0.27
0.001
4NC 78 74
0.208
Σ MNCs
122
110
0.33
Σ DMNCs
104 92
0.293
Σ NACs
300
276
0.83
0.75
0.043

13. Comparison with a European site (Ljubljana, Slovenia) impacted by biomass burning during winter
Species
Porto Velho dry period
(N = 10)
Ljubljana 2011 winter
(N = 15)
ng/m3 (*μg/m3) mean %OC
ng/m3 (*μg/m3) mean %OC
mean
OC*
16.8
19.4
EC*
1.18
1.91
EC/TC
0.066
0.103
levoglucosan
1730
4.6
1820
4.2
mannosan 64
0.167
145
0.33
L/M 27
12.2
4NP
0.26
0.001
1.77
0.005
4NC 78
0.208 76
0.183
Σ MNCs
122 70
0.184

14. Conclusions
The anhydrosugars (levoglucosan + isomers) and the nitro-aromatic markers constitute a significant fraction of the OC in Amazonian dry season PM10, namely, 4.8% and 0.83%y
The correlation analysis revealed several high inter-correlations
The Amazonian dry season PM10 compared quite favorably with Slovenian winter PM10 with respect to the concentrations of OC, nitro- aromatic compounds, and levoglucosan

15. Thank you
Financial
support