A comparison between thermal-optical transmittance elemental carbon measured by different protocols in PM2.5 samples.

Although controlled procedures for the determination of carbonaceous fractions are of importance for any air quality measurements, currently no reference method for elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) analysis is established yet in Europe. The implementation of the different thermal evolution protocols available in the literature, differing in temperature and duration of the heating ramps, affects the results and can result in a wide variation of EC and OC values. In this study three different protocols for thermal-optical-transmittance analysis of EC and OC were compared, namely He-870 (a variation of the NIOSH protocol), He-550 (a proxy of the IMPROVE protocol), and EUSAAR_2.

The contribution of waste water treatment plants to PBDEs in ambient air.

Air samples were collected at different sites in and around two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in central Italy to determine the concentrations, compositional profiles and contribution to ambient levels of eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The investigated WWTPs were selected as they treat industrial wastewater produced by local textile industries along with municipal wastewater. PBDE concentrations within the WWTPs were higher than those measured at reference sites located 4 and 5 km away with BDE-209 dominating the BDE congener composition in all air samples in 2008.

The use of levoglucosan for tracing biomass burning in PM₂.₅ samples in Tuscany (Italy).

Levoglucosan was present in all samples and its concentrations showed a pronounced annual cycle with maximum levels in the cold season. The annual percentage of ratios of levoglucosan to OC ranged from 0.04 to 9.

One year intensive PM2.5 bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons monitoring in the area of Tuscany, Italy. Concentrations, source understanding and implications.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated to PM(2.5) particles were monitored at three sites in the region of Tuscany, Italy, during the period March 2009-March 2010. PAH concentrations ranged between 0.