• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.19-27
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• 2007

Hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are mainly originated from imperfect combustion of fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal. The consumptions of not only petroleum but also coal have been increasing in the East Asian countries. This review describes the result of international collaboration research concerning characteristics and major contributors of atmospheric PAHs and NPAHs in cities in Japan, Korea, China and Russia. We collected airborne particulates in ten cities in the above countries and six PAHs and eleven NPAHs were determined by HPLC methods using fluorescence and chemiluminescence detections. The total PAH concentrations were much higher in Chinese cities (Fushun, Tieling, Shenyang and Beijing) than those in other cities (Vladivostok, Busan, Kanazawa, Kitakyushu, Sapporo and Tokyo). The total NPAH concentrations were also higher in Chinese cities than those in the other cities. The [NPAH]/[corresponding PAH] ratios are much larger in diesel-engine exhaust particulates than those in coal-burning particulates. The [1-nitropyrene]/[pyrene] ratio of airborne particulates was much smaller in the four Chinese cities, suggesting that coal combustion systems such as coal heaters were the main contributors. On the other hand, the ratios were larger in Korean and Japanese cities, suggesting the large contribution of diesel-engine vehicles.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.90-98
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• 2016

Total suspended particulates (TSP) in the atmosphere were collected for 2 weeks during winter in Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan, a typical iron-manufacturing city. The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) in TSP were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using fluorescence and chemiluminescence detectors, respectively. No relationship was observed between the atmospheric PAH and NPAH concentration, or the atmospheric PAH and TSP concentration. However, there was a tendency that the atmospheric PAH concentration was higher when the wind blew from the coke-oven plant. Furthermore, the concentration ratios of 1-nitropyrene to pyrene, which is a suitable indicator of the contribution made by automobiles and coal combustion systems to urban air particulates, were smaller in Muroran and the values were close to those observed in particulates from coal combustion systems. Therefore, these results show that the PAH and NPAH compositions for Muroran are characteristic of an iron-manufacturing city.