• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2013

Measurement of the phosphorus concentration in aerosols in Beijing, which was a representative East Asian mega-city, was carried out. The optimum procedure for analyzing phosphorus in aerosols was found in this study. Recovery of phosphorus in environmental samples through the improved method was almost 100%. The concentration of phosphorus in TSP was $145{\pm}47\;ng/m^3$, with a seasonal variation showing high concentrations in winter and low concentrations in summer. The concentrations of phosphorus in $PM_{2.5}$ accounted for $35{\pm}6%$ of those in TSP, with no seasonal variations. The major source of phosphorus in aerosols in Beijing was soil dust, and additional sources of phosphorus in fine particles could be coal combustion and biomass burning.