Chemical Composition of Respirable PM2.5 and Inhalable PM10 in Iksan City during Fall, 2004

Intensive measurements of airborne respirable $PM_{2.5}$ and inhalable $PM_{2.5}$ were conducted in the downtown area of Iksan city. The $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ samples were collected twice a day in the Iksan city of Korea from October 17 to November 1, 2004. The purpose of the study was to determine the inorganic water-soluble components and trace elements of $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ in the atmospheric environment and estimate the contribution rate of major chemical components from a mass balance of all measured particulate species. The chemical analysis for PM samples was conducted for water-soluble inorganic ions using ion chromatography and trace elements using PIXE analysis. The mean concentrations of respirable $PM_{2.5}$ and inhalable $PM_{2.5}$ were $51.4{\pm}29.7$ and $79.5{\pm}39.6\;{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively, and the ratio was 0.62. The ion species of $NO_3$, $SO_4^2$, and $NH_4^+$ were abundant in both $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{2.5}$. These components predominated in respirable $PM_{2.5}$ fraction, while $Na^+$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$ mostly existed in coarse particle mode. Elemental components of S, Cl, K, and Si were abundant in both $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{2.5}$. These elements, except for Si, were considered to be emitted from anthropogenic sources, while Si, Al, Fe, Ca existed mainly in coarse particle mode and were considered to be emitted from crustal materials. The averaged mass balance analysis showed that ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, crustal component, and other trace elements were composed of 18.4%, 13.2%, 4.8%, 3.5% for PM2.5 and 17.0%, 11.6%, 13.7%, 4.4% for $PM_{2.5}$, respectively.

익산지역 가을철 대기 중 호흡성 및 흡입성 먼지입자의 화학조성