Carbonaceous components in atmospheric aerosol: measurement procedures and characterization

Carbonaceous material in the particulate matter was measured in Rome urban area. The carbonaceous material constitutes a significant component of total aerosol mass (30-40%) and it is composed by two main fractions, elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC). EC is essentially a primary pollutant emitted directly from incomplete combustion processes whereas OC has both primary and secondary origin. A chemical OC investigation has been carried out in order to determine the nalkanes, the n-alkanoic acids, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs by means an HRGC-MS procedure. A different seasonal distribution of these compound classes attributed to photochemical radical activity (n-alkanes and PAH decrease in spring- and summertime) and to biogenic plant emission (n-alkanoic acid increase in summertime) has been evidenced.