Source apportionment of PM2.5 in North India using source-oriented air quality models.
Hao Guo1, Sri Harsha Kota2, Shovan Kumar Sahu2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|August 23, 2017
Summary
Pollution in India, especially Delhi, is severe. Industry and residential activities are the main sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), contributing significantly to air quality issues.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Air Quality Modeling
Background:
- Severe pollution events are frequent in India, particularly New Delhi.
- Limited studies exist on pollutant source attribution for effective control strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify contributions of eight source types to PM2.5 and its components in Delhi and surrounding cities.
- To differentiate contributions to primary PM (PPM) and secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA).
Main Methods:
- Source-oriented Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model.
- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR).
- Analysis for Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Jaipur in 2015.
Main Results:
- Industry and residential activities dominate PPM mass (>60%).
- Energy and industry significantly contribute to PPM in South Delhi (max 200 μg/m³).
- SIA concentrations are heterogeneous; energy, industry, and residential sectors are major contributors.
Conclusions:
- Residential sector contributes most to total PM2.5 in North India (~80 μg/m³), followed by industry (~70 μg/m³).
- Agriculture is more important for SIA than PPM.
- Industry and residential activities account for 80% of total PM2.5 in Delhi.
