THE CORRELATION BETWEEN IN-SITU, REAL-TIME AEROSOL PHOTOEMISSION INTENSITY AND PARTICULATE POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATION IN COMBUSTION AEROSOLS

Aerosol photoemission (APE) has been found to be an excellent surrogate measure of particulate PAH concentration in combustion aerosols under a variety of laboratory and field conditions. Samples of oil stove, automobile exhaust, and urban air particulate matter were concurrently analyzed for aerosol photoemission intensity and particulate PAH concentration. In-situ, real-time analysis of the particulate matter was performed by UV-induced electron photoemission. Two photon energies, 4.9 and 6.7 eV, were chosen for irradiation. The latter energy was more sensitive and less selective. Particulate PAH concentrations were determined by collecting the particulate matter on a filter, solvent extracting the filter, and analyses of the extracts by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Linear correlations (0.84 less-than-or-equal-to r2 less-than-or-equal-to 1.00) were observed between aerosol photoemission intensities and the sum of particulate PAH concentrations for laboratory and field studies under a wide variety of conditions. The studies performed to date cover a dynamic range of three orders of magnitude (1 to 1000 ng/m3). The time resolution is in the order of a few seconds.