TY - JOUR
T1 - Real-time molecular characterization of air pollutants in a Hong Kong residence
T2 - Implication of indoor source emissions and heterogeneous chemistry
AU - Lyu, Xiaopu
AU - Huo, Yunxi
AU - Yang, Jin
AU - Yao, Dawen
AU - Li, Kaimin
AU - Lu, Haoxian
AU - Zeren, Yangzong
AU - Guo, Hai
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the University Strategic Importance scheme (1-ZE1?M) and the Strategic Focus Area scheme of The Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (1-BBW9) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The advices on PTR operation and data quality control from Dr. Erik Uhde (Fraunhofer WKI) and Dr. Yingjun Liu (Peking University) are sincerely acknowledged. The authors thank Dr. Zhirong Liang, Mr. Zhe Qian and Mr. Simiao Wang for their help in the sampling campaign.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by the University Strategic Importance scheme (1‐ZE1 M) and the Strategic Focus Area scheme of The Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (1‐BBW9) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The advices on PTR operation and data quality control from Dr. Erik Uhde (Fraunhofer WKI) and Dr. Yingjun Liu (Peking University) are sincerely acknowledged. The authors thank Dr. Zhirong Liang, Mr. Zhe Qian and Mr. Simiao Wang for their help in the sampling campaign.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Due to the high health risks associated with indoor air pollutants and long-term exposure, indoor air quality has received increasing attention. In this study, we put emphasis on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence with designed activities mimicking ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected at molecular level, 87 of which were quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios were higher than 1 for most of the primary air pollutants, due to emissions of indoor activities and indoor backgrounds (especially for aldehydes). In contrast, many secondary air pollutants exhibited higher concentrations in outdoor air. Painting ranked first in aldehyde emissions, which also caused great enhancement of aromatics. Incense burning had the highest emissions of particle-phase organics, with vanillic acid and syringic acid as markers. The other noteworthy fingerprints enabled by online measurements included linoleic acid, cholesterol, and oleic acid for cooking, 2,5-dimethylfuran, stigmasterol, iso-/anteiso-alkanes, and fructose isomers for smoking, C28-C34 even n-alkanes for candle burning, and monoterpenes for the use of air freshener, cleaning agents, and camphor oil. We showed clear evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, giving a hint of indoor heterogeneous chemistry. This study highlights the value of organic molecules measured at high time resolutions in enhancing our knowledge on indoor air quality.
AB - Due to the high health risks associated with indoor air pollutants and long-term exposure, indoor air quality has received increasing attention. In this study, we put emphasis on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence with designed activities mimicking ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected at molecular level, 87 of which were quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios were higher than 1 for most of the primary air pollutants, due to emissions of indoor activities and indoor backgrounds (especially for aldehydes). In contrast, many secondary air pollutants exhibited higher concentrations in outdoor air. Painting ranked first in aldehyde emissions, which also caused great enhancement of aromatics. Incense burning had the highest emissions of particle-phase organics, with vanillic acid and syringic acid as markers. The other noteworthy fingerprints enabled by online measurements included linoleic acid, cholesterol, and oleic acid for cooking, 2,5-dimethylfuran, stigmasterol, iso-/anteiso-alkanes, and fructose isomers for smoking, C28-C34 even n-alkanes for candle burning, and monoterpenes for the use of air freshener, cleaning agents, and camphor oil. We showed clear evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, giving a hint of indoor heterogeneous chemistry. This study highlights the value of organic molecules measured at high time resolutions in enhancing our knowledge on indoor air quality.
KW - indoor air quality
KW - indoor chemistry
KW - organic aerosol
KW - particulate matters
KW - volatile organic compounds
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103192347&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ina.12826
DO - 10.1111/ina.12826
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85103192347
SN - 0905-6947
VL - 31
SP - 1340
EP - 1352
JO - Indoor Air
JF - Indoor Air
IS - 5
ER -
