Atmospheric fate of nuclei-mode particles estimated from the number concentrations and chemical composition of particles measured at roadside and background sites

Number concentrations and size-resolved chemical compositions of atmospheric particles at a roadside site in Kawasaki City, Japan, and a background site 200 m away were measured in winter to estimate the atmospheric fate of nuclei-mode particles emitted from vehicles. Measurements with a scanning mobility particle sizer showed a sharp peak in nuclei-mode particles with a modal diameter of around 0.020 μm at the roadside site; in contrast, no peak for nuclei-mode particles was observed at the background site. For chemical analysis, size-resolved particles were sampled by low-pressure impactors. Carbon analysis suggested that diesel exhaust particles contributed to both the roadside and background Stage 1 (S1; 0.030–0.060 μm) particles. The ratios of organic carbon (OC) to total carbon (TC) increased for smaller particles, and were 28% and 51% for the roadside and the background S1 particles, respectively. It is likely that the OC/TC ratio for nuclei-mode particles was larger than for the S1 particles, and that OC was one of the major constituents of the nuclei-mode particles at the roadside site. From this result and the greater Kelvin effect for smaller particles, it is likely that nuclei-mode particles in the roadside atmosphere are more volatile than the S1 particles. Organic analysis of the size-resolved particles suggested that lubricating oil from vehicles affected the organic composition of both the roadside and background S1 particles, and that C33 n-alkane and more volatile organic compounds in the S1 particles partially evaporated in the atmosphere following the emission of the particles from diesel vehicles. It is likely that evaporation of the constituents (or possibly coagulation with pre-existing particles after shrinking by partial evaporation) of the nuclei-mode particles in the atmosphere was responsible for the absence of nuclei-mode particles in the background atmosphere.