Source apportionment of organic compounds in Berlin using positive matrix factorization — Assessing the impact of biogenic aerosol and biomass burning on urban particulate matter Original Research Article

Source apportionment of 13 organic compounds, elemental carbon and organic carbon of ambient PM10 and PM1 was performed with positive matrix factorization (PMF). Samples were collected at three sites characterized by different vegetation influences in Berlin, Germany in 2010. The aim was to determine organic, mainly biogenic sources and their impact on urban aerosol collected in a densely populated region. A 6-factor solution provided the best data fit for both PM-fractions, allowing the sources isoprene- and α-pinene-derived secondary organic aerosol (SOA), bio primary, primarily attributable to fungal spores, bio/urban primary including plant fragments in PM10 and cooking and traffic emissions in PM1, biomass burning and combustion fossil to be identified. With mean concentrations up to 2.6 μgC m− 3, biomass burning dominated the organic fraction in cooler months. Concentrations for α-pinene-derived SOA exceeded isoprene-derived concentrations. Estimated secondary organic carbon contributions to total organic carbon (OC) were between 7% and 42% in PM10 and between 11% and 60% in PM1, which is slightly lower than observed for US- or Asian cities. Primary biogenic emissions reached up to 33% of OC in the PM10-fraction in the late summer and autumn months. Temperature-dependence was found for both SOA-factors, correlations with ozone and mix depth only for the α-pinene-derived SOA-factor. Latter indicated input of α-pinene from the borders, highlighting differences in the origin of the precursors of both factors. Most factors were regionally distributed. High regional distribution was found to be associated with stronger influence of ambient parameters and higher concentrations at the background station. A significant contribution of biogenic emissions and biomass burning to urban organic aerosol could be stated. This indicates a considerable impact on PM concentrations also in cities in a densely populated area, and should draw the attention concerning health aspects not only to cardio-vascular diseases but also to allergy issues.