Particulate matter from fuel exhaust can contain potentially toxic and hazardous organic compounds. Airborne particulate matter was collected over a ten day period for both diesel and biodiesel fuels at two occupational workspace locations within the Keene Recycling Center (Keene, NH). Airborne particulate matter produced from biodiesel and petroleum diesel engine exhaust was chemically characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Organic compounds were extracted from quartz filter field samples using sonication, and concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fatty acid methyl esters, hopanes, and steranes were determined using optimized separation methods. Filters were analyzed for the presence of 61 different standard compounds using class specific internal standards and selected ion monitoring detection, which resulted in low part per billion limits of detection. Extraction recovery efficiencies for standards spiked on filters were 106.3 ± 4.4% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 97.6 ± 5.7% for fatty acid methyl esters, and 97.9 ± 8.1% for hopanes and steranes. Results will be presented that compare changes in chemical concentrations for the two fuels at the two locations. As expected for biodiesel samples fatty acid methyl esters showed the greatest mass as compared to other compounds classes, and the most abundant fatty acid methyl ester detected for biodiesel samples was methyl laurate. The variability in organic chemical composition of particulate matter as a function of size will also be investigated, as the Sioutas impactor used for filter collection separates content into discrete size ranges. The analysis of locally collected samples using analytical instrumentation will provide new data on the chemical composition of particulate matter produced from two different fuel types.

Analysis of organic compounds isolated from particulate matter produced by biodiesel and diesel fuel

249th National Meeting (2015)

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