Biomass burning is known to have detrimental effects on air quality and climate. The radiative balance of the Earth is significantly impacted by biomass burning aerosols that can directly and indirectly affect climate through scattering and absorbing radiation and acting as cloud condensation nuclei, respectively. The total concentration of biomass burning aerosols on a global scale is unknown and highly variable, but thought to be a significant contributor to cardiopulmonary illnesses. Levoglucosan is a stable biomass burning tracer that can be accurately measured in aerosol particles and serves as an indicator that the collected air mass has been influenced by biomass burning. Here, we report on the quantitative analysis of levoglucosan in PM2.5 atmospheric aerosols collected in a high-volume aerosol sampler on the Hendrix College campus in Central Arkansas. Samples were collected on quartz-fiber filters over seven-day periods followed by extraction, derivitization and analysis by GC-FID. Filters were extracted into methanol, dried using a N2 evaporator, and reconstituted/derivatized with pyridine and BSTFA with 1% TMCS. Results suggest that seasonal biomass burning affects air quality in Arkansas, particularly during the fall when residents burn yard waste.

Quantification of levoglucosan in PM2.5 atmospheric aerosols using GC/MS: Seasonality of a biomass burning tracer in Central Arkansas

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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