[Character of volatile carbonyl compounds and their source in Guangzhou ambient air].

Characterizations and their primary sources of 17 carbonyls compounds in the serious air polluted summer-days of 2006 were studied by DNPH-HPLC-UV measurement methods. Results were shown as follows, acetone was found to be the most predominant carbonyls followed by formaldehyde, 2-butone and acetaldehyde, with the 24 h average concentrations of 10.84, 9.29, 8.35, 8.0 microg x m(-3) respectively, which accounted for 72.29% of total carbonyl compounds in the atmosphere. Among the four sites, the highest level of total carbonyl compounds was 59.66 microg x m(-3) at the urban site of Guangdong Provincial Centre of Environmental Monitor, the lowest was 43.51 microg x m(-3) at the rural site of Conghua. Different variation characterizations of each carbonyl compounds at there different height sites were found, and the diurnal variation was shown that the total concentration of carbonyl compounds in daytime was much higher than that of nighttime. Good correlations between formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetone indicated that they mainly derived from the same sources, and the value that C1/C2 and C2/C3 ratios were 1.12 and 7.51 respectively implied that the important pollution sources of carbonyl compounds was vehicular exhaust in Guangzhou.

[Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in atmosphere of the Pearl River Delta, China].

The concentration of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and its spatio-temporal distribution were researched in atmosphere of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) by sampling with air sampling canisters and analyzing with pre-concentrator and gas chromatograph-mass spectrum instrument. The results showed that 1) MTBE could be prevalently checked in atmosphere of traffic area, industrial area, residential area and commercial area of the PRD, and its range of hourly average concentration in the long-term observation was from 0 - 1.250 microg m(-3), the summer had more serious pollution than the spring, and urban was the central area of high MTBE concentration, and suburban in the downwind was obviously polluted by the urban air. 2) During the enhanced observation in summertime, the diurnal average concentration of Guangzhou urban site was (1.520 +/- 0.370) microg m(-3), which was about 7 times of Huadou site in the downwind of Guangzhou and over 100 times of Conghua site in the background of Guangzhou. In urban, 2 peak values appeared in the period of 10:00 - 12:00 and 16:00 - 18:00 respectively, and the nighttime had the lowest average concentration, but the suburban in the downwind had the peak value in the nighttime. 3) During the enhanced observation in wintertime, the diurnal average concentration of Guangzhou urban site was (0.950 +/- 0.240) microg m(-3), which was 3.6 times of Xinken site in the downwind of Guangzhou. Several peak values appeared on the diurnal variation, the high concentration period of urban was in 18:00 - 22:00, and that of suburban was in 04:00 - 10:00 of the next day. 4) When it was weak sunshine, the concentration of MTBE beside the urban traffic roadside was decreasing with the height increasing, but when it was strong sunshine, it was increasing with the height increasing. So, except the original emission from the automobiles, MTBE still had the secondary pollution sources formed by air photochemical reaction.