TITLE:
Source Apportionment of PM2.5 in the Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica Using Receptor Models
AUTHORS:
Jorge Herrera Murillo, Susana Rodríguez Roman, José Félix Rojas Marín, Beatriz Cardenas
KEYWORDS:
PM2.5; Chemical Composition; Costa Rica; Source Apportionment; Receptor Models
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.3 No.4,
October
15,
2013
ABSTRACT:
In this work, receptor models were used to
identify the PM2.5 sources and its contribution to the air quality
in residential, comercial and industrial sampling sites in the Metropolitan
Area of Costa Rica. Principal component analysis with absolute principal
component scores (PCA-APCS), UNIMX and positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to analyze the data
collected during 1 year of sampling
campaign (2010-2011). The PM2.5 samples were characterized through
its composition looking for trace elements, inorganic ions and organic and
elemental carbon. These three models
identified some common sources of PM2.5: marine aerosol, crustal
material, traffic, secondary aerosols (secondary sulfate and secondary nitrate
resolved by PMF), a mixed source of heavy fuels combustion and biomass burning,
and industrial emissions. The three models predicted that the major sources of PM2.5 in the Metropolitan Area of
Costa Rica were related to anthropogenic sources (73%, 65% and 69%,
respectively, for PCA-APCS, Unmix and PMF) although natural sources also
contributed to PM2.5 (21%, 24% and 26%). On average, PCA and PMF
methods resolved 94% and 95% of the PM2.5 mass concentrations,
respectively. The results were comparable to the estimate using UNMIX.