title: The use of levoglucosan for tracing biomass burning in PM₂.₅ samples in Tuscany (Italy).
abstract: Levoglucosan was present in all samples and its concentrations showed a pronounced annual cycle with maximum levels in the cold season. The annual percentage of ratios of levoglucosan to OC ranged from 0.04 to 9.75% evidencing a major contribution of biomass burning to the aerosol OC during the winter. In the urban-background site, OC was strongly correlated with EC in winter, suggesting that the major fraction of OC was generated as primary particles along with EC. A background levoglucosan component showed that biomass burning was continuously taking place in all the investigated sites. The biomass burning contribution to the Tuscany aerosol was made up of a background component and an additional component during winter probably due to wood burning for domestic heating.
authors.affiliation: University of Florence, Department of Chemistry Ugo Schiff, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giannoni
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martellini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Bubba
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gambaro
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zangrando
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiari
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lepri
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cincinelli
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018533:Biomass; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005947:Glucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D017745:Incineration; D007558:Italy; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; C014989:1,6-anhydro-beta-glucopyranose; D005947:Glucose