title: Characterization of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an urban atmosphere of central-southern Spain.
abstract: Over 1-year period, 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with particulate matter PM10 have been monitored for the first time in the atmosphere of Ciudad Real, situated at the central-southern Spain. PM10-bound PAHs were collected using a high-volume sampler from autumn 2012 to summer 2013 and were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detector. The most abundant PAHs were pyrene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene and benzo[g,h,i]perylene. The ∑PAH concentrations in Ciudad Real were 888, 368, 259 and 382 pg m(-3) for winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons, respectively. The diurnal variation of PAH was also investigated presenting the highest concentrations during the evening (19:00-23:00). Benzo[a]pyrene concentrations ranged from 2.4 to 110 pg m(-3), these values are lower than the target value proposed by the European legislation, 1 ng m(-3). Diagnostic ratios were used to identify potential sources of PAHs. Results suggest that vehicle emissions are the major source of identified PAHs, with a higher contribution of diesel engines although other anthropogenic sources could also have an impact on the PAH levels.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Contaminación Atmosférica, Instituto de Investigación en Combustión y Contaminación Atmosférica, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de Moledores s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain. florentina.vgarcia@uclm.es.|Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla La Mancha, Paseo de la Innovación 1, 02006, Albacete, Spain. florentina.vgarcia@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Florentina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Villanueva
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Contaminación Atmosférica, Instituto de Investigación en Combustión y Contaminación Atmosférica, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de Moledores s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain. Araceli.tapia@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Araceli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Contaminación Atmosférica, Instituto de Investigación en Combustión y Contaminación Atmosférica, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de Moledores s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain. Beatriz.cabanas@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cabañas
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Contaminación Atmosférica, Instituto de Investigación en Combustión y Contaminación Atmosférica, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Camino de Moledores s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain. Ernestom.ataz@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologías Químicas, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Avenida Camilo José Cela s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain. Jose.Albaladejo@uclm.es.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albaladejo
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
keywords: Benzo[a]pyrene; Ciudad Real; HPLC; High-volume sampler; PAH; PM10