A high-resolution emission inventory of anthropogenic trace elements in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region of China

Characteristics and Sources of Hourly Trace Elements in Airborne Fine Particles in Urban Beijing, China

“…Because certain TEs are tracers for specific pollution sources, the decrease in their concentrations suggests that the emissions from those sources declined as a result of the execution of the air pollution control measures. For example, Cr and Mn mainly originate from industrial activities (Liu et al, ; Tian et al, ; Zhu et al, ); Cu and Zn are normally from vehicle emissions in the urban environment (Lin et al, ; Wang, Qiao, Zhang, et al, ); and As and Se in PM 2.5 are closely associated with coal combustion (Liu et al, ; Tian et al, ; Zhu et al, ). The decline in the As, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations is consistent with the gradual improvement in air quality in Beijing for the past five years, suggesting that the APPCAP put in place since 2013 was effective.…”

“…The concentration differences of K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Pb during HP days and MP days were statistically significant ( p < 0.05) based on the Mann‐Whitney U test, while the differences of Ni, As, Se, and Zn during these two periods were not statistically significant. It is known that the local emissions of industrial activities, coal combustion, and biomass burning are lower in urban Beijing than in the areas outside Beijing in the BTH (Gao et al, ; Liu et al, ; Zhu et al, ); this is because a series of the strictest air pollution control measures were taken in the Beijing Municipality, including phasing out and/or relocation of highly polluting industries, reduction in coal consumption, and usage of clean energy. Consequently, during the highest polluted days, there was some decline in the concentrations of K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Pb, which are closely associated with industrial emission and coal combustion.…”

“…Factor 2, characterized by high loadings of Cr and Mn and moderate loadings of Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ba, was identified as industrial activities. Cr mainly originates from fuel combustion and metallurgical industry such as chrome plating and steel production (Liu et al, ; Zhu et al, ), and Mn is mainly released by ferrous metal smelting (Duan & Tan, ; Tian et al, ; Zhu et al, ). This source contributed 10.7% of the total TE mass, and it contributed 20%, 19.8%, 15.2%, 12%, and 17.8% of the total Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ba mass concentrations, respectively.…”

Spatiotemporal Variations of Ambient Concentrations of Trace Elements in a Highly Polluted Region of China

“…For TS, arsenic, nickel, manganese, and lead concentrations are to some extent higher than those established in the limits and guidelines. The emissions from coal consumption constitute the largest portion of the total arsenic and lead emissions, while nickel and manganese emissions are mainly derived from fuel oil consumption and ferrous metal smelting, respectively (Tian et al, ; Zhu et al, ). Thus, it will be the most effective method to shut down or replace small‐scale coal‐fired boilers with large‐scale central heating coal‐fired boilers that are equipped with advanced emission control.…”

“…Coal combustion by industrial boilers and ferrous metal smelting are the major sources of emissions in this city. Thus, it is necessary to increase the application rate of advanced air pollutant control device configurations (e.g., ESP/FFs, WFGD, SCR, and WESP) in newly built or retrofitted coal‐fired boilers and to lower or stop the use of coal with high TE contents to further reduce the final TE emission levels (Tan & Duan, ; Zhu et al, ). Finally, the Chinese government should revise and implement more rigorous regional ambient air quality standards and industry emission standards to promote industrial transformation as well as upgrade in the entire BTH region.…”