Saccharides as Particulate Matter Tracers of Biomass Burning: A Review

Abstract

The adverse effects of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) on health and ecosystems, as well as on meteorology and climate change, are well known to the scientific community. It is therefore undeniable that a good understanding of the sources of PM is crucial for effective control of emissions and to protect public health. One of the major contributions to atmospheric PM is biomass burning, a practice used both in agriculture and home heating, which can be traced and identified by analyzing sugars emitted from the combustion of cellulose and hemicellulose that make up biomass. In this review comparing almost 200 selected articles, we highlight the most recent studies that broaden such category of tracers, covering research publications on residential wood combustions, open-fire or combustion chamber burnings and ambient PM in different regions of Asia, America and Europe. The purpose of the present work is to collect data in the literature that indicate a direct correspondence between biomass burning and saccharides emitted into the atmosphere with regard to distinguishing common sugars attributed to biomass burning from those that have co-causes of issue. In this paper, we provide a list of 24 compounds, including those most commonly recognized as biomass burning tracers (i.e., levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan), from which it emerges that monosaccharide anhydrides, sugar alcohols and primary sugars have been widely reported as organic tracers for biomass combustion, although it has also been shown that emissions of these compounds depend not only on combustion characteristics and equipment but also on fuel type, combustion quality and weather conditions. Although it appears that it is currently not possible to define a single compound as a universal indicator of biomass combustion, this review provides a valuable tool for the collection of information in the literature and identifies analytes that can lead to the determination of patterns for the distribution between PM generated by biomass combustion.

Toward the Origins of Quadruple Sulfur Isotope Anomalies in Modern Sulfate: A Multitracer Approach and Implications for Paleo- and Planetary Atmospheres

“…As discussed by Lin et al, recombination reactions of sulfur-containing radicals in combustion are the most predominant reaction that accounts for Δ 36 S anomalies, and we therefore stress that our interpretation on the observed correlation between Δ 36 S and levoglucosan (i.e, Δ 36 S anomalies linked to primary sulfate from combustion processes) would not be changed by the potential variability of burning materials (biomass vs coal). Similar to levoglucosan, mannosan is another saccharide for tracing biomass burning . The excellent correlation between Δ 36 S and mannosan in this study and previous works is therefore reasonable (Figure C,D).…”

“…Similar to levoglucosan, mannosan is another saccharide for tracing biomass burning. 49 The excellent correlation between Δ 36 S and mannosan in this study and previous works 11 is therefore reasonable (Figure 4C,D). Statistically significant correlations between the ratio of mannosan to sulfate (MN/SO 4 2− ) and Δ 36 S values are observed (Figure 5C,D), reinforcing the intrinsic linkage between Δ 36 S anomalies and burning-induced primary sulfate.…”

Sensitivity of PM10 oxidative potential to aerosol chemical composition at a Mediterranean urban site: ascorbic acid versus dithiothreitol measurements

“…In contrast, other studies have found that biomass burning is a primary source for OP AA (Borlaza et al 2021). In the present study, OP AA showed low r values with levoglucosan, considered as a reliable tracer of biomass burning (Vincenti et al 2022), suggesting a limited contribution from this source to OP AA . This is not unexpected, given that biomass burning accounts for a small percentage of PM 10 mass concentrations in the study area, as already mentioned.…”

The Impact of Long-Range Transport of Biomass Burning Emissions in Southeast Asia on Southern China

“…Long-term exposure to combustion-related fine particulate matter pollution is an important environmental risk factor for cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality. For example, high levels of organic aerosols can cause eye and throat irritation in humans [24], and inhalation of wood [25] can induce cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and asthma. Biomass burning under poor combustion conditions produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have the serious consequence of causing at least 40,000 premature deaths per year in Europe [26].…”