Chemical composition, oxidative potential and identifying the sources of outdoor PM 2.5 after the improvement of air quality in Beijing

Air pollution poses a serious threat to human health. The implementation of air pollution prevention and control policies has gradually reduced the level of atmospheric fine particles in Beijing. Exploring the latest characteristics of PM 2.5 has become the key to further improving pollution reduction measures. In the current study, outdoor PM 2.5 samples were collected in the spring and summer of Beijing, and the chemical species, oxidative potential (OP), and sources of PM 2.5 were characterized. The mean PM 2.5 concentration during the entire study period was 41.6 ± 30.9 μg m −3 . Although the PM 2.5 level in summer was lower, its OP level was significantly higher than that in spring. SO 4 2– , NH 4 + , EC, NO 3– , and OC correlated well with volume-normalized OP (OP v ). Strong positive correlations were found between OP v and the following elements: Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, As, Cr, Sn, Cd, Al, and Mn. Seven sources of PM 2.5 were identified, including traffic, soil dust, secondary sulfate, coal and biomass burning, oil combustion, secondary nitrate, and industry. Multiple regression analysis indicated that coal and biomass combustion, industry, and traffic were the main contributors to the OP v in spring, while secondary sulfate, oil combustion, and industry played a leading role in summer. The source region analysis revealed that different pollution sources were related to specific geographic distributions. In addition to local emission reduction policies, multi-provincial cooperation is necessary to further improve Beijing's air quality and reduce the adverse health effects of PM 2.5 .