A Study on the Characteristics of Ion, Carbon, and Elemental Components in PM2.5 at Industrial Complexes in Ansan and Siheung

Background: The health effects of particulate matter (PM2.5) bonded with various harmful chemicals differ based on their composition, so investigating and managing their concentrations and composition is vital for long-term management. As industrial complexes emit considerable quantities of pollutants, higher PM2.5 concentrations and chemical component effects are expected than in other places. Objectives: We investigated the concentration distribution ratios of PM2.5 chemical components to provide basic data to inform future major emissions control and PM2.5 reduction measures in industrial complexes. Methods: We monitored five sites near the Ansan and Siheung industrial complexes from August 2020 to July 2021. Samples were collected and analyzed twice per week in spring/winter and once per week in summer/ autumn according to the National Institute of Environmental Research in the Ministry of Environments’ Air Pollution Monitoring Network Installation and Operation Guidelines. We investigated and compared composition ratios of 29 ions, carbon, and elemental components in PM2.5. Results: The analysis of PM2.5 components at the five sites revealed that ion components accounted for the greatest total mass at approximately 50% while carbon components and elemental components contributed 23~28% and 8~10%, respectively. Among the ionic components, NO3 – occupies the greatest proportion. OC occupies the greatest proportion of the carbon components and sulphur occupies the greatest proportion of elemental components. Conclusions: This study investigated the concentration distribution ratios of PM2.5 chemical components in industrial complexes. We believe these results provide basic chemical component concentration ratio data for establishing future air management policies and plans for the Ansan and Siheung industrial complexes.