American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 38th Annual Conference
October 5 - October 9, 2020

Virtual Conference

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Garbage Burning Contribution to Ambient Particulate Pollution

MD. ROBIUL ISLAM, Tianyi Li, Nita Khanal, Khadak Mahata, Siva Praveen Puppala, Narayan Babu Dhital, Michael Giordano, Benjamin Werden, Anobha Gurung, Arnico Panday, Robert J. Yokelson, Peter F. DeCarlo, Elizabeth Stone, University of Iowa

     Abstract Number: 202
     Working Group: Carbonaceous Aerosol

Abstract
An estimated 1 to 2 billion metric tons of solid waste is produced globally per year. Much of this waste is disposed of by open burning which produces hazardous gases and particulate matter (PM). Among the PM are antimony (Sb) and 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene (TPB) that are associated with plastic, which comprises approximately 10% of waste. During the Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE), emission factors (EF) of PM2.5 ranged from 7.4 g/kg for dry mixed waste to 124 g/kg for damp mixed waste burning. EFs of TPB and Sb were also measured to estimate garbage burning contributions to ambient PM. In the Kathmandu Valley, source apportionment of PM2.5 organic carbon (OC) indicated garbage burning contributions of 3.1±1.3 µgC/m3 (18%) at Bode in the pre-monsoon season in 2015, and 11±5 µgC/m3 (29%), 12±6 µgC/m3 (33%), and 6.1±2.0 µgC/m3 (40%) at Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Dhulikhel in the winter of 2017-18. These results indicate higher wintertime contributions of garbage burning to PM as well as spatial heterogeneity within the Valley. In the Terrai region, garbage burning contributions to PM2.5 OC were lower in the winter of 2017-18 at 2.7±2.2 µgC/m3 (5%). Two tracers of garbage burning—TPB and Sb—moderately correlated at the Kathmandu site, supporting their originating from the same source. Together, these studies demonstrate that garbage burning is an important source of PM2.5 in South Asia, with potentially significant impacts on the environment and human health. Considering the importance and yet large variability in emissions due to variation of garbage types, further investigations are needed to better constrain its contribution to ambient PM.