Ambient Measurements of Fuel Oil Combustion Emissions in New York City
MITCHELL ROGERS, Lijin Zhang, Tori Hass-Mitchell, Taekyu Joo, Drew Gentner, Yale University
Abstract Number: 208
Working Group: Urban Aerosols
Abstract
The residential combustion of fuel oil has historically been a known source of sulfur dioxide and fine particulate (PM2.5) trace metals, yet ambient measurements downwind of fuel oil combustion remain limited. Despite shifts towards cleaner fuels and energy sources, New York State continues to be the largest consumer of fuel oil for residential use in the United States, and blends containing residual fuel oil (i.e., No. 4) are still actively burned in several hundred boilers across New York City (NYC). In this work, we examine pollutant contributions from fuel oil combustion sources in the surrounding metropolitan area by leveraging two years of gas-phase and particle-phase measurements, including trace metals by the Xact 625i, at the Queens College ASCENT (Atmospheric Science and Chemistry mEasurement NeTwork) site in NYC. Fuel oil source profiles derived from these downwind measurements are compared to previously established emissions factors and inventory estimates for distillate and residual fuel oil combustion. Fuel oil plumes identified in this study contain several metals that have been previously demonstrated to be toxic and carcinogenic, including nickel, chromium, and vanadium. We also evaluate spatiotemporal variations in the contribution of fuel oil combustion to ambient trace metals, black carbon, organic aerosol, and gas-phase criteria pollutants in NYC. Additionally, collocated Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) measurements are examined to investigate enhancements in ambient ultrafine particles from residential fuel oil combustion in neighboring communities. The contribution of fuel oil combustion to urban air pollution in NYC is evaluated in the context of shifts in energy policies and fuel consumption at the local and state levels, and demonstrates the continued influence of fuel oil-related sources on several pollutants of concern.