Apparatus and method for real-time total carbon aerosol analysis

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of methods and devices for analyzing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties using thermo-optical means. The present invention relates to a device and method for real-time total carbonaceous aerosol analysis, which is essentially a system combining two different instruments, wherein the first instrument measures total carbon (TC) using rapid heating and CO2 production from collected aerosol samples, while the second instrument performs optical attenuation analysis at 7 wavelengths ranging from near UV (370 nm) to near IR (950 nm) in order to characterize black carbon (BC / EC) aerosols accumulated on glass-fiber / PTFE filter tapes. The device (i.e. the system of instruments) collects and processes data collected by both instruments, wherein the processing can be performed by either of the instruments or by a separate processing means, computer or computer application.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of methods and apparatus for analyzing materials by utilizing thermal and optical devices to determine their chemical or physical properties, and more specifically, to systems particularly suitable for the detection and quantification of carbonaceous aerosols. This invention relates to apparatus and methods for real-time analysis of all carbonaceous aerosols. Background Technology

[0002] Carbonaceous aerosols (CA) represent extremely high diversity and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). 2.5 CA is a crucial component of climate change analysis. As a pollutant of vital importance locally, regionally, and globally, it has garnered increasing attention from the scientific community. It directly impacts public health, visibility, cloud formation, and planetary radiation balance, but its complex chemical and physical properties mean that its treatment remains incompletely understood. Therefore, there is a need for sufficiently online and high temporal resolution CA analysis methods to identify major pollution sources and pinpoint the CA components with the highest impact on public health and climate change processes. The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus that will be deployed for analyzing CA and determining the proportions of as many CA types as possible.

[0003] It is generally accepted that carbonaceous aerosols (CA, also known as carbonaceous matter (CM)) comprise an organic portion, namely organic aerosols (OA, also known as organic matter (OM)), and a refractory, strongly absorbing portion referred to as elemental carbon (EC, determined using thermo-optical measurements) or black carbon (BC, determined using optical measurements). BC and EC are often used interchangeably; however, in this patent application, BC will be used exclusively when describing the refractory, strongly absorbing portion of CA. EC is used only for EC-BC comparisons using thermo-optical and optical methods. BC is chemically inert and has a well-defined chemical structure. It is emitted exclusively from incomplete combustion and therefore has only one primary source.

[0004] OA is composed of many different complex molecular structures, including not only particulate organic carbon but also hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Compared to BC, OA can be volatile and has a high oxidation potential. OA is the primary organic matter (POA) directly emitted into the atmosphere in particulate form due to combustion and biological processes, or it can have a secondary source (SOA) due to the gas-particulate transformation of (semi-)volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere. The sum of BC and POA is called primary CA, while SOA is equivalent to secondary CA. Two pathways for SOA formation are recognized:

[0005] The main pathway for SOA formation is the photo-oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the afternoon (especially in summer), in which hydroxyl radicals (OH·) and ozone (O3) play key roles during atmospheric oxidation during the day (He et al., 2021: doi.org / 10.1021 / acs.est.0c06838).

[0006] The second pathway for SOA formation (particularly evident during winter nights) can be explained by an aqueous phase process where NO3· radicals are considered the dominant oxidant (He et al., 2021: doi.org / 10.1021 / acs.est.0c06838). NO3· radicals are formed in the presence of high humidity via the reaction of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with O3.

[0007] The mass of carbon atoms found in CA and OA is referred to as total carbon (TC) and organic carbon (OC). Total carbon (TC) is measured using a device that thermally treats a sample of particulate-laden air to calculate total carbon based on the resulting carbon dioxide. Furthermore, OC can be further divided into the carbon content of POA and SOA (POC and SOC, respectively). TC / OC is determined using two measurement techniques: the thermo-optical OC / EC method and the newly developed TC-BC method. The thermo-optical OC / EC method was developed by Huntzicker et al. in 1982 (Huntzicker, JJ, Johnson, RL, Shah, JJ, and Cary, RA: Analysis of Organic and Elemental Carbon in Ambient Aerosols by a thermal-Optical Method, pp. 79-88, 1982) and has been updated with some changes to thermal protocols (IMPROVE, NIOSH, EUSAAR2). Recently, (Rigler et al., 2020: doi.org / 10.5194 / amt-13-4333-2020) introduced a simplified TC-BC method, in which OC is determined by subtracting the separately measured TC and BC.

[0008] The relationship between OC and OA is known as the environmental organic aerosol-organic carbon ratio (OA / OC) and is an important parameter for studying the chemical composition of OA. This ratio can vary greatly depending on the source, monitoring location, season, and weather. Lower environmental OA / OC ratios are consistent with fresh aerosol emissions from traffic, while higher values ​​are often observed for aged environmental oxygenated OA (Chirico et al., 2010: doi.org / 10.5194 / acp-10-11545-2010). Similarly, Docherty et al. (2008: doi.org / 10.1021 / es8008166) and Zhang et al. (2018: doi.org / 10.1016 / j.jes.2017.12.018) introduced POA / POC and SOA / SOC ratios for primary and secondary OA.

[0009] Organic aerosols can be further divided into two possible primary and secondary sources (POA, respectively). BrC SOA BrC POA non-abs SOA non-abs The light-absorbing OA (also known as brown carbon (BrC)) and non-light-absorbing OA (OA) are also mentioned. non-abs In chemistry, brown carbon (Cbrown / BrC) is the brown smog released from the combustion of organic matter. It exhibits strong absorption in ultraviolet light wavelengths but less pronounced absorption in visible light wavelengths (Laskin et al., 2015; Moise et al., 2015). It is released into the atmosphere alongside black carbon. Compared to black carbon, brown carbon is primarily emitted from biomass combustion, but also from smoldering fires or coal combustion, and from volatile organic compounds released from soil and vegetation.

[0010] Although brown carbon (BrC) absorption is relatively well characterized, knowledge about its sources and optical properties remains limited, leading to significant uncertainty in global assessments of radiative forcing (Saleh, 2020; Saleh et al., 2015). However, simulation models suggest that brown carbon accounts for roughly one-fifth of total atmospheric aerosol absorption and can play a significant role in photochemical and hydrological cycles, particularly in regions dominated by biomass burning. Brown carbon is a potential contributor to climate change and needs to be considered. Therefore, reliable measurements of brown carbon must be provided separately, in addition to other aerosols, to determine the presence and quantity of each species.

[0011] Current equipment and methods are designed for whole carbon and black carbon, but cannot address brown carbon and other aerosol types. This invention is based on these considerations. Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide equipment and methods for the analysis of whole carbonaceous aerosols that enable the detection and quantification of all important carbonaceous aerosol types (components). Summary of the Invention

[0012] Existing technology

[0013] US2019277819 discloses an apparatus for near real-time measurement of black carbon, brown carbon, organic carbon, total carbon, and CO2 levels in the air. The apparatus can also directly calculate the aerosol ELECTRIC coefficient and estimate the emission rates of black or brown carbon from nearby combustion sources. The apparatus determines brown carbon based on transmittance measurements at 370 nm.

[0014] Utility model CN209182229 provides an online detection device for the light absorption characteristics of water-insoluble brown carbon in the atmosphere. An atmospheric sample inlet is located at the front of a continuous liquefaction sampling device; a conveying device is connected to the continuous liquefaction sampling device, inputting fine atmospheric particles into it; an nebulizer is connected to the continuous liquefaction sampling device and located near the atmospheric sample inlet; a methanol solution is contained in the nebulizer, and the atomized methanol is conveyed to the continuous liquefaction sampling device. The methanol injection port is connected to the continuous liquefaction sampling device and located at its rear. The output port of the continuous liquefaction sampling device is divided into two channels, which are respectively connected to an organic carbon analyzer and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. This device differs from the present invention in its design and aerosol type determination. This device does not allow for the determination of brown carbon.

[0015] Recently, Rigler et al. (2020a, doi.org / 10.5194 / amt-13-4333-2020) introduced a simplified TC-BC method for real-time, high-temporal-resolution TC / BC determination. This method utilizes a carbonaceous aerosol composition online analysis system (CASS), where a thermal method using a full carbon analyzer TCA08 (Rigler et al., 2020a) for TC determination is combined with an optical method using a black carbon analyzer AE33 (Drinovec et al., 2015) for multi-wavelength BC measurement. However, this article does not address the determination and measurement of important aerosol species and / or calculations based on the measurement data.

[0016] Description of solutions to technical problems

[0017] This invention solves the problem of full-scale analysis of all aerosol types, not just the most common types identified by known equipment. This technical problem has been solved as defined in the independent claims, while preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

[0018] The terminology used throughout the text is as follows:

[0019]

[0020]

[0021] The essence of a real-time total carbon aerosol analysis device lies in its combination of two different instruments. The first instrument measures total carbon (TC) by rapidly heating and generating CO2 from the collected aerosol sample, while the second instrument performs optical attenuation analysis at a preferred seven wavelengths from near-UV (370 nm) to near-IR (950 nm) to characterize the light absorption of aerosols accumulated on glass-fiber / PTFE filter tapes. The device (i.e., the instrument system) collects and processes data from both instruments, wherein the processing can be performed by either instrument or by a separate processing unit, computer, or computer application. This invention allows for the identification of previously unknown or undetectable aerosol components (i.e., POAs) that are respectively primary and secondary non-luminescent OAs. non-abs and SOA non-abs ).

[0022] Based on the operation of these two instruments, the following aerosol types can be identified, with newly evaluated aerosol types highlighted. Parameters written in bold and italics are taken from published scientific literature or can be determined through supplementary measurements. Among them:

[0023] -b is the determined scaling parameter, which is region or location specific and also depends on the thermal protocol of OC / EC analysis, where its common range is 0.5 to 1.5;

[0024] - is 7.77m 2 / g's MAC BC ;

[0025] -MAC BrC This is the mass absorption cross section of brown carbon (BrC). The possible MAC is estimated from known eBrC values ​​in the literature. BrC The value range is very wide, and can range from 0.2 to 7.5m. 2 Any value between / g.

[0026] - The OA / OC ratio is taken from this literature and is usually between 1.2 and 2.5 (Aiken et al., 2008);

[0027] - The POA / POC ratio is typically around 1.2 to 1.3, while the SOA / SOC ratio is typically between 1.8 and 2.2 (Zhang et al., 2018; Docherty et al., 2008);

[0028] -AAE FF =1 or by methods known to those skilled in the art (e.g., using L-glucan or radiocarbon). 14 C-regression) measures the optimal value;

[0029] -AAEbb =2 or by methods known to those skilled in the art (e.g., using L-glucan or radiocarbon). 14 C-regression) measures the optimal value;

[0030] -AAE BrC = The light absorption of BC at 880nm calculated numerically using extrapolation; Assumption: AAE BC It is constant over time, and BC is the only light absorber at 880nm:

[0031]

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

[0035] The first instrument, the total carbon analyzer, samples and measures total carbon at regular time intervals, preferably hourly, while the second instrument, the black carbon analyzer, samples and measures black carbon preferably every minute. These time intervals can also be varied according to user needs and the location of the device according to the invention. The time resolution of the measurement is limited by the time resolution of the total carbon analyzer, which is smaller than that of the absorbance spectrophotometer. Common time resolutions are 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours, and can be adjusted for the concentration of aerosols in the air—the lower the concentration, the longer the sampling time required, and vice versa. In urban environments, a time resolution of 60 minutes is sufficient. The input parameters required for the calculation are programmed into the device, or any one of the instruments, or both, or programmed into the processing unit, wherein the instruments and / or processing unit are arranged to perform the above calculations. Calculations can be performed in real time, online, or in a post-sampling (post-processing) time interval. All components of carbonaceous aerosols are preferably expressed in mass concentration units [ng / m³]. 3 [Given].

[0036] The device according to the invention preferably provides BC per hour ff (t), BC bb (t), POA BrC (t), SOA BrC (t), POA non-abs (t) and SOA non-absThe results (t) can be obtained, however, the time intervals between the readings can range from 20 minutes to 24 hours. Therefore, the user of this device obtains very detailed information about the aerosol components during different parts of day and night (diurnal distribution curves for each CA component). If the sampling and measurement periods of the two instruments differ, results are provided over the longer time interval, with more frequent data being averaged over a longer period. For example, if the TCA measures total carbon hourly and the black carbon meter determines black carbon every minute, the device provides results hourly and averages the black carbon data hourly.

[0037] The special configuration of the TCA08 instrument allows C VOC Measurement. The configuration of the sampling tubing allows for the use of a quartz-fiber filter, which prevents particles from entering the instrument, while volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pass through the filter and thus reach the instrument for measurement. Therefore, the TCA08 device has an additional two-part housing within which the aforementioned filter, supported on one side by a support mesh and on the other by metal rings, is located. During aerosol sampling, the adsorption of organic vapors (VOCs) on the filter is referred to as a positive sampling artifact and can be used to measure the environmental carbon content (C) in VOCs. VOC ).

[0038] The method for determining total aerosols using the apparatus according to the present invention includes the following steps:

[0039] a) Use the first instrument and the second instrument to perform measurements to obtain the measured values ​​TC(t) and BC(t);

[0040] b) OC calculation of the data obtained from step a);

[0041] c) Calculate BC from the data obtained in step a) using a second instrument, which is any suitable black carbon meter. ff (t), BC bb (t), where the required parameter is: AAE ff AAE bb Taken from literature or measured individually or predefined;

[0042] d) Analysis of light absorption as and To perform BrC calculations, the required parameter is AAE. BC And assume

[0043] e) Calculate POC(t) and SOC(t) from OC(t) obtained in step b);

[0044] f) Regarding and Perform the BC tracer method.

[0045] g) Using the information obtained in step f) and Calculate POA BrC (t) and SOA BrC (t), where the required parameter is MAC BrC，prim (370nm) and MAX BrC，sec (370nm);

[0046] h) Calculate POA(t) and SOA(t) using POC(t) and SOC(t) obtained in step e), where the required parameters are the ratios of (POA / POC) and (SOA / SOC);

[0047] i) Calculate POA non-abs (t) is POA(t)-POA BrC (t) and calculate SOA non-abs (t) represents SOA(t) - SOA BrC (t); and

[0048] j) Calculate CA(t) = BC for all carbonaceous aerosols. ff (t)+BC bb (t)+POA BrC (t)+SOA BrC (t)+POA non-abs (t)+SOA non-abs (t).

[0049] Steps c), d), and e) can be performed in any order, wherein other steps are performed as described. Data calculation and processing are performed by the device (system) or by either of two instruments, preferably a full carbon analyzer. This processing protocol can be performed online by the instrument, a computer, or through post-processing of the measurement data.

[0050] The apparatus and method according to the invention utilize the advantage of separating thermal and optical methods into two separate instruments dedicated to different measurements. Accordingly, the new method features high time resolution, no downtime, online loading compensation for BC measurements, and greater convenience for field measurements.

[0051] This equipment and method are important for the identification of particulate matter, especially pollutants, in the air. In many scenarios, it has been pointed out that, in addition to particulate mass concentration, the chemical composition and size distribution of PM are equally important. Most importantly, BC affects health and climate, BrC causes various health effects, PAH is carcinogenic, and OA... non-absIt contributes most to the total CA mass and thus PM. This invention allows for simplified identification and full-volume analysis of carbonaceous aerosols, online and with high temporal resolution, using only two instruments.

[0052] The device according to the invention can be designed in alternative ways that are obvious to those skilled in the art based on the above description. Exemplary embodiments of the invention do not limit the spirit of the invention as described herein and defined in the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0053] The invention will be further disclosed based on exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings, which show:

[0054] Figure 1 Overview of CA components

[0055] Figure 2 CA components measured and determined by the system according to possible embodiments

[0056] Figure 3 For C VOC Measurement TCA configuration

[0057] Figure 4 Visual representation of computational methods

[0058] Figure 5 Exemplary results obtained using the device according to the invention Detailed Implementation

[0059] Figure 1 An overview of the components of carbonaceous aerosols is shown, wherein CA is divided into black carbon (BC) and organic aerosols (OA). Organic aerosols (OA) can be further divided into brown carbon (BrC), representing organic carbon (OC), and non-absorbent organic aerosols, wherein the source of BC may be transportation (fossil fuels) or biomass combustion. Volatile organic compounds may also be present in CA. Regarding the source, CA can have a primary or secondary source, wherein BC is always the primary source, while OA can be a primary or secondary source, as described in the background section of this invention.

[0060] The device CASS (Carbonized Aerosol Components Online Analysis System) according to a possible embodiment includes a first instrument, the TCA08 full carbon analyzer, both derived from Migi Technology Corporation, and a second instrument, the AE33 black carbon analyzer.

[0061] The first instrument collects atmospheric aerosol samples on a quartz fiber filter housed in a small stainless steel chamber, using a controlled sampling flow rate (preferably 16.7 LPM). The default sampling time for the TCA08 is 60 minutes, but can be set from 20 minutes to 24 hours depending on the ambient aerosol concentration. The TCA08 instrument has two identical parallel channels through which the airflow is controlled by ball valves and solenoids. One channel is collecting the sample, while the other performs analysis on the already collected sample, which has been rapidly heated to convert all carbon into CO2. The CO2 concentration is then integrated to give the total carbon (TC) content of the sample.

[0062] In parallel, the second instrument - Migi Technology Company Model AE33 is performing optical attenuation analysis at seven wavelengths from near UV (370 nm) to near IR (950 nm) to characterize black carbon (BC) aerosols accumulated on glass-fiber / PTFE filter tapes.

[0063] Figure 2 The diagram shows each determined CA component in the instrument, where the AE33 provides BC and BrC, as well as BC ff BC bb And EC data, while TCA08 provides TC and C VOC From these parameters, OC, OA, POC, POA, SOC, SOA, and OA can be calculated using the equations presented above. non-abs POA non-abs SOA non-abs And the total CA. The TCA08 device performs processing of the collected data and calculations of the remaining CA components every hour, in which AE33 reports in a defined time base, which is often 1 second or 60 seconds of BC / EC data.

[0064] Figure 3 The diagram shows the measurement allowed for C. VOC The TCA08 device 1 is configured to include a quartz-fiber filter that prevents particles from entering the instrument, while volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pass through the filter and thus reach the instrument for measurement. Therefore, the TCA08 device 1 has additional two-part housings 2a and 2b, within which a filter, supported on one side by a support mesh 4 and on the other side by a metal ring 5, is disposed.

[0065] Figure 4 A visual representation of the computation method is shown, including the following steps:

[0066] a) Use the first instrument and the second instrument to perform measurements to obtain the measured values ​​TC(t) and BC(t);

[0067] b) OC calculation of the data obtained from step a);

[0068] c) Calculate BC from the data obtained in step a) using a second instrument, which is any suitable absorbance spectrometer. ff (t), BC bb (t), where the required parameter is: AAE ff AAE bb Taken from literature or measured individually or predefined;

[0069] d) Analysis of light absorption as and To perform BrC calculations, the required parameter is AAE. BC And assume

[0070] e) Calculate POC(t) and SOC(t) from OC(t) obtained in step b);

[0071] f) Regarding and Perform the BC tracer method.

[0072] g) Using the information obtained in step f) and Calculate POA BrC (t) and SOA BrC (t), where the required parameter is MAC BrC，prim (370nm) and MAC BrC，sec (370nm);

[0073] h) Calculate POA(t) and SOA(t) using POC(t) and SOC(t) obtained in step e), where the required parameters are the ratios of (POA / POC) and (SOA / SOC);

[0074] i) Calculate POA non-abs (t) is POA(t)-POA BrC (t) and calculate SOA non-abs (t) represents SOA(t) - SOA BrC (t); and

[0075] j) Calculate CA(t) = BC for all carbonaceous aerosols. ff (t)+BC bb (t)+POA BrC (t)+SOA BrC (t)+POA non-abs (t)+SOA non-abs (t).

[0076] Steps c), d), and e) can be performed in any order, where other steps are performed as described. Generally, they can be performed in any order until they intersect, and each vertical line must be executed according to... Figure 4 The execution order is shown in the diagram.

[0077] Figure 5 Exemplary results obtained using a device according to a possible embodiment are shown, in which it can be seen how individual components of CA vary with the seasons and how they vary during the day.

Claims

1. A device for real-time total carbonaceous aerosol analysis, characterized in that: - the device is a system combining two different instruments, wherein a first instrument measures total carbon (TC) using a rapid heating of the collected aerosol sample and the production of CO2, while a second instrument performs optical attenuation analysis at multiple wavelengths ranging from near UV to near IR in order to characterize the light absorption of the aerosol accumulated on a glass-fiber / PTFE filter tape, - the system collects and processes the data collected by the two instruments, wherein the processing is performed by either of the first and second instruments, and - the total carbonaceous aerosol CA(t) is the sum of the fossil fuel black carbon component BC ff (t), the biomass burning black carbon component BC bb (t), the primary light-absorbing organic aerosol POA BrC (t), the secondary light-absorbing organic aerosol SOA BrC (t), the primary non-light-absorbing organic aerosol POA non-abs (t) and the secondary non-light-absorbing organic aerosol SOA non-abs (t). wherein the processing comprises the following steps: a) measurements with the first and second instruments to obtain total carbon TC(t) and black carbon BC(t); b) Organic carbon OC calculation from data obtained in step a): ; c) calculating the fossil fuel black carbon component BC from the data obtained in step a) by the second instrument ff (t) and the biomass burning black carbon component BC bb (t); d) resolving for light absorption as and performing light-absorbing organic aerosol BrC calculations; e) for and A black carbon BC tracing method is performed, wherein the primary organic carbon content POC(t) of the primary organic aerosol POA and the secondary organic carbon content SOC(t) of the secondary organic aerosol SOA are calculated from OC(t) obtained in step b) using the following formula: ； f) using the main light-absorbing organic aerosol POA obtained in step e) and calculating the main light-absorbing organic aerosol POA BrC (t) and the secondary light-absorbing organic aerosol SOA BrC (t); g) calculation of POA(t) and SOA(t) from POC(t) and SOC(t) obtained in step e); h) calculating said primary non-absorbing organic aerosol POA non-abs (t) is POA(t) - POA BrC (t) and calculating said secondary non-absorbing organic aerosol SOA non-abs (t) is SOA(t) - SOA BrC (t); and i) Calculate total carbonaceous aerosol CA(t) = BC ff (t) + BC bb (t) + POA BrC (t) + SOA BrC (t) + POAnon-abs(t) + SOA non-abs (t), wherein steps c), d) and e) can be performed in any order.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The wavelength-dependent light absorption on carbonaceous aerosols can be resolved into two components, namely black carbon BC and brown carbon BrC: 。 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, determination of organic carbon from total carbon and black carbon measured with the first and second instruments, calculation of organic aerosol from the organic carbon with an OA / OC ratio between 1.2 and 2.5, determination of total carbonaceous aerosol using the new equations allowed by the device according to the present application: 。 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, from the POC and SOC, primary and secondary organic aerosols can be calculated, with a ratio POA / POC of 1.2 to 1.3 and SOA / SOC between 1.8 and 2.2, and wherein primary and secondary brown carbon can be determined as follows: Finally, the primary and secondary non-absorbing OAs can be calculated from the total POA and POA BrC and the total SOA and SOA BrC respectively: 。 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the first instrument has a sampling tube provided with a quartz-fiber filter that prevents particles from entering the instrument, while volatile organic compounds (VOC) can pass through the filter and thus reach the first instrument for measurement.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first instrument performs sampling and measurement of total carbon at regular time intervals, while the second instrument performs sampling and measurement of black carbon every minute.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The calculation is performed in real time, online or in a post-sampling (post-processing) period.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first instrument and the second instrument provide BC ff (t)+BC bb (t)+POA BrC (t)+SOA BrC (t)+POA non-abs (t)+SOA non-abs The results of (t) are given, where the time interval between the result readings is from 20 minutes to 24 hours.

9. A method for real-time total carbonaceous aerosol analysis, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: a) measurements with the first and second instruments to obtain measured values total carbon TC(t) and black carbon BC(t); b) calculation of organic carbon OC from the data obtained in step a); c) fossil fuel black carbon component BC calculated from the data obtained in step a) by a second instrument as any suitable black carbon instrument ff (t), biomass burning black carbon component BC bb (t), wherein the required parameters: AAE ff , AAE bb are predefined; d) Analyzing for light absorption as and The calculation of the light-absorbing organic aerosol BrC was performed, where the required parameters are AAE BC and it is assumed : e) calculation of primary organic carbon content POC(t) and secondary organic carbon content SOC(t) from OC(t) obtained in step b); f) for and performing black carbon BC tracing; g) using the obtained in step f) and calculating the primary light-absorbing organic aerosol POA BrC (t) and the secondary light-absorbing organic aerosol SOA BrC (t), wherein the required parameters are and ; h) calculation of POA(t) and SOA(t) from POC(t) and SOC(t) obtained in step e), with the required parameters being the (POA / POC) and (SOA / SOC) ratios; i) calculating POA non-abs (t) is POA(t) - POA BrC (t) and calculating SOA non-abs (t) is SOA(t) - SOA BrC (t); and j) Calculate total carbonaceous aerosol CA(t) = BC ff (t) + BC bb (t) + POA BrC (t) + SOA BrC (t) + POA non-abs (t) + SOA non-abs (t), wherein steps c), d) and e) can be performed in any order.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The calculation and processing of data are performed by either of the first and second instruments, or by a separate processing device.

11. The method of any one of claims 9-10, wherein, The calculation and processing of data are performed by the instruments, a computer or by post-processing of the measured data.

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