Chemical Characteristics of Fine Particles Emitted from Different Chinese Cooking Styles

Abstract

Cooking process was regarded as one of the most significant contributor to fine particles (PM2.5) in ambient atmosphere and its chemical characteristics would be great different among various cooking styles. In this study, PM2.5 emitted from four different Chinese cooking styles, including Home cooking, Shandong cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and Barbecue, were collected using a dilution sampling system. Then, PM2.5 mass concentrations were weighted, and its chemical composition were analyzed. It was found that Barbecue emitted PM2.5 concentrations with the highest level, followed by Home cooking, Shandong cuisine and Hunan cuisine. PM2.5 emission amounts and emission factors were also estimated according to the measured data. Home cooking notably had the highest levels. The difference between Barbecue and other cuisines of PM2.5 chemical profiles were the largest by using the coefficient of divergence (CD) method. The predominant chemical composition was organic carbon (OC) in PM2.5. The main water-soluble ions were Na+, SO42–, NO3–, Cl–, and Ca2+, and Fe, S, and Ca had made up a big proportion of element. Little difference had been found between the mass fractions of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from different cooking cuisines. However, Barbecue displayed the highest mass fractions of organic acids in cooking fume.