Emission Inventory and Spatial Distribution of Particulate Matter from Dust Sources in Zhengzhou City, China

Abstract Background: With the rapid development of society and economy, Zhengzhou city, a new first-tier city in central China, is facing high levels of particulate matter (PM) pollution. Dust source has been generally recognized as one of the major source of PM emission that cannot be ignored. In this study, we aimed to establish an emission inventory of PM from dust source and characterize its spatial pattern in Zhengzhou, China. Methods: A GIS＆RS based approach was proposed to establish the emission inventory of total suspended particles (TSP), particulate matter 10 (PM 10 ) and particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5 ) from dust source. Bare ground, construction sites and paved roads in 2016 was recognized with high resolution remote sensing data.Technical Guidelines for Emissions Inventory of Particulate Matter Emitted from Dust Source recommended by the Ministry of Ecological Environment (MEP) was used to estimate PM emission, and a spatial grid of 3km×3km resolution was established to display the distribution of PM emission from different dust sources. Results: The total emission of TSP, PM 10 and PM 2.5 in Zhengzhou was 237.5 kt·a -1 , 103.7 kt·a -1 and 22.4 kt·a -1 , respectively in 2016. Compared to other cities in China, the PM emission in Zhengzhou was at a relatively high level. Construction dust source was the main emission source in Zhengzhou, the TSP, PM 10 and PM 2.5 emission of which account for 76.42%, 89.68% and 88.39%, respectively of the total emissions, followed by road dust source and soil dust source. Spatially, total TSP, PM 10 , PM 2.5 emission were larger in main urban areas including Jinshui, Zhongyuan, Erqi, Jingkai and other urban districts. Zhongmou, Xingyang and Xinzheng, which bordering with the main urban area, were also the area with high PM emission, while Dengfeng, Gongyi and other remote areas had relatively small emission of PM. Conclusions: The GIS＆RS based approach has good applicability for identifying the emission characteristics in urban area, and it is urgent for Zhengzhou city to take specific measures for the prevention and control of atmospheric pollution under the severe situation of high- level PM emission.