Preliminary chemical characterization of particle-phase organic compounds in New Delhi, India

This work describes a pilot study for the investigation of the chemical composition of organic species present in PM10 collected at a residential site in New Delhi during December 2001–March 2002, and in TSP emissions from in-use two-stroke vehicles. Both ambient and emissions samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), with an emphasis on quantification of non-volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and marker compounds in ambient PM10. Preliminary findings suggest that vehicular emissions and biomass and/or refuse burning are significant contributors to the organic fraction of PM10 in the New Delhi atmosphere.