Diurnal evolutions and sources of water-soluble chromophoric aerosols over Xi'an during haze event, in Northwest China

Highlights: • The hourly sources and evolutions of atmospheric chromophores were obtained. • Primary combustion sources were the dominant source of Xi'an in during haze event. • Chromophores decay was driven by both of solar radiation and atmospheric oxidants. • The main types of secondary chromophores were highly-oxygenated HULIS. • The formation of Maillard-like chromophores in the morning was observed. Atmospheric brown carbon and their chemical behavior potentially impacts the climate and air quality. Due to lack of researches on the atmospheric chromophores by using online experimental instrument, so using the offline EEM approaches to study their types, sources and chemical processes. In this study, PILS-EEM-TOC system (Particle into liquid sampler coupled with excitation-emission matrix and total organic carbon) was developed in order to distinguish the hourly evolutions and sources of water-soluble chromophoric organic matters in atmospheric fine particles. The results suggested that the sources of atmospheric chromophores in winter were primary combustion (~90%) and coal burning, followed by biomass burning and cooking emissions in Xi'an (Northwest China). These atmospheric chromophores decay under the combined action of solar radiation and atmospheric oxidants. Meanwhile, the secondary chromophores were mainly highly-oxygenated humic-like substance (HULIS), produced by atmospheric oxidation reactions with the highest peak in the afternoon. The partly secondary chromophores can also be generated through the Maillard-like reaction in the morning, which depends on the relative humidity of the atmosphere. These findings made a deeper understanding of the sources and transformation of atmospheric brown carbon aerosols.