ALBERT

Description: Urban air pollution in West Africa has yet to be well characterized. In the frame of DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) program, intensive measurement campaigns were performed in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Cotonou (Benin), in dry (January 2016 and 2017) and wet (July 2015 and 2016) seasons, at different sites chosen to be representative of African urban combustion sources, i.e., domestic fires (ADF), traffic (AT) and waste burning (AWB) sources in Abidjan and traffic source in Cotonou (CT). Both the size distribution of particulate matter (PM) and their chemical composition including elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water-soluble inorganic ions (WSI) and trace metals were examined. Results show very high PM concentrations at all sites and a well-marked seasonality as well as a strong spatial variation. The average PM2.5 mass concentrations during the wet season are 517.3, 104.1, 90.3, and 69.1 µg m−3 at the ADF, CT, AT, and AWB sites, respectively. In the dry season, PM2.5 concentrations decrease to 375.7 µg m−3 at the ADF site, while they increase to 269.7, 141.3, and 175.3 µg m−3 at the CT, AT, and AWB sites, respectively. The annual PM2.5 levels at almost all sites are significantly higher than the WHO guideline level of 10 µg m−3. As for PM mass, (EC) and (OC) concentrations are also maximal at the ADF site, accounting for up to 69 % of the total PM mass. Such a high content is mainly linked to wood burning for domestic cooking and commercial food smoking activities. Dust contributions are dominant at CT (57 %–80 %), AT (20 %–70 %), and AWB (30 %–69 %) sites and especially in the coarse and fine-particle modes at the CT site and in the coarse fraction at the AT site, which may be explained by the impact of long-range desert-dust transport and resuspended particles from the roads, in addition to anthropogenic sources. The contributions of WSI to the total PM mass, mainly driven by chloride, nitrate, and calcium in the fine and/or large particles, are highly variable according to the sites but remain less than 30 %. Values are generally 1–3 times higher in the wet season than in the dry season. This is due not only to anthropogenic emissions but also to nitrate formation by reaction processes and natural emissions. The concentrations of trace elements reflect well the trends in dust at the traffic and AWB sites, with a predominance of Al, Na, Ca, Fe, and K, keys markers of crustal dust. This study constitutes an original database that characterizes specific African combustion sources.

Description: This work is part of the DACCIWA FP7 project (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) in the framework of the Work Package 2 Air Pollution and Health. This study aims to characterize urban air pollution levels through the measurement of NO2, SO2, NH3, HNO3 and O3 in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire. Measurements of inorganic gaseous pollutants, i.e. NO2, SO2, NH3, HNO3 and O3 were performed in Abidjan during an intensive campaign within the dry season (15 December 2015 to 16 February 2016), using INDAAF (International Network to study Deposition and Atmospheric chemistry in AFrica) passive samplers exposed in duplicate for 2-week periods. Twenty-one sites were selected in the district of Abidjan to be representative of various anthropogenic and natural sources of air pollution in the city. Results from this intensive campaign show that gas concentrations are strongly linked to surrounding pollution sources and show a high spatial variability. Also, NH3, NO2 and O3 gases were present at relatively higher concentrations at all the sites. NH3 average concentrations varied between 9.1 ± 1.7 ppb at a suburban site and 102.1 ± 9.1 ppb at a domestic fires site. NO2 mean concentration varied from 2.7 ± 0.1 ppb at a suburban site to 25.0 ± 1.7 ppb at an industrial site. Moreover, we measured the highest O3 concentration at the two coastal sites of Gonzagueville and Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport located in the southeast of the city, with average concentrations of 19.1 ± 1.7 and 18.8 ± 3.0 ppb, respectively. The SO2 average concentration never exceeded 7.2 ± 1.2 ppb over all the sites, with 71.5 % of the sampling sites showing concentrations ranging between 0.4 and 1.9 ppb. The HNO3 average concentration ranged between 0.2 and 1.4 ppb. All these results were combined with meteorological parameters to provide the first mapping of gaseous pollutants on the scale of the district of Abidjan using geostatistical analysis (ArcGIS software). Spatial distribution results emphasize the importance of the domestic fires source and the significant impact of the traffic emissions on the scale of the city. In addition, in this work we propose a first overview of gaseous SO2 and NO2 concentrations on the scale of several African cities by comparing literature to our values. The daily SO2 standard of World Health Organization (WHO) is exceeded in most of the cities reported in the overview, with concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 3662 µg m−3. Annual NO2 concentrations ranged from 2 to 175 µg m−3, which are lower than the WHO threshold. As a conclusion, this study constitutes an original database to characterize urban air pollution and a first attempt towards presenting a spatial distribution of the pollution levels at the scale of the metropolis of Abidjan. This work should draw the attention of the African public authorities to the necessity of building an air quality monitoring network in order to (1) to define national standards and to better control the pollutants emissions and (2) to investigate the impact on the health of the growing population in developing African countries.

Description: Air quality degradation is a major issue in the large conurbations on the shore of the Gulf of Guinea. We present for the first time PM2.5 time series collected in Cotonou, Benin, and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from February 2015 to March 2017. Measurements were performed in the vicinity of major combustion aerosol sources: Cotonou/traffic (CT), Abidjan/traffic (AT), Abidjan/landfill (AL) and Abidjan/domestic fires (ADF). We report the weekly PM2.5 mass and carbonaceous content as elemental (EC) and organic (OC) carbon concentrations. We also measure the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the Ångström exponent in both cities. The average PM2.5 mass concentrations were 32 ± 32, 32 ± 24 and 28 ± 19 µg m−3 at traffic sites CT and AT and landfill site AL, respectively. The domestic fire site shows a concentration of 145 ± 69 µg m−3 due to the contribution of smoking and roasting activities. The highest OC and EC concentrations were also measured at ADF at 71 ± 29 and 15 ± 9 µg m−3, respectively, while the other sites present OC concentration between 8 and 12 µg m−3 and EC concentrations between 2 and 7 µg m−3. The OC ∕ EC ratio is 4.3 at CT and 2.0 at AT. This difference highlights the influence of two-wheel vehicles using gasoline in Cotonou compared to that of four-wheel vehicles using diesel fuel in Abidjan. AOD was rather similar in both cities, with a mean value of 0.58 in Cotonou and of 0.68 in Abidjan. The seasonal cycle is dominated by the large increase in surface mass concentration and AOD during the long dry season (December–February) as expected due to mineral dust advection and biomass burning activities. The lowest concentrations are observed during the short dry season (August–September) due to an increase in surface wind speed leading to a better ventilation. On the other hand, the high PM2.5 ∕ AOD ratio in the short wet season (October–November) indicates the stagnation of local pollution.

Description: Particulate emissions from biomass burning can both alter the atmosphere's radiative balance and cause significant harm to human health. However, due to the large effect on emissions caused by even small alterations to the way in which a fuel burns, it is difficult to study particulate production of biomass combustion mechanistically and in a repeatable manner. In order to address this gap, in this study, small wood samples sourced from Côte D'Ivoire in West Africa were burned in a highly controlled laboratory environment. The shape and mass of samples, available airflow and surrounding thermal environment were carefully regulated. Organic aerosol and refractory black carbon emissions were measured in real time using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer and a Single Particle Soot Photometer, respectively. This methodology produced remarkably repeatable results, allowing aerosol emissions to be mapped directly onto different phases of combustion. Emissions from pyrolysis were visible as a distinct phase before flaming was established. After flaming combustion was initiated, a black-carbon-dominant flame was observed during which very little organic aerosol was produced, followed by a period that was dominated by organic-carbon-producing smouldering combustion, despite the presence of residual flaming. During pyrolysis and smouldering, the two phases producing organic aerosol, distinct mass spectral signatures that correspond to previously reported variations in biofuel emissions measured in the atmosphere are found. Organic aerosol emission factors averaged over an entire combustion event were found to be representative of the time spent in the pyrolysis and smouldering phases, rather than reflecting a coupling between emissions and the mass loss of the sample. Further exploration of aerosol yields from similarly carefully controlled fires and a careful comparison with data from macroscopic fires and real-world emissions will help to deliver greater constraints on the variability of particulate emissions in atmospheric systems.

Description: A number of campaigns have been carried out to establish the emission factors of pollutants from fuel combustion in West Africa, as part of work package 2 (“Air Pollution and Health”) of the DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) FP7 program. Emission sources considered here include wood (hevea and iroko) and charcoal burning, charcoal making, open trash burning, and vehicle emissions, including trucks, cars, buses and two-wheeled vehicles. Emission factors of total particulate matter (TPM), elemental carbon (EC), primary organic carbon (OC) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been established. In addition, emission factor measurements were performed in combustion chambers in order to reproduce field burning conditions for a tropical hardwood (hevea), and obtain particulate emission factors by size (PM0.25, PM1, PM2.5 and PM10). Particle samples were collected on quartz fiber filters and analyzed using gravimetric method for TPM and thermal methods for EC and OC. The emission factors of 58 VOC species were determined using offline sampling on a sorbent tube. Emission factor results for two species of tropical hardwood burning of EC, OC and TPM are 0.98 ± 0.46 g kg−1 of fuel burned (g kg−1), 11.05 ± 4.55 and 41.12 ± 24.62 g kg−1, respectively. For traffic sources, the highest emission factors among particulate species are found for the two-wheeled vehicles with two-stroke engines (2.74 g kg−1 fuel for EC, 65.11 g kg−1 fuel for OC and 496 g kg−1 fuel for TPM). The largest VOC emissions are observed for two-stroke two-wheeled vehicles, which are up to 3 times higher than emissions from light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. Isoprene and monoterpenes, which are usually associated with biogenic emissions, are present in almost all anthropogenic sources investigated during this work and could be as significant as aromatic emissions in wood burning (1 g kg−1 fuel). EC is primarily emitted in the ultrafine fraction, with 77 % of the total mass being emitted as particles smaller than 0.25 µm. The particles and VOC emission factors obtained in this study are generally higher than those in the literature whose values are discussed in this paper. This study underlines the important role of in situ measurements in deriving realistic and representative emission factors.

Description: Several field campaigns were conducted in the framework of the Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project to measure a broad range of atmospheric constituents. Here we present the analysis of an unprecedented and comprehensive dataset integrating up to 56 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from ambient sites and emission sources. VOCs were collected on multi-sorbent tubes in the coastal city of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in winter and summer 2016 and later analysed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization and mass spectrometer detectors (GC-FID and GC-MS) at the laboratory. The comparison between VOC emission source profiles and ambient profiles suggests the substantial impact of two-stroke motorized two-wheel vehicles and domestic fires on the composition of Abidjan's atmosphere. However, despite high VOC concentrations near-source, moderate ambient levels were observed (by factors of 10 to 4000 lower), similar to the concentrations observed in northern mid-latitude urban areas. Besides photochemistry, the reported high wind speeds seem to be an essential factor that regulates air pollution levels in Abidjan. Emission ratios (ΔVOC∕ΔCO) were established based on real-world measurements achieved for a selected number of representative combustion sources. Maximum measured molar mass emissions were observed from two-wheel vehicles, surpassing other regional sources by 2 orders of magnitude. Local practices like waste burning also make a significant contribution to VOC emissions, higher than those from light-duty vehicles by 1.5 to 8 orders of magnitude. These sources also largely govern the VOC's atmospheric impacts in terms of OH reactivity, secondary organic aerosol formation (SOAP), and photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP). While the contribution of aromatics dominates the atmospheric impact, our measurements reveal the systematic presence of anthropogenic terpenoids in all residential combustion sectors. Finally, emission factors were used to retrieve and quantify VOC emissions from the main anthropogenic source sectors at the national level. Our detailed estimation of VOC emissions suggests that the road transport sector is the dominant source in Côte d'Ivoire, emitting around 1200 Gg yr−1 of gas-phase VOCs. These new estimates are 100 and 160 times larger than global inventory estimations from MACCity or EDGAR (v4.3.2), respectively. Additionally, the residential sector is largely underestimated in the global emission inventories, by factors of 13 to 43. Considering only Côte d'Ivoire, these new estimates for VOCs are 3 to 6 times higher than the whole of Europe. Given the significant underestimation of VOC emissions from the transport and residential sectors in Côte d'Ivoire, there is an urgent need to build more realistic and region-specific emission inventories for the entire West African region. This might be true not only for VOCs, but also for all atmospheric pollutants. The lack of waste burning, wood fuel burning and charcoal burning, and fabrication representation in regional inventories also needs to be addressed, particularly in low-income areas where these types of activities are ubiquitous sources of VOC emissions.

Description: Air quality degradation is a major issue in the large conurbations on the shore of the gulf of Guinea. We present for the first time PM2.5 time series collected in Cotonou, Benin and Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire from February 2015 to March 2017. Measurements were performed in the vicinity of major combustion aerosol sources: Cotonou/Traffic (CT), Abidjan/Traffic (AT), Abidjan/Waste Burning (AWB) and Abidjan/Domestic Fires (ADF). We report the weekly PM2.5 mass and carbonaceous content as Elemental (EC) and organic (OC) carbon concentrations. We also proceed to the measurements of the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and the Angström exponent in both cities. The average PM2.5 mass concentrations were 32 ± 32 μg/m3, 32 ± 24 μg/m3, 28 ± 19 μg/m3 at traffic sites CT and AT and waste burning site AWD, respectively. The domestic fire site shows concentration of 145 ± 69 μg/m3 due the contribution of smoking and grilling activities. The highest OC and EC concentrations were also measured at ADF at 71 ± 29 μg/m3 and 15 ± 9 μg/m3, respectively. While the other sites present OC concentration between 8 and 12 μg/m3 and EC concentrations between 2 and 7 μg/m3. The OC / EC ratio is 4.3 at CT and 2.0 at AT. This difference highlighs the influence of 2-wheels vehicles using 2-stoke mix in Cotonou compared to Abidjan. AOD were rather similar in both cities with a mean value of 0.58 in Cotonou and 0.68 in Abidjan. The seasonal cycle is dominated by the large increase in surface mass concentration and AOD during the main dry season (Dec.–Feb.) as expected due to mineral dust advection and biomass burning activities. The lowest concentrations are observed during the minor dry season (Aug.–Sept.) due to an increase in surface wind speed leading to a better ventilation. On the other hand, the high PM2.5 / AOD ratio in the minor wet season (Oct.–Nov.) indicates the stagnation of local pollution.

Description: A number of campaigns have been carried out to establish the emission factors of pollutants from fuel combustion in West Africa, as part of work package 2 (‘Air Pollution and Health’) of the DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) FP7 program. Emission sources considered here include wood and charcoal burning, charcoal making, open waste burning, and vehicles including trucks, cars, buses and two-wheeled vehicles. Emission factors of total particulate matter, black carbon, primary organic carbon and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) have been established. In addition, emission factor measurements were performed in combustion chambers in order to reproduce field burning conditions for tropical hardwood, and obtain particulate emission factors by size (PM0.25, PM1, PM2.5 and PM10). Aerosol samples were collected on quartz filters and analysed using gravimetric and thermal methods. The emission factors of 50 NMVOC species were determined using systematic off-line sampling. Emission factors from wood burning for black carbon, organic carbon and total particulate matter were 0.8 ± 0.4 g/kg of dry matter (dm), 9.29 ± 3.82 g/kg dm and 34.54 ± 20.6 g/kg dm, respectively. From traffic sources, the highest emission factors for all particulate species were emitted from two wheeled vehicles with two-stroke engines (2.74 g/kg fuel for black carbon, 65.11 g/kg fuel for organic carbon and 496 g/kg fuel for total particulate matter). The emissions of NMVOCs were lower than those of particles for all sources aside from traffic. The largest NMVOC emissions were observed for two-stroke two-wheeled vehicles, which were up to three times higher than emissions from light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. Isoprene and monoterpenes, which are usually associated with biogenic emissions, were present in almost all anthropogenic source categories and could be as significant as aromatic emissions in wood burning (1 g/kg dm). Black carbon was primarily emitted in the ultrafine fraction, with 77 % of the total mass being emitted as particles smaller than 0.25 µm. This study observed higher particle and NMVOC emission factors than those in the current literature. This study underlines the important role of in-situ measurements in deriving realistic and representative emission factors.

Description: Air pollution in West Africa is far to be well characterized. It was the rationale of the Air Pollution and Health work package in the DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) program. Intensive measurement campaigns were running in two West African capitals (Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and Cotonou in Benin), to examine size distribution of the particulate matter (PM) concentrations and their chemical composition (Elemental Carbon (EC), Organic Carbon (OC), Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), Water-soluble inorganic ions (WSI) and trace metals). This work aims to characterize PM from different sites in Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote d’Ivoire, typical of Domestic Fire (ADF), Traffic (AT) and Waste Burning (AWB) and Cotonou, the capital of Benin, representative of Traffic (CT). These selected sites, impacted by a large amount of pollution levels, are representative of the main combustion sources prevailing in South West Africa during dry and wet seasons. To address this concern, intensive campaigns in Abidjan and Cotonou have been conducted in July (2015 and 2016) and January (2016 and 2017). Results show a well-marked seasonality, inter-annual and spatial variabilities and the PM levels at the studied areas are generally higher than the WHO guidelines. The average mass concentrations in the wet season were 90.3, 104.1, 69.1 and 517.3 μg m−3 at AT, CT, AWB and ADF sites, respectively. The largest value at ADF site is due to the contribution of smoking and roasting activities. By contrast in the dry season, the concentrations increase to 141.3, 269.7 and 175.3 μg m−3 at AT, CT and AWB site, respectively whereas at ADF site concentration decreases to 375.7 μg m−3. The chemical aerosol mass closure shows that dust contributed for 25–65 % at the both traffic and AWB sites, and 10–30 % at ADF with a clear seasonal cycle. A large variability of POM is observed with contribution range of 37–68 % at ADF, 20–42 % at AT, 10–34 % at AWB and 15–22 % at CT. The contribution of WSI to bulk PM (lower than 20 %) is 2–3 times larger in wet season than dry season, except at ADF site where no season variation is observed. The most dominant species in WSI fraction at ADF are chloride (18–36 % of the total ions), potassium (8–22 %) and calcium (13–25 %), while at the rest of the sites, nitrates (21–36 %), chlorides (6–30 %) and sulfates (9–20 %) are higher. At all sites, the proportion of EC is twice higher in dry season than in wet season. Carbonaceous aerosol (sum of EC and POM) and dust particles are the two major contributors to the different particle fractions with carbonaceous aerosol predominant at Abidjan and dust at Cotonou. The highest carbonaceous aerosol contribution is obtained at ADF (up to 75 % of total PM), while at the other sites its contribution ranges between 18 and 35 %. WSOC levels are higher at the traffic sites during the dry season, while during the wet season they are maximum at ADF and AWB sites. Element trace characterization is also determined, showing predominance of Al, Na and Ca followed by Fe, K and Mg. Our study highlights the contribution of different traffic emissions in two major West African cities in atmospheric aerosol composition but also the one of domestic fire and waste combustion sources. It constitutes an original database to characterize urban air pollution for specific African combustion sources.