Variations in mixing states of organic aerosol composition and formation of secondary organic aerosol at background region

Investigation on organic particles was limited in the background regions of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and little information has been obtained on organic particles of Lin’an (LA). In the present study, the morphology, composition, mixing state, and size of organic aerosols with diameter less than 1 µm were characterized at Lin’an from 20 March 2019 to 20 April 2019. In all samples, irregular types of organic matter (OM) particles were high fraction during morning (72.4%), afternoon (59.1%), and evening (52%), and most of them were internally mixed. In our study, we identified a higher fraction of internally mixed particles in evenings (85%), followed by afternoon (81%), and fewer mixed particles in mornings (68%), indicating particle growth during afternoon and evening. Further, the results show that fraction of organic coating particles was higher in evening (27.4%) and afternoon (12%) indicates strong photochemical processes and formation of secondary organic aerosol on the inorganic particles and new particles formation. Our study reveals that biomass burning in the morning and coal burning from heavy industries, power plants, and vehicles in surrounding urban regions in the afternoon and evenings significantly affected background air quality.