Chemical characterization of urban aerosols in Abidjan and Korhogo (Cote d'Ivoire) from 2018 to 2020 and the identification of their potential emission sources

As part of the Air Pollution and Health in Urban Environments (PASMU) project, equipment was installed in urban sites of Abidjan and Korhogo (Ivory Coast) in West Africa with the aim of monitoring the chemical composition of PM2.5 aerosols. These installations were used to collect PM2.5 aerosols at weekly intervals for the determination of their PM2.5 mass, EC, OC and water-soluble ions (WSI). This database enabled us to analyse the 2 year trend (2018-2020) of the chemical composition of PM2.5 aerosols in these two cities. In addition, this database was used to assess the sources of these aerosols using both PCA (principal component analysis) and the US Environmental Protection Agency's EPA PMF 5.0 software. The results showed that the PM2.5 concentrations observed during the 2 dry seasons were more than twice than that during the 2 wet seasons. Also, over the 2 year study period, the observed PM2.5 concentrations were above the WHO, 2021 standards. The analysis of the chemical composition of PM2.5 showed that organic matter (OM) was the major fraction in the 2 cities, followed by EC in Abidjan and dust in Korhogo. Similarly, the observed trends showed greater variations in OC concentrations between the dry and wet seasons compared with EC. Also, 5 contributing sources were identified with disproportionate contributions. In Abidjan, these sources included road traffic (44.7%), domestic fires (40%), natural and road dust (11.2%), sea salt (3%), and construction dust (1.2%). In Korhogo, the sources were biomass burning and domestic fires (70.7%), road traffic (16%), road dust and sea salt (8.1%), natural dust (2.6%), and agriculture (2.5%). This study offers vital insights into identifying the primary sources of urban air pollution in West African cities. Consequently, tailored strategies based on these sources can effectively mitigate urban particulate pollution, leading to reduced emissions, enhanced air quality, and improved public health in densely populated urban regions.