Abstract: This experiment aims to analyze the PAH concentrations in P.M2.5 during ignition and smoldering stage of the prescribed fires of the Coconino National Forest in Northern Arizona. The PAH content was examined using a 1 µL split-less DB-5 capillary GC/MS chromatographs to measure the P.M2.5 extracts. As a result, only two out (fluoranthene and pyrene) of the eight PAHs were detected. Introduction: Prescribed fires are often used to restore wildland ecosystems of Coconino National Forest in Northern Arizona. Contradictory, the environment faces the risks of catastrophic wildfires due to the unhealthy nature of dense undergrowth’s with heavy fuel loads. Moreover, these fires are resulting of pollutants, such as an increase in PM2.5. …show more content…
PM2.5 were the highest during the smoldering phases. Sites A and B showed equivalent PM2.5 masses, while site C had the highest PM2.5. The data have shown the increasing pattern in PAH concentration of PM2.5 mass of the three different samples (Rx1, Rx2, Rx3) after every 1 hour. There is a proportional relationship between the ignition/flaming and smoldering phases. The higher PM2.5 mass level in ignition/flaming phase, the higher the PM2.5 mass level in smoldering phase. Likewise, the longer the fire, the higher the ignition/flaming values and the higher smoldering values (Figure …show more content…
This is because combustion occurred in the smoldering phase. During combustion, fossil fuels were burned for energy will interact with carbon present in air cause to produce CO2 or CO toxicity and tend to residues in atmosphere longer because its density is heavier than air. In fact, most of all the PM2.5 is organic carbon (Marin et al. 2004). Therefore, the longer the smoldering phase, the higher the PM2.5 mass in PAH concentration, the more damage is it to the