Photolytic behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel particulate matter deposited on the ground.

To clarify the photolytic behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in diesel particulate matter (DPM) deposited on the ground, we determined the rate constants and half-lives for the photodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaPy), phenanthrene (Phe), fluoranthene (Flrt), pyrene (Py), and chrysene (Ch) in air for three probable cases: (1) DPM is placed on an inert surface, (2) DPM is mixed with soil, and (3) PAHs are leached from DPM and adsorbed to soil. We found that BaPy and Phe degraded relatively quickly in case 1. However, in case 2, these PAHs degraded more slowly due to the effect of the presence of soil. Flrt, Py, and Ch were stable. In case 3, photodegradation of adsorbed PAHs in soil was strongly inhibited as a function of soil depth. Although these findings were obtained at extreme light intensities, they may occur under real world conditions. Conversion factors for obtaining rate constants and half-lives for PAHs on the ground under sunlight are presented. We conclude that under the average intensity of sunlight in Tokyo, photodegradation of PAHs in DPM deposited on an inert surface is very slow.