Thermal stability of inorganic and organic compounds in atmospheric particulate matter

The thermal behaviour of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has been investigated by using different analytical approaches to explore the added value offered by these technique in environmental studies. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), carried out on both certified material and real PM samples, has shown that several mass losses can be detected starting from 80 degrees C up to above 500 degrees C, when pyrolysis occur.