Question

Difference between aerosol and particulate matter

Answer 1

An aerosol is a collection of suspended particles and the surrounding gases. A particulate (which is more commonly referred to as particulate matter) refers just to the suspended solid or liquid matter.

Answer 2

Answer:

Aerosol and Particulate matter both are more or less similar with minor differences.

The aerosol is a colloidal suspension of solid particles or liquid particles in gases. They are finely divided particles.

Particulate matter is a heterogeneous discrete solid or liquid (single separate particle of Solid or Liquid). They are subdivided state.

To explain in a layman language aerosol can be liquid or solid particles in a gas. While referring any two (the liquid+gas or solid+gas) it would be called as aerosol while the concerned solid or liquid alone is referred as particulate matter.