Properties of Secondary Organic Aerosol in the Ambient Atmosphere

Properties of Secondary Organic Aerosol in the Ambient Atmosphere
Author: Christopher James Hennigan
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2008
Genre: Air
ISBN:

This thesis characterizes properties of ambient secondary organic aerosol (SOA), an important and abundant component of particulate matter. The findings presented in this thesis are significant because they represent the results from ambient measurements, which are relatively scarce, and because they report on properties of SOA that, until now, were highly uncertain. The analyses utilized the fraction of particulate organic carbon that was soluble in water (WSOCp) to approximate SOA concentrations in two largely different urban environments, Mexico City and Atlanta. In Mexico City, measurements of atmospheric gases and fine particle chemistry were made at a site ~ 30 km down wind of the city center. Using box model analyses and a comparison to ammonium nitrate aerosol, a species whose thermodynamic properties are generally understood, the morning formation and mid-day evaporation of SOA are investigated. In Atlanta, simultaneous measurements of WSOCp and water-soluble organic carbon in the gas phase (WSOCg) were carried out for an entire summer to investigate the sources and partitioning of WSOC. The results suggest that both WSOCp and WSOCg were secondary and biogenic, except possibly in several strong biomass burning events. The gas/particle partitioning of WSOC in Atlanta was investigated through the parameter, Fp, which represented the fraction of WSOC in the particle phase. Factors that appear to influence WSOC partitioning in Atlanta include ambient relative humidity and the WSOCp mass concentration. There was also a relationship between the NOx concentration and Fp, though this was not likely related to the partitioning process. Temperature did not appear to impact Fp, though this may have been due to positive relationships WSOCp and WSOCg each exhibited with temperature. Neither the total Organic Carbon aerosol mass concentration nor the ozone concentration impacted WSOC partitioning.

Environmental Simulation Chambers: Application to Atmospheric Chemical Processes

Environmental Simulation Chambers: Application to Atmospheric Chemical Processes
Author: Ian Barnes
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 492
Release: 2006-01-13
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781402042317

The book gives in the first instance descriptions of different types of so-called environment chambers or photoreactors used mainly for the simulation and/or investigation of important chemical processes occurring in the atmosphere. The types of reactor described include outdoor and indoor chambers, temperature regulated chambers and glass and Teflon foil chambers The practical use of chambers is demonstrated in contributions by leading scientists in the field of atmospheric chemistry using, in many cases, current results. The types of atmospherically relevant investigations described include the measurement of reactivities, the measurement of radicals, the measurement of photolysis frequencies and products, kinetic and product studies on the oxidation of different types of hydrocarbons by important oxidant species (OH, N03, 03), formation of secondary organic aerosol from hydrocarbon oxidation etc. A special section includes contributions from eastern European countries which highlight some of the environmental research being performed in these countries. An abridged version of a specially commissioned review by the JRC Ispra on the status of environmental research in eastern European countries is also included in this section.

Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering

Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering
Author: Mark E. Davis
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2013-05-27
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0486291316

Appropriate for a one-semester undergraduate or first-year graduate course, this text introduces the quantitative treatment of chemical reaction engineering. It covers both homogeneous and heterogeneous reacting systems and examines chemical reaction engineering as well as chemical reactor engineering. Each chapter contains numerous worked-out problems and real-world vignettes involving commercial applications, a feature widely praised by reviewers and teachers. 2003 edition.

Environmental Chemistry of Aerosols

Environmental Chemistry of Aerosols
Author: Ian Colbeck
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2008-03-24
Genre: Science
ISBN:

Covering the most recent material, this text brings together all the information on atmospheric aerosols in one place, making it easily accessible to practitioners and students.

Impacts of Controlling Reactivity and Temperature on Advanced Study of Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

Impacts of Controlling Reactivity and Temperature on Advanced Study of Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation
Author: Mary Elizabeth Kacarab
Publisher:
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2016
Genre: Aerosols
ISBN: 9781369088045

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is formed via the oxidation of volatile organic compounds emitted to the atmosphere from both biogenic and anthropogenic sources. Due to the complexity of atmospheric composition and range of ambient conditions, aerosol models, which are mostly based off observed yields from controlled laboratory chamber experiments, greatly underestimate global SOA formation. To increase the understanding of the formation and properties of ambient SOA, it is imperative to explore ways to improve the complexity of chamber studies while still maintaining a level of control not found outside of the laboratory.

Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols

Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols
Author: Ian Colbeck
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 488
Release: 1998
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

An aerosol is a suspension of fine particles in a gas, usually air, and is generally taken to include both solid and liquid particles with dimensions ranging from a few nanometres up to around 100 micrometres in diameter. Aerosol sicence is the study of the physics and chemistry of aerosol behaviour and this includes techniques of generating particles of nanometre and micrometre dimensions: size classification and measurement, transport and deposition properties: chemical properties of aerosols in the atmosphere and in industry, as well as health effects from inhalation and industrial gas cleaning technology. Aerosols have important commercial implications, e.g. pressure-packaged `aerosol' products, agricultural sprays, atmospheric visibility and high technology materials and knowledge of aerosol properties is important in a wide range of disciplines, including industrial hygiene, air pollution, medicine, agriculture, meteorology and geochemistry. Written by an international team of contributors, this book forms a timely, concise and accessible overview of aerosol science and technology. Chemists, technologists and engineers new to aerosol science will find this book an essential companion in their studies of the subject. Those more familiar with aerosols will use it as an essential source of reference.

Aerosols in Atmospheric Chemistry

Aerosols in Atmospheric Chemistry
Author: Yue Zhang
Publisher: American Chemical Society
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2022-04-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0841299293

The uncertainties in the aerosol effects on radiative forcing limit our knowledge of climate change, presenting us with an important research challenge. Aerosols in Atmospheric Chemistry introduces basic concepts about the characterization, formation, and impacts of ambient aerosol particles as an introduction to graduate students new to the field. Each chapter also provides an up-to-date synopsis of the latest knowledge of aerosol particles in atmospheric chemistry.

Phase Partitioning During the Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosol

Phase Partitioning During the Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosol
Author: Chen Wang
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

A sound parameterization of the gas-particle partitioning process is essential for understanding and quantifying secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. This thesis aimed to improve the understanding and description of phase partitioning during SOA formation through a combination of both laboratory and modeling studies. Partitioning of organic compounds between gas and particle phase is influenced by the presence of a large quantity of inorganic salts in aerosol, which is known as the salt effect. The salt effects of atmospherically relevant inorganic salts for a large number of organic compounds with various functional groups were measured in this study. The results revealed the importance of both salt species and organic compound identities on the salt effect, with the former as the dominant determinant. Models in predicting salt effect were calibrated and evaluated using the experimental data. Salt effect in mixtures was also investigated, which assists the understanding of salt effect in mixture salt solutions, including aerosols. A new approach for predicting gas-particle partitioning during SOA formation based on quantum chemical calculations was presented, which considers the partitioning species explicitly and captures the dynamic aspects of the aerosol formation processes. The role of different atmospheric parameters and chemical properties (organic loading, liquid water content, salinity, chemical ageing, etc.) was investigated and compared. Performance of the model was found to be comparable to the best currently used group contribution methods. SOA formation from constant emission and oxidation of precursor compounds was simulated to resemble the realistic scenario in the ambient atmosphere. The differential yield that describes the amount of SOA formed from a certain amount of added oxidation products was introduced, which is more relevant for SOA formation in the ambient atmosphere. The necessity of considering kinetic processes in addition to the thermodynamic equilibrium process was also discussed.