Exploring the formation potential and optical properties of secondary organic aerosol from the photooxidation of selected short aliphatic ethers

Secondary organic aerosol(SOA) formation potential for six kinds of short aliphatic ethers has been studied.The size distribution,mass concentration,and yield of SOA formed by ethers photooxidation were determined under different conditions.The results showed that all six ethers can generate SOA via reaction with OH radicals even under no seed and NO_xfree condition.The mass concentration for six seedless experiments was less than 10 μg/m³ and the SOA yields were all below 1...     

Effect of NOx and SO2 on the photooxidation of methylglyoxal: Implications in secondary aerosol formation

Methylglyoxal(CH₃COCHO,MG),which is one of the most abundant α-dicarbonyl compounds in the atmosphere,has been reported as a major source of secondary organic aerosol(SOA).In this work,the reaction of MG with hydroxyl radicals was studied in a 500 L smog chamber at(293±3) K,atmospheric pressure,(18±2)% relative humidity,and under different NOx and SO₂.Particle size distribution was measured by using a scanning mobility particle sizer(SMPS) and the results showed that the ad...     

Wall losses of oxygenated volatile organic compounds from oxidation of toluene: Effects of chamber volume and relative humidity

Vapor wall losses can affect the yields of secondary organic aerosol. The effects of surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio and relative humidity (RH) on the vapor-wall interactions were investigated in this study. The oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) were generated from toluene-H₂O₂ irradiations. The average gas to wall loss rate constant (k_gw) of OVOCs in a 400 L reactor (S/V = 7.5 m⁻¹) is 2.47 (2.41 under humid conditions) times higher than that in a 5000 L reactor (S/V = 3.6 m⁻¹) under dry conditions. In contrast, the average desorption rate constant (k_wg) of OVOCs in 400 L reactor is only 1.37 (1.20 under humid conditions) times higher than that in 5000 L reactor under dry conditions. It shows that increasing the S/V ratio can promote the wall losses of OVOCs. By contrast, the RH effect on k_gw is not prominent. The average k_gw value under humid conditions is almost the same as under dry conditions in the 400 L (5000 L) reactor. However, increasing RH can decrease the desorption rates. The average k_wg value under dry conditions is 1.45 (1.27) times higher than that under humid conditions in the 400 L (5000 L) reactor. The high RH can increase the partitioning equilibrium timescales and enhance the wall losses of OVOCs.     

Size distribution of the secondary organic aerosol particles from the photooxidation of toluene

In a smog chamber, the photooxidation of toluene was initiated by hydroxyl radical （OH.） under different experimental conditions. The size distribution of secondary organic aerosol（SOA） particles from the above reaction was measured using aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer. It was found from our experimental results that the number of SOA particles increased with increasing the concentration of toluene. As the reaction time prolonged, the sum of SOA particles was also increased. After a reaction time of 130 min, the concentration of secondary organic aerosol particles would be kept constant at 2300 particles/cm^3. Increasing illumination power of blacklamps could significantly induce a higher concentration of secondary organic aerosol particle. The density of SOA particles would also be increased with increasing concentration of CH30NO, however, it would be decreased as soon as the concentration of CH30NO was larger than 225.2 ppm. Nitrogen oxide with initial concentration higher than 30. 1 ppm was also found to have little effect on the formation of secondary organic aerosol.     

Roles of semivolatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds in secondary organic aerosol formation and its implication: A review

Secondary organic aerosol(SOA) is a very important component of fine particulate matter(PM_2.5) in the atmosphere. However, the simulations of SOA, which could help to elucidate the detailed mechanism of SOA formation and quantify the roles of various precursors, remains unsatisfactory, as SOA levels are frequently underestimated. It has been found that the performance of SOA formation models can be significantly improved by incorporating the emission and evolution of semivolatile and ...     

Assessing the influence of environmental conditions on secondary organic aerosol formation from a typical biomass burning compound

The atmospheric chemistry in complex air pollution remains poorly understood. In order to probe how environmental conditions can impact the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from biomass burning emissions, we investigated the photooxidation of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) under different environmental conditions in a smog chamber. It was found that SO₂ could promote the formation of SOA and increase the amounts of inorganic salts produced during the photooxidation. The formation rate of SOA and the corresponding SOA mass concentration increased gradually with the increasing DMF/OH ratio. The addition of (NH₄)₂SO₄ seed aerosol accelerated the SOA formation rate and significantly shortened the time for the reaction to reach equilibrium. Additionally, a relatively high illumination intensity promoted the formation of OH radicals and, correspondingly, enhanced the photooxidation of DMF. However, the enhancement of light intensity accelerated the aging of SOA, which led to a gradual decrease of the SOA mass concentration. This work shows that by having varying influence on atmospheric chemical reactions, the same environmental factor can affect SOA formation in different ways. The present study is helpful for us to better understand atmospheric complex pollution.     

Competing esterification and oligomerization reactions of typical long-chain alcohols to secondary organic aerosol formation

Organosulfate (OSA) nanoparticles,as secondary organic aerosol (SOA) compositions,are ubiquitous in urban and rural environments.Hence,we systemically investigated the mechanisms and kinetics of aqueous-phase reactions of 1-butanol/1-decanol (BOL/DOL) and their roles in the formation of OSA nanoparticles by using quantum chemical and kinetic calculations.The mechanism results show that the aqueous-phase reactions of BOL/DOL start from initial protonation at alcoholic OH-groups to form carbenium ...     

Effect of illumination intensity and light application time on secondary organic aerosol formation from the photooxidation of α-pinene

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from hydroxyl radical (OH.) initiated photooxidation of α-pinene was investigated in a home-made smog chamber. The size distribution of SOA particles was measured using aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer. The effects of illumination intensity and light application time on SOA formation for α-pinene were evaluated. Experimental results show that the concentration of SOA particles increased significantly with an increasing of illumination intensity, and the light...     

Effect of alkaline earth metal promoter on catalytic activity of MnO2 for the complete oxidation of toluene

Herein, Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ are introduced to MnO₂ through cation-exchange method. The presence of Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ significantly enhance the catalytic activity of MnO₂ in toluene oxidation. Among them, the Ca-MnO₂ catalyst exhibits the best catalytic activity (T₅₀ = 194°C, T₉₀ = 215°C, E_a = 57.2 kJ/mol, reaction rate 8.40 × 10^?10 mol/(sec?m²) at 210°C. T₅₀ and T₉₀: the temperature of 50% and 90% toluene conversion; E_a: apparent activation energy) and possess high tolerance against 2.0 vol.% water vapor. Results reveal that the increased acidic sites of the MnO₂ sample can enhance the adsorption of gaseous toluene, and the mobility of oxygen species and the content of reactive oxygen species in the catalyst are significantly improved due to the formed oxygen vacancy. Thus these two factors result in excellent catalytic performance for toluene oxidation combining with the weak CO₂ adsorption ability.     

Review of the influencing factors of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging mechanism based on photochemical smog chamber simulation methods

The formation and aging mechanism of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and its influencing factors have attracted increasing attention in recent years because of their effects on climate change, atmospheric quality and human health. However, there are still large errors between air quality model simulation results and field observations. The currently undetected components during the formation and aging of SOA due to the limitation of current monitoring techniques and the interactions among multiple SOA formation influencing factors might be the main reasons for the differences. In this paper, we present a detailed review of the complex dynamic physical and chemical processes and the corresponding influencing factors involved in SOA formation and aging. And all these results were mainly based the studies of photochemical smog chamber simulation. Although the properties of precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxidants (such as OH radicals), and atmospheric environmental factors (such as NO_x, SO₂, NH₃, light intensity, temperature, humidity and seed aerosols) jointly influence the products and yield of SOA, the nucleation and vapor pressure of these products were found to be the most fundamental aspects when interpreting the dynamics of the SOA formation and aging process. The development of techniques for measuring intermediate species in SOA generation processes and the study of SOA generation and aging mechanism in complex systems should be important topics of future SOA research.     

氯化钙种子气溶胶对甲苯二次有机气溶胶与氨形成含氮有机物的影响

苯系物光氧化反应形成的二次有机气溶胶(SOA)是大气细粒子的重要组成部分.SOA羧酸和二元醛组分能与氨反应形成有机酸铵和咪唑类含氮有机物,它们能够吸收205 nm和270 nm的紫外辐射,是棕色碳的主要组分.氯化钙等无机种子气溶胶具有较大的比表面积,可为气相羰基化合物和氨提供凝结与反应载体,从而影响含氮有机物的形成.基于此,本文利用烟雾腔研究氯化钙种子气溶胶存在时甲苯SOA与氨的反应,采用紫外-可见分光光度计测量产物溶液在205 nm和270 nm处的吸光度,并定性研究不同浓度、湿度和酸度的氯化钙种子气溶胶对含氮有机物形成的影响.结果表明:氯化钙种子气溶胶能够促进甲苯SOA含氮有机物的形成;含氮有机物的生成浓度随着氯化钙种子气溶胶浓度和pH值的增加而逐渐增大.但当氯化钙种子气溶胶为碱性时,OH~-会与凝结的有机酸发生酸碱中和反应并抑制二元醛化合物水合形成四醇产物,从而不利于含氮有机物的生成;水分子的增加占据了氯化钙种子气溶胶表面的吸附活性位点,氨被吸附和凝结的量减少,从而导致含氮有机物的生成浓度随着相对湿度的增大而降低.本研究可为人为源SOA棕色碳的形成机制和化学组成研究提供实验依据.     

氨与甲苯SOA形成含氮有机物的影响因素研究

利用自制的烟雾腔系统使臭氧光解产生OH自由基,启动甲苯光氧化产生二次有机气溶胶（SOA）粒子,在不同的实验条件下研究甲苯SOA与氨反应形成的含氮有机物,并采用紫外-可见分光光度计测量反应产物溶液在205和270nm处的吸光度,探究光照时间、甲苯、氨、臭氧浓度和相对湿度等环境因素对含氮有机物形成的影响规律.结果表明,有机酸铵和咪唑类产物的生成浓度随着紫外光照时间的延长,甲苯、氨和臭氧的浓度的增加而逐渐增大.但是当臭氧浓度超过一定值后,光解生成的高浓度OH自由基能够使甲苯光氧化产物变成更多的挥发性化合物,从而不利于含氮有机物的生成.水分子的增加会使臭氧光解产生的OH自由基浓度减少,从而导致有机酸铵和咪唑类产物的生成浓度随着相对湿度的增大而降低.这为研究人为源SOA颗粒中含氮有机物棕色碳的形成提供了实验依据.     

Heterogeneous reaction of SO2 on CaCO3 particles: Different impacts of NO2 and acetic acid on the sulfite and sulfate formation

Despite the heterogeneous reaction of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) on mineral dust particles significantly affects the atmospheric environment, the effect of acidic gases on the formation of sulfite and sulfate from this reaction is not particularly clear. In this work, using the in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) technique, we employed a mineral dust particle model (CaCO₃) combined with NO₂ and acetic acid to investigate their effects on the heterogeneous reaction of SO₂ on CaCO₃ particles. It was found that water vapor can promote the formation of sulfite and simulated radiation can facilitate the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate. The addition of NO₂ or acetic acid to the reaction system altered the production of sulfate and sulfite accordingly. There was a synergistic effect between NO₂ and SO₂ that promoted the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate, and a competitive effect between acetic acid and SO₂ that inhibited the formation of sulfite. Moreover, light and water vapor can also affect the heterogeneous reaction of SO₂ with the coexistence of multiple gases. These findings improve our understanding of the effects of organic and inorganic gases and environmental factors on the formation of sulfite and sulfate in heterogeneous reactions.     

Comparative investigation of coal- and oil-fired boilers based on emission factors, ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation potentials of VOCs

Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are the important precursors of the tropospheric ozone(O_3) and secondary organic aerosols(SOA),both of which are known to harm human health and disrupt the earth's climate system.In this study,VOC emission factors,O_3 and SOA formation potentials were estimated for two types of industrial boilers:coal-fired boilers(n=3) and oil-fired boilers(n=3).Results showed that EVOCs concentrations were more than nine times higher for oil-fire d boilers compared to those for coal-fired boilers.Emission factors of ΣVOCs were found to be higher for oil-fired boilers(9.26-32.83 mg-VOC/kg) than for coal-fired boilers(1.57-4.13 mg-VOC/kg).Alkanes and aromatics were obtained as the most abundant groups in coal-fired boilers,while oxygenated organics and aromatics were the most contributing groups in oil-fired boilers.Benzene,n-hexane and o-ethyl toluene were the abundant VOC species in coal-fired boiler emissions,whereas toluene was the most abundant VOC species emitted from oil-fired boilers.O_3 and SOA formation potentials were found 12 and 18 times,respectively,higher for oil-fired than for coal-fired boilers.Total OFP ranged from 3.99 to 11.39 mg-O_3/kg for coal-fired boilers.For oil-fired boilers,total OFP ranged from 36.16 to 131.93 mg-O_3/kg.Moreover,total secondary organic aerosol potential(SOAP) ranged from 65.4 to 122.5 mg-SOA/kg and 779.9 to 2252.5 mg-SOA/kg for the coal-fired and oil-fired boilers,respectively.     

CuO-modified activated carbon for the improvement of toluene removal in air

We used an impregnation method to prepare CuO/AC(activated carbon) composite materials of different CuO content and characterized them via scanning electron microscope(SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR).The effect of CuO content on toluene adsorption/desorption was evaluated.We explored the reusability of AC and AC03(CuO modified AC with CuO loading 0.3 wt.%) adsorbents via toluene adsorption/desorption cycle testing.We used quasi-firstand quasi-second-order models, the Bangham model, and the Weber–Morris model to fit the toluene adsorption data.The introduction of CuO species evidently improved the adsorption performance of activated carbon toward toluene.The CuO content markedly affected the specific surface area, CuO dispersal, the numbers of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface, and adsorption performance of the prepared composite adsorbents.Low CuO content was not favorable for the formation of active adsorption sites,while high content greatly reduced the specific surface area, and even covered active adsorption sites.The toluene adsorption performance varied in the order AC03 AC02 AC05 AC08 AC01(AC03, AC02, AC05, AC08 and AC01 are CuO modifying AC with CuO loading 0.3, 0.2, 0.5 0.8 and 0.1 wt.%, respectively).The breakthrough time and toluene adsorption capacity of the AC03 composite adsorbent were 94 min and 701.8 mg/g,respectively, and the recycling efficiency was 92.8% after thermal desorption at 200°C.The adsorption process was best described by the Bangham model and adsorption could be divided into three stages.     

Effects of seed aerosols on the growth of secondary organic aerosols from the photooxidation of toluene

Hydroxyl radical （.OH）-initiated photooxidation reaction of toluene was carried out in a self-made smog chamber. Four individual seed aerosols such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sodium silicate and calcium chloride, were introduced into the chamber to assess their influence on the growth of secondary organic aerosols （SOA）. It was found that the low concentration of seed aerosols might lead to high concentration of SOA particles. Seed aerosols would promote rates of SOA formation at the start of the reaction and inhibit its formation rate with prolonging the reaction time. In the case of ca. 9000 pt/cm^3 seed aerosol load, the addition of sodium silicate induced a same effect on the SOA formation as ammonium nitrate. The influence of the four individual seed aerosols on the generation of SOA decreased in the order of calcium chloride〉sodium silicate and ammonium nitrate〉ammonium sulfate.     

苯水相光氧化反应形成二次有机气溶胶的实验研究

来源于机动车尾气的苯能溶于大气水滴、云雾等水相中并发生水相光氧化反应,在水分蒸发后,产物保留在颗粒相中形成二次有机气溶胶(SOA)粒子.本文采用雾化器将羟基启动苯水相光氧化反应溶液雾化产生气溶胶粒子,通过扩散干燥管除去水蒸气后产生SOA粒子,采用气溶胶激光飞行时间质谱仪进行在线检测,利用紫外可见吸收光谱仪、红外光谱仪和液相色谱串联质谱仪离线测量SOA的化学组分.实验结果表明,激光解吸附质谱中存在醛类(m/z=29(CHO~+)、57(CHOCO~+))、羧酸(m/z=44(COO~+))和苯环(m/z=39(C_3H~+_3)、65(C_5H~-_5))特征裂解碎片峰.SOA粒子的红外光谱图中存在苯环C—H和C=C双键,以及C=O双键、C—O、O—H和C—O—C键的伸缩振动吸收峰,电喷雾电离质谱中存在m/z高达915的离子峰.这表明醛类、羧酸、酚类、芳香醚类产物和酚类产物发生聚合形成的高分子量化合物是SOA粒子的主要化学组分.这为研究人为源挥发性有机化合物水相反应形成SOA的机理提供了实验依据.     

氨对甲苯二次有机气溶胶形成和化学组分的影响研究

氨(NH_3)是大气中常见的主要碱性污染气体,能够影响二次有机气溶胶(SOA)的形成和化学组分.本文利用自制的烟雾腔系统开展了NH_3对甲苯SOA形成和化学组分的影响研究,先后采用扫描移动粒径谱仪(SMPS)、气溶胶激光飞行时间质谱仪(ALTOFMS)、紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-Vis)、衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(ATR-FTIR)和荧光光谱仪(MF)测量反应产生的SOA粒子的物理化学性质.结果显示,在光照60 min的时间范围内,有NH_3条件下形成的SOA质量浓度和中心粒径相比于无NH_3条件下分别增加了50%和25%,这说明NH_3能够显著促进甲苯SOA的形成.与无NH_3条件下相比,NH_3存在时甲苯SOA化学组分的紫外可见吸收光谱在270 nm处有明显的吸收峰;红外吸收光谱出现了CN、C—N、N—H键的吸收峰;激光解吸附质谱图中含有m/z=67(C_3H_3N_2~+)、m/z=41(C_2H_2N~+)和m/z=28(CH2N+)碎片峰.这些谱图信息综合表明是NH_3和甲苯SOA中的二醛组分反应形成了咪唑类新产物.这为研究人为源SOA的形成机制提供了实验依据.     

Chemical composition and size distribution of secondary organic aerosol formed from the photooxidation of isoprene

Photooxidation of isoprene leads to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In this study, the chemical composition of SOA formed from OH-initiated photooxidation of isoprene has been investigated with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and a home-made aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Sampling particles generated in a home-made smog chamber. The size distribution of SOA particles was detected by a TSI 3321 aerodynamic particle size spectrometer in real time. Results showed that SOA created by isoprene photooxidation was predominantly in the form of fine particles, which have diameters less than 2.5 m. The obtained mass spectra of individual particles show that products of the OH-initiated oxidation of isoprene contain methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, formaldehyde, and some other hydroxycarbonyls. The possible reaction mechanisms leading to these products were also discussed.