Simulating organic aerosol formation during the photooxidation of toluene/NOx mixtures: comparing the equilibrium and kinetic assumption

A core-shell box model for simulating viscosity dependent secondary organic aerosol (CSVA) and its application

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) plays a key role in air pollution and global climate change. However, the understanding and modelling of SOA properties and evolution are still limited. In this paper, we developed a novel kinetic Core-Shell box model for Viscosity dependent SOA simulation (CSVA), which includes explicit gas-phase reactions (MCM), homogeneous nucleation by H₂SO₄-NH₃-H₂O, viscosity dependent mass transfer between gas and particle phases (organic and aqueous phases) and particle-phase reactions. The gas-particle mass transfer is represented by chainlike reactions analogizing to electrical resistance. The CSVA model is verified and applied to chamber experiments of toluene oxidation systems. The monomers and dimers of SOA are determined by coupling the high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectra and MCM mechanism. The majority of dimers are confirmed to be peroxyhemiacetals formed by reactions of hydroperoxides with aldehydes in the particle phase. The results show that CSVA can well capture the following processes: (1) relative humidity (RH) dependent nucleation of the H₂SO₄-NH₃-H₂O system, (2) particle size-dependent hygroscopic growth of inorganics (e.g., NaCl and (NH₄)₂SO₄) and organics (levoglucosan and SOA), (3) NO_x dependent SOA formation, (4) viscosity-induced evolution of particle size distribution, and (5) effect of RH on SOA formation. In particular, our model reproduces the phenomenon that the evolution of SOA particle size distribution from a one-peak mode into a two-peak mode is due to viscosity.

Smog chamber study of the effects of NOx and NH3 on the formation of secondary organic aerosols and optical properties from photo-oxidation of toluene

Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) have been receiving significant attention because of their significant impacts on air quality and human health. In this study, the influences of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH₃) on SOA formation from photooxidation of toluene was investigated in the Shanghai university smog chamber. The chemical and physical characteristics of gas-phase products and SOAs from toluene photo-oxidation were characterized using laboratory-developed single photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, single particle aerosol mass spectrometry, and cavity ring-down aerosol extinction albedo spectroscopy instruments. It was observed that increasing the initial nitrogen oxides ([NOx]₀) under low-[NOx]₀ conditions enhanced the SOA yield, while increasing [NOx]₀ under high-[NOx]₀ conditions suppressed the SOA yield. After adding NH₃, the number concentration, average SOA diameter, and extinction and scattering coefficients showed an immediate and rapid increase due to the formation of significant amounts of condensable ammonium nitrate and nitrogen-containing (NOC) compounds. Moreover, a simplified reaction mechanism for the photooxidation of toluene initiated by the hydroxyl radical (OH) was believed to follow two reaction channels: minor H abstraction, and major OH addition, which continuously induced the subsequent reactions. The results of this study presented rapid analytical method for the joint use of a smog chamber with on-line analytical instruments to immediately characterize the effects of SOA formation, which will help in understanding the new particle formation and particle growth, and thus provides a new insight for in-depth understanding of the haze pollution in China.

Chemical Characterization of Highly Functionalized Organonitrates Contributing to Night-Time Organic Aerosol Mass Loadings and Particle Growth

Reactions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) with NO₃ radicals and of reactive intermediates of oxidized VOC with NO _x can lead to the formation of highly functionalized organonitrates (ON). We present quantitative and chemical information on ON contributing to high night-time organic aerosol (OA) mass concentrations measured during July-August 2016 in a rural area in southwest Germany. A filter inlet for gases and aerosols coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS) was used to analyze the molecular composition of ON in both the gas and particle phase. We find larger contributions of ON to OA mass during the night. Identified ON are highly functionalized, with 4 to 12 oxygen atoms. The diel patterns of ON compounds with 5, 7, 10, or 15 carbon atoms per molecule vary, indicating a corresponding behavior of their potential precursor VOC. The temporal behavior of ON after sunset correlates with that of the number concentration of ultrafine particles, indicating a potential role of ON in night-time new particle formation (NPF) regularly observed at this location. We estimate an ON contribution of 18-25% to the mass increase of newly formed particles after sunset. Our study provides insights into the chemical composition of highly functionalized ON in the rural atmosphere and the role of anthropogenic emissions for night-time SOA formation in an area where biogenic VOC emissions dominate.

Secondary organic aerosol formation from m-xylene in the absence of NOx

Formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from m-xylene photoxidation in the absence of NOx was investigated in a series of smog chamber experiments. Experiments were performed in dry air and in the absence of seed aerosol with H2O2 photolysis providing a stable hydroxyl radical (OH radical) source. SOA formation from this study is exceptionally higher than experiments with existence of NOx. The experiments with elevated HO2 levels indicate that organic hydroperoxide compounds should contribute to SOA formation. Nitrogen oxide (NO) is shown to reduce aerosol formation; the constant aerosol formation rate obtained before addition of NO and after consumption of NO strongly suggests that aerosol formation is mainlythrough reactions with OH and HO2 radicals. In addition, a density of 1.40 +/- 0.1 g cm(-3) for the SOA from the photooxidation of m-xylene in the absence of NOx has been measured, which is significantly higherthan the currently used unit density.

Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation during the Photooxidation of Toluene: NOx Dependence of Chemical Composition

The photooxidation of toluene is a potential source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in urban air, but only a small portion of the compounds present in SOA have been identified. In this study, we analyzed the chemical compositions of SOA produced by photoirradiation of the toluene/NOx/air system in laboratory chamber experiments by a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, hybrid high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and iodometry-spectrophotometry. The dependence of the chemical composition on the initial NOx concentration was examined at initial NO concentrations ([NO]0) of 0.2 and 1 ppmv. Fifteen semivolatile products, including aromatic and ring-cleavage compounds, were quantified. However, the quantified products comprised only a small portion ( approximately 1 wt %) of the total aerosol mass. The total SOA yield ( approximately 13 wt %), the ratio of organic peroxides to total SOA mass ( approximately 17 wt %), and the density of SOA ( approximately 1.4 g cm-3) were independent of the NOx level, suggesting that the reaction mechanisms of the formation of major SOA products at [NO]0 = 0.2 and 1 ppmv are essentially the same. The negative-ion mass spectra of SOA samples showed that ion signals attributed to hemiacetal oligomers and/or decomposition products of peroxy hemiacetal oligomers were detected in the range of mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) between 200 and 500. The highest signals were detected at m/z = 155 and 177, and these were tentatively assigned to C7 unsaturated oxacyclic oxocarboxylic acids and C7 unsaturated oxacyclic dicarboxylic acids, respectively. We conclude that the major chemical components of the aerosol are hemiacetal and peroxy hemiacetal oligomers and low-molecular-weight dicarboxylic acids.

The uptake of O3 by myristic acid-oleic acid mixed particles: evidence for solid surface layers

The oleic acid ozonolysis in mixed oleic and myristic acid particles was studied in a flow tube reactor using single particle mass spectrometry. The change in reactivity was investigated as a function of the myristic acid concentration in these 2 micron particles. For pure oleic acid aerosol, the reactive ozone uptake coefficient, gamma, was found to be 3.4 (+/-0.3) x 10(-4) after taking secondary reactions into account. At the myristic acid crystallization point, where only 2.5% of the particle is in the solid phase, the uptake coefficient was reduced to 9.7 (+/-1.0) x 10(-5). This dramatic drop in the uptake coefficient is explained by the presence of a crystalline monolayer of myristic acid, through which ozone diffusion is reduced by several orders of magnitude, relative to liquid oleic acid. Scanning electron microscope images of the mixed particles confirm that the particle surface is crystalline when the myristic acid mole fraction exceeds 0.125. The findings of these experiments illustrate that particle morphology is important to understanding the reactivity of species in a mixed particle. The decay of myristic acid during the course of ozonolysis is explained in terms of a reaction with stabilized Criegee intermediates, which attack the acidic groups of the oleic and myristic acids with equal rate constants.

Modeling secondary organic aerosol formation via multiphase partitioning with molecular data

A new model for atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is presented for biogenic compounds. It is based to the extent possible on experimental molecular SOA data, and it is compatible with any existing gas-phase chemical kinetic mechanism. Six SOA precursors or groups of precursors are used to represent biogenic monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. SOA formation is modeled using five SOA surrogates to represent classes of compounds with different partitioning properties, e.g., hydrophobicity, aqueous solubility, acid dissociation, and saturation vapor pressure. Model simulations are evaluated against smog chamber data for SOA yields and some adjustments are made to uncertain stoichiometric coefficients and saturation vapor pressure parameters to improve model performance. The model is applied undertypical atmospheric conditions to exemplify the effect of relative humidity on SOA formation and the relative contributions of hydrophilic and hydrophobic SOA.

Characterization of products from photooxidation of toluene

Photooxidation reaction of toluene in smog chamber systems was initiated by the UV radiation of toluene/CH3ONO/NOx mixtures. The products of the photooxidation reaction of toluene and its subsequent reactions were analyzed directly utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). Detailed assignments to FTIR spectrum of gas-phase products were given. The information of some important functional groups in the products, such as, carbonyl groups (C-O), hydroxyl groups ( -OH), carboxylic acid (-COOH), C-C bonding, N-O bonding and C-H bonding (C-H), was got from this analysis. These results were compared to those analyzed by aerosol time of flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS). It was found that there are some differences between FTIR analysis of gas-phase products and that of particle-phase, for example, the products with carbonyl groups, which were connected to unsaturated chemical bonds, was relatively higher in the gas phase, while ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acid and organonitrates were the dominant functional groups in the aerosol-phase reaction products. The possible reaction pathways of some important products in the gas phase were also discussed.