scholarly journals Identifying organic aerosol sources by comparing functional group composition in chamber and atmospheric particles

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (9) ◽  
pp. 3516-3521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn M. Russell ◽  
Ranjit Bahadur ◽  
Paul J. Ziemann
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Atmospheric Particles ◽  
Aerosol Sources

scholarly journals Functional group composition of ambient and source organic aerosols determined by tandem mass spectrometry

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 7041-7055 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Dron ◽  
I. El Haddad ◽  
B. Temime-Roussel ◽  
J.-L. Jaffrezo ◽  
H. Wortham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Mass Spectra ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Tandem Mass ◽  
Wood Combustion ◽  
Alpine Valley ◽  
Aerosol Sources

Abstract. The functional group composition of various organic aerosols (OA) is investigated using a recently developed analytical approach based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (APCI-MS/MS). The determinations of three functional groups contents are performed quantitatively by neutral loss (carboxylic and carbonyl groups, R-COOH and R-CO-R´ respectively) and precursor ion (nitro groups, R-NO2) scanning modes of a tandem mass spectrometer. Major organic aerosol sources are studied: vehicular emission and wood combustion for primary aerosol sources; and a secondary organic aerosol (SOA) produced through photooxidation of o-xylene. The results reveal significant differences in the functional group contents of these source aerosols. The laboratory generated SOA is dominated by carbonyls while carboxylics are preponderate in the wood combustion particles. On the other hand, vehicular emissions are characterised by a strong nitro content. The total amount of the three functional groups accounts for 1.7% (vehicular) to 13.5% (o-xylene photooxidation) of the organic carbon. Diagnostic functional group ratios are then used to tentatively discriminate sources of particles collected in an urban background environment located in an Alpine valley (Chamonix, France) during a strong winter pollution event. The three functional groups under study account for a total functionalisation rate of 2.2 to 3.8% of the organic carbon in this ambient aerosol, which is also dominated by carboxylic moieties. In this particular case study of a deep alpine valley during winter, we show that the nitro- and carbonyl-to-carboxylic diagnostic ratios can be a useful tool to discriminate sources. In these conditions, the total OA concentrations are highly dominated by wood combustion OA. This result is confirmed by an organic markers source apportionment approach which assess a wood burning organic carbon contribution of about 60%. Finally, examples of functional group mass spectra of all aerosols under study are presented, and additional perspectives offered by the mass spectra in terms of OA characterisation are discussed.

scholarly journals Functional group composition of ambient and source organic aerosols determined by tandem mass spectrometry

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 9253-9289
Author(s):  
J. Dron ◽  
I. El Haddad ◽  
B. Temime-Roussel ◽  
J.-L. Jaffrezo ◽  
H. Wortham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Mass Spectra ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Tandem Mass ◽  
Wood Combustion ◽  
Alpine Valley ◽  
Aerosol Sources

Abstract. The functional group composition of various organic aerosols (OA) is being investigated using a recently developed analytical approach based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (APCI-MS/MS). The determinations of the three functional groups' contents are performed quantitatively by neutral loss (carboxylic and carbonyl groups) and precursor ion (nitro groups) scanning modes of a tandem mass spectrometer. Major organic aerosol sources are studied: vehicular emission and wood combustion for primary aerosol sources; and a secondary organic aerosol (SOA) produced through photo-oxidation of o-xylene. The results reveal significant differences in the functional group contents of these source aerosols. The laboratory generated SOA is dominated by carbonyls while carboxylics are preponderate in the wood combustion particles. On the other hand, vehicular emissions are characterised by a strong nitro content. The total amount of the three functional groups accounted for 1.7% (vehicular) to 13.5% (o-xylene photo-oxidation) of the organic carbon. The diagnostic functional group ratios are then used to tentatively differentiate sources of particles collected in an urban background environment located in an Alpine valley (Chamonix, France) during a strong winter pollution event. The three functional groups under study account for a total functionalisation rate of 2.2 to 3.8% of the organic carbon in this ambient aerosol, which is also dominated by carboxylic moieties. In this particular case study of a deep alpine valley during winter, we show that the nitro- and carbonyl-to-carboxylic diagnostic ratios can be a useful tool to distinguish the sources. In these conditions, the total OA concentrations are highly dominated by wood combustion OA. This result is confirmed by an organic markers source apportionment approach which assesses a wood burning organic carbon contribution of about 60%. Finally, examples of functional group mass spectra of all aerosols under study are presented, and additional perspectives offered by the mass spectra in terms of the OA characterisation are discussed.

scholarly journals Fog scavenging of organic and inorganic aerosol in the Po Valley

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 4787-4826 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gilardoni ◽  
P. Massoli ◽  
L. Giulianelli ◽  
M. Rinaldi ◽  
M. Paglione ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽  
Model Description ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Scavenging Efficiency

Abstract. The interaction of aerosol with atmospheric water affects the processing and wet removal of atmospheric particles. Understanding such interaction is mandatory to improve model description of aerosol lifetime and ageing. We analyzed the aerosol-water interaction at high relative humidity during fog events in the Po Valley, in the framework of the ARPA-ER Supersite project. For the first time in this area, the changes in particle chemical composition caused by fog are discussed along with changes in particle microphysics. During the experiment, 14 fog events were observed. The average mass scavenging efficiency was 70% for nitrate, 68% for ammonium, 61% for sulfate, 50% for organics, and 39% for black carbon. After fog formation, the interstitial aerosol was dominated by particles smaller than 200 nm Dva (vacuum aerodynamic diameter) and enriched in carbonaceous aerosol, mainly black carbon and water insoluble organic aerosol (WIOA). For each fog event, the size segregated scavenging efficiency of nitrate and organic aerosol (OA) was calculated by comparing chemical species size distribution before and after fog formation. For both nitrate and OA, the size segregated scavenging efficiency followed a sigmoidal curve, with values close to zero below 100 nm Dva and close to 1 above 700 nm Dva. OA was able to affect scavenging efficiency of nitrate in particles smaller than 300 nm Dva. A linear correlation between nitrate scavenging and particle hygroscopicity (κ) was observed, indicating that 44–51% of the variability of nitrate scavenging in smaller particles (below 300 nm Dva) was explained by changes in particle chemical composition. The size segregated scavenging curves of OA followed those of nitrate, suggesting that organic scavenging was controlled by mixing with water-soluble species. In particular, functional group composition and OA elemental analysis indicated that more oxidized OA was scavenged more efficiently than less oxidized OA. Nevertheless, the small variability of organic functional group composition during the experiment did not allow us to discriminate the effect of different organic functionalities on OA scavenging.

scholarly journals Predicting ambient aerosol thermal-optical reflectance (TOR) measurements from infrared spectra: organic carbon

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1097-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Dillner ◽  
S. Takahama
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Partial Least Squares Regression ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Normalized Error ◽  
Ft Ir ◽  
Test Sets ◽  
Absorbance Spectra

Abstract. Organic carbon (OC) can constitute 50% or more of the mass of atmospheric particulate matter. Typically, organic carbon is measured from a quartz fiber filter that has been exposed to a volume of ambient air and analyzed using thermal methods such as thermal-optical reflectance (TOR). Here, methods are presented that show the feasibility of using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorbance spectra from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon) filters to accurately predict TOR OC. This work marks an initial step in proposing a method that can reduce the operating costs of large air quality monitoring networks with an inexpensive, non-destructive analysis technique using routinely collected PTFE filter samples which, in addition to OC concentrations, can concurrently provide information regarding the composition of organic aerosol. This feasibility study suggests that the minimum detection limit and errors (or uncertainty) of FT-IR predictions are on par with TOR OC such that evaluation of long-term trends and epidemiological studies would not be significantly impacted. To develop and test the method, FT-IR absorbance spectra are obtained from 794 samples from seven Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environment (IMPROVE) sites collected during 2011. Partial least-squares regression is used to calibrate sample FT-IR absorbance spectra to TOR OC. The FTIR spectra are divided into calibration and test sets by sampling site and date. The calibration produces precise and accurate TOR OC predictions of the test set samples by FT-IR as indicated by high coefficient of variation (R2; 0.96), low bias (0.02 μg m−3, the nominal IMPROVE sample volume is 32.8 m3), low error (0.08 μg m−3) and low normalized error (11%). These performance metrics can be achieved with various degrees of spectral pretreatment (e.g., including or excluding substrate contributions to the absorbances) and are comparable in precision to collocated TOR measurements. FT-IR spectra are also divided into calibration and test sets by OC mass and by OM / OC ratio, which reflects the organic composition of the particulate matter and is obtained from organic functional group composition; these divisions also leads to precise and accurate OC predictions. Low OC concentrations have higher bias and normalized error due to TOR analytical errors and artifact-correction errors, not due to the range of OC mass of the samples in the calibration set. However, samples with low OC mass can be used to predict samples with high OC mass, indicating that the calibration is linear. Using samples in the calibration set that have different OM / OC or ammonium / OC distributions than the test set leads to only a modest increase in bias and normalized error in the predicted samples. We conclude that FT-IR analysis with partial least-squares regression is a robust method for accurately predicting TOR OC in IMPROVE network samples – providing complementary information to the organic functional group composition and organic aerosol mass estimated previously from the same set of sample spectra (Ruthenburg et al., 2014).

scholarly journals Biogenic oxidized organic functional groups in aerosol particles from a mountain forest site and their similarities to laboratory chamber products

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 4789-4822 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Schwartz ◽  
L. M. Russell ◽  
S. J. Sjosted ◽  
A. Vlasenko ◽  
J. G. Slowik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Organic Functional Groups

Abstract. Submicron particles collected at Whistler, British Columbia, at 1020 masl during May and June 2008 on Teflon filters were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques for organic functional groups (OFG) and elemental composition. Organic mass (OM) ranged from less than 0.5 to 3.1μg m−3, with a project mean and standard deviation of 1.3±1.0 μg m−3 and 0.21±0.16 μg m−3 for OM and sulfate, respectively. On average, organic hydroxyl, alkane, and carboxylic acid groups represented 34%, 33%, and 23% of OM, respectively. Ketone, amine and organosulfate groups constituted 6%, 5%, and <1% of the average organic aerosol composition, respectively. Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOC), including isoprene and monoterpenes from biogenic VOC (BVOC) emissions and their oxidation products (methyl-vinylketone/methacrolein, MVK/MACR), were made using co-located proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). We present chemically-specific evidence of OFG associated with BVOC emissions. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis attributed 65% of the campaign OM to biogenic sources, based on the correlations of one factor to monoterpenes and MVK/MACR. The remaining fraction was attributed to anthropogenic sources based on a correlation to sulfate. The functional group composition of the biogenic factor (consisting of 32% alkane, 25% carboxylic acid, 2% organic hydroxyl, 16% ketone, and 6% amine groups) was similar to that of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) reported from the oxidation of BVOCs in laboratory chamber studies, providing evidence that the magnitude and chemical composition of biogenic SOA simulated in the laboratory is similar to that found in actual atmospheric conditions. The biogenic factor OM is also correlated to dust elements, indicating that dust may act as a non-acidic SOA sink. This role is supported by the organic functional group composition and morphology of single particles, which were analyzed by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (STXM-NEXAFS).

scholarly journals Functional group composition of organic aerosol from combustion emissions and secondary processes at two contrasted urban environments

2013 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 308-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imad El Haddad ◽  
Nicolas Marchand ◽  
Barbara D'Anna ◽  
Jean Luc Jaffrezo ◽  
Henri Wortham
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Combustion Emissions

Functional Group Composition of Secondary Organic Aerosol Formed from Ozonolysis of α-Pinene Under High VOC and Autoxidation Conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 1196-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan S. Claflin ◽  
Jordan E. Krechmer ◽  
Weiwei Hu ◽  
Jose L. Jimenez ◽  
Paul J. Ziemann
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol

Secondary Formation and the Smoky Mountain Organic Aerosol:  An Examination of Aerosol Polarity and Functional Group Composition During SEAVS

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 604-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Blando ◽  
Robert J. Porcja ◽  
Tsung-Hung Li ◽  
David Bowman ◽  
Paul J. Lioy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Secondary Formation

scholarly journals Biogenic oxidized organic functional groups in aerosol particles from a mountain forest site and their similarities to laboratory chamber products

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 5075-5088 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Schwartz ◽  
L. M. Russell ◽  
S. J. Sjostedt ◽  
A. Vlasenko ◽  
J. G. Slowik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Organic Functional Groups

Abstract. Submicron particles collected at Whistler, British Columbia, at 1020 m a.s.l. during May and June 2008 on Teflon filters were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques for organic functional groups (OFG) and elemental composition. Organic mass (OM) concentrations ranged from less than 0.5 to 3.1 μg m−3, with a project mean and standard deviation of 1.3±1.0 μg m−3 and 0.21±0.16 μg m−3 for OM and sulfate, respectively. On average, organic hydroxyl, alkane, and carboxylic acid groups represented 34%, 33%, and 23% of OM, respectively. Ketone, amine and organosulfate groups constituted 6%, 5%, and <1% of the average organic aerosol composition, respectively. Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOC), including isoprene and monoterpenes from biogenic VOC (BVOC) emissions and their oxidation products (methyl-vinylketone / methacrolein, MVK/MACR), were made using co-located proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). We present chemically-specific evidence of OFG associated with BVOC emissions. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis attributed 65% of the campaign OM to biogenic sources, based on the correlations of one factor to monoterpenes and MVK/MACR. The remaining fraction was attributed to anthropogenic sources based on a correlation to sulfate. The functional group composition of the biogenic factor (consisting of 32% alkane, 25% carboxylic acid, 21% organic hydroxyl, 16% ketone, and 6% amine groups) was similar to that of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) reported from the oxidation of BVOCs in laboratory chamber studies, providing evidence that the magnitude and chemical composition of biogenic SOA simulated in the laboratory is similar to that found in actual atmospheric conditions. The biogenic factor OM is also correlated to dust elements, indicating that dust may act as a non-acidic SOA sink. This role is supported by the organic functional group composition and morphology of single particles, which were analyzed by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (STXM-NEXAFS).

scholarly journals Fog scavenging of organic and inorganic aerosol in the Po Valley

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 6967-6981 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gilardoni ◽  
P. Massoli ◽  
L. Giulianelli ◽  
M. Rinaldi ◽  
M. Paglione ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽  
Model Description ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Scavenging Efficiency

Abstract. The interaction of aerosol with atmospheric water affects the processing and wet removal of atmospheric particles. Understanding such interaction is mandatory to improve model description of aerosol lifetime and ageing. We analyzed the aerosol–water interaction at high relative humidity during fog events in the Po Valley within the framework of the Agenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e l'Ambiente (ARPA) – Emilia Romagna supersite project. For the first time in this area, the changes in particle chemical composition caused by fog are discussed along with changes in particle microphysics. During the experiment, 14 fog events were observed. The average mass scavenging efficiency was 70% for nitrate, 68% for ammonium, 61% for sulfate, 50% for organics, and 39% for black carbon. After fog formation, the interstitial aerosol was dominated by particles smaller than 200 nm Dva (vacuum aerodynamic diameter) and enriched in carbonaceous aerosol, mainly black carbon and water-insoluble organic aerosol. For each fog event, the size-segregated scavenging efficiency of nitrate and organic aerosol (OA) was calculated by comparing chemical species size distribution before and after fog formation. For both nitrate and OA, the size-segregated scavenging efficiency followed a sigmoidal curve, with values close to zero below 100 nm Dva and close to 1 above 700 nm Dva. OA was able to affect scavenging efficiency of nitrate in particles smaller than 300 nm Dva. A linear correlation between nitrate scavenging and particle hygroscopicity (κ) was observed, indicating that 44–51% of the variability of nitrate scavenging in smaller particles (below 300 nm Dva) was explained by changes in particle chemical composition. The size-segregated scavenging curves of OA followed those of nitrate, suggesting that organic scavenging was controlled by mixing with water-soluble species. In particular, functional group composition and OA elemental analysis indicated that more oxidized OA was scavenged more efficiently than less oxidized OA. Nevertheless, the small variability of organic functional group composition during the experiment did not allow us to discriminate the effect of different organic functionalities on OA scavenging.

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