scholarly journals Simulating the detailed chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol formed on a regional scale during the TORCH 2003 campaign in the southern UK

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Johnson ◽  
S. R. Utembe ◽  
M. E. Jenkin
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Equilibrium Phase ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Phase Partitioning ◽  
Biogenic Voc ◽  
Detailed Chemical

Abstract. Following on from the companion study (Johnson et al., 2006), a photochemical trajectory model (PTM) has been used to simulate the chemical composition of organic aerosol for selected events during the 2003 TORCH (Tropospheric Organic Chemistry Experiment) field campaign. The PTM incorporates the speciated emissions of 124 non-methane anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC) and three representative biogenic VOC, a highly-detailed representation of the atmospheric degradation of these VOC, the emission of primary organic aerosol (POA) material and the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) material. SOA formation was represented by the transfer of semi- and non-volatile oxidation products from the gas-phase to a condensed organic aerosol-phase, according to estimated thermodynamic equilibrium phase-partitioning characteristics for around 2000 reaction products. After significantly scaling all phase-partitioning coefficients, and assuming a persistent background organic aerosol (both required in order to match the observed organic aerosol loadings), the detailed chemical composition of the simulated SOA has been investigated in terms of intermediate oxygenated species in the Master Chemical Mechanism, version 3.1 (MCM v3.1). For the various case studies considered, 90% of the simulated SOA mass comprises between ca. 70 and 100 multifunctional oxygenated species derived, in varying amounts, from the photooxidation of VOC of anthropogenic and biogenic origin. The anthropogenic contribution is dominated by aromatic hydrocarbons and the biogenic contribution by α- and β-pinene (which also constitute surrogates for other emitted monoterpene species). Sensitivity in the simulated mass of SOA to changes in the emission rates of anthropogenic and biogenic VOC has also been investigated for 11 case study events, and the results have been compared to the detailed chemical composition data. The role of accretion chemistry in SOA formation, and its implications for the results of the present investigation, is discussed.

scholarly journals Simulating the detailed chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol formed on a regional scale during the TORCH 2003 campaign in the southern UK

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 7875-7902
Author(s):  
D. Johnson ◽  
S. R. Utembe ◽  
M. E. Jenkin
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Equilibrium Phase ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Phase Partitioning ◽  
Biogenic Voc ◽  
Detailed Chemical

Abstract. Following on from the companion study (Johnson et al., 2005a), a photochemical trajectory model (PTM) has been used to simulate the chemical composition of organic aerosol for selected events during the 2003 TORCH (Tropospheric Organic Chemistry Experiment) field campaign. The PTM incorporates the speciated emissions of 124 non-methane anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC) and three representative biogenic VOC, a highly-detailed representation of the atmospheric degradation of these VOC, the emission of primary organic aerosol (POA) material and the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) material. SOA formation was represented by the transfer of semi- and non-volatile oxidation products from the gas-phase to a condensed organic aerosol-phase, according to estimated thermodynamic equilibrium phase-partitioning characteristics for around 2000 reaction products. After significantly scaling all phase-partitioning coefficients, and assuming a persistent background organic aerosol (both required in order to match the observed organic aerosol loadings), the detailed chemical composition of the simulated SOA has been investigated in terms of intermediate oxygenated species in the Master Chemical Mechanism, version 3.1 (MCM v3.1). For the various case studies considered, 90% of the simulated SOA mass comprises between ca. 70 and 100 multifunctional oxygenated species derived, in varying amounts, from the photooxidation of VOC of anthropogenic and biogenic origin. The anthropogenic contribution is dominated by aromatic hydrocarbons and the biogenic contribution by α- and β-pinene (which also constitute surrogates for other emitted monoterpene species). Sensitivity in the simulated mass of SOA to changes in the emission rates of anthropogenic and biogenic VOC has also been investigated for 11 case study events, and the results have been compared to the detailed chemical composition data. The role of accretion chemistry in SOA formation, and its implications for the results of the present investigation, is discussed.

scholarly journals Simulating regional scale secondary organic aerosol formation during the TORCH 2003 campaign in the southern UK

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Johnson ◽  
S. R. Utembe ◽  
M. E. Jenkin ◽  
R. G. Derwent ◽  
G. D. Hayman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Organic Species ◽  
Voc Oxidation ◽  
Partitioning Coefficients

Abstract. A photochemical trajectory model has been used to simulate the chemical evolution of air masses arriving at the TORCH field campaign site in the southern UK during late July and August 2003, a period which included a widespread and prolonged photochemical pollution episode. The model incorporates speciated emissions of 124 non-methane anthropogenic VOC and three representative biogenic VOC, coupled with a comprehensive description of the chemistry of their degradation. A representation of the gas/aerosol absorptive partitioning of ca. 2000 oxygenated organic species generated in the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM v3.1) has been implemented, allowing simulation of the contribution to organic aerosol (OA) made by semi- and non-volatile products of VOC oxidation; emissions of primary organic aerosol (POA) and elemental carbon (EC) are also represented. Simulations of total OA mass concentrations in nine case study events (optimised by comparison with observed hourly-mean mass loadings derived from aerosol mass spectrometry measurements) imply that the OA can be ascribed to three general sources: (i) POA emissions; (ii) a "ubiquitous" background concentration of 0.7 µg m-3; and (iii) gas-to-aerosol transfer of lower volatility products of VOC oxidation generated by the regional scale processing of emitted VOC, but with all partitioning coefficients increased by a species-independent factor of 500. The requirement to scale the partitioning coefficients, and the implied background concentration, are both indicative of the occurrence of chemical processes within the aerosol which allow the oxidised organic species to react by association and/or accretion reactions which generate even lower volatility products, leading to a persistent, non-volatile secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The contribution of secondary organic material to the simulated OA results in significant elevations in the simulated ratio of organic carbon (OC) to EC, compared with the ratio of 1.1 assigned to the emitted components. For the selected case study events, [OC]/[EC] is calculated to lie in the range 2.7-9.8, values which are comparable with the high end of the range reported in the literature.

scholarly journals Simulating regional scale secondary organic aerosol formation during the TORCH 2003 campaign in the southern UK

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 7829-7874 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Johnson ◽  
S. R. Utembe ◽  
M. E. Jenkin ◽  
R. G. Derwent ◽  
G. D. Hayman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Organic Species ◽  
Voc Oxidation ◽  
Partitioning Coefficients

Abstract. A photochemical trajectory model has been used to simulate the chemical evolution of air masses arriving at the TORCH field campaign site in the southern UK during late July and August 2003, a period which included a widespread and prolonged photochemical pollution episode. The model incorporates speciated emissions of 124 non-methane anthropogenic VOC and three representative biogenic VOC, coupled with a comprehensive description of the chemistry of their degradation. A representation of the gas/aerosol absorptive partitioning of ca. 2000 oxygenated organic species generated in the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM v3.1) has been developed and implemented, allowing simulation of the contribution to organic aerosol (OA) made by semi- and non-volatile products of VOC oxidation; emissions of primary organic aerosol (POA) and elemental carbon (EC) are also represented. Simulations of total OA mass concentrations in nine case study events (optimised by comparison with observed mass loadings derived from aerosol mass spectrometry measurements) imply that the OA can be ascribed to three general sources: (i) POA emissions; (ii) a ubiquitous background concentration of 0.7 µg m−3; and (iii) gas-to-aerosol transfer of lower volatility products of VOC oxidation generated by the regional scale processing of emitted VOC, but with all partitioning coefficients increased by a species-independent factor of 500. The requirement to scale the partitioning coefficients, and the implied background concentration, are both indicative of the occurrence of chemical processes within the aerosol which allow the oxidised organic species to react by association and/or accretion reactions which generate even lower volatility products, leading to a persistent, non-volatile secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The contribution of secondary organic material to the simulated OA results in significant elevations in the simulated ratio of organic carbon (OC) to EC, compared with the ratio of 1.1 assigned to the emitted components. For the selected case study events, [OC]/[EC] is calculated to lie in the range 2.7–9.8, values which are comparable with the high end of the range reported in the literature.

scholarly journals Composition and volatility of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from oxidation of real tree emissions compared to simplified volatile organic compound (VOC) systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 5629-5644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arttu Ylisirniö ◽  
Angela Buchholz ◽  
Claudia Mohr ◽  
Zijun Li ◽  
Luis Barreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Flow Reactor ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Mass Yield ◽  
Chemical Complexity ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Plant Emissions

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is an important constituent of the atmosphere where SOA particles are formed chiefly by the condensation or reactive uptake of oxidation products of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The mass yield in SOA particle formation, as well as the chemical composition and volatility of the particles, is determined by the identity of the VOC precursor(s) and the oxidation conditions they experience. In this study, we used an oxidation flow reactor to generate biogenic SOA from the oxidation of Scots pine emissions. Mass yields, chemical composition and volatility of the SOA particles were characterized and compared with SOA particles formed from oxidation of α-pinene and from a mixture of acyclic–monocyclic sesquiterpenes (farnesenes and bisabolenes), which are significant components of the Scots pine emissions. SOA mass yields for Scots pine emissions dominated by farnesenes were lower than for α-pinene but higher than for the artificial mixture of farnesenes and bisabolenes. The reduction in the SOA yield in the farnesene- and bisabolene-dominated mixtures is due to exocyclic C=C bond scission in these acyclic–monocyclic sesquiterpenes during ozonolysis leading to smaller and generally more volatile products. SOA particles from the oxidation of Scots pine emissions had similar or lower volatility than SOA particles formed from either a single precursor or a simple mixture of VOCs. Applying physical stress to the Scots pine plants increased their monoterpene, especially monocyclic β-phellandrene, emissions, which further decreased SOA particle volatility and increased SOA mass yield. Our results highlight the need to account for the chemical complexity and structure of real-world biogenic VOC emissions and stress-induced changes to plant emissions when modelling SOA production and properties in the atmosphere. These results emphasize that a simple increase or decrease in relative monoterpene and sesquiterpene emissions should not be used as an indicator of SOA particle volatility.

scholarly journals Large contribution to secondary organic aerosol from isoprene cloud chemistry

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (13) ◽  
pp. eabe2952
Author(s):  
Houssni Lamkaddam ◽  
Josef Dommen ◽  
Ananth Ranjithkumar ◽  
Hamish Gordon ◽  
Günther Wehrle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Flow Reactor ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Cloud Droplet ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Oh Radicals ◽  
Large Contribution ◽  
Cloud Processing

Aerosols still present the largest uncertainty in estimating anthropogenic radiative forcing. Cloud processing is potentially important for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, a major aerosol component: however, laboratory experiments fail to mimic this process under atmospherically relevant conditions. We developed a wetted-wall flow reactor to simulate aqueous-phase processing of isoprene oxidation products (iOP) in cloud droplets. We find that 50 to 70% (in moles) of iOP partition into the aqueous cloud phase, where they rapidly react with OH radicals, producing SOA with a molar yield of 0.45 after cloud droplet evaporation. Integrating our experimental results into a global model, we show that clouds effectively boost the amount of SOA. We conclude that, on a global scale, cloud processing of iOP produces 6.9 Tg of SOA per year or approximately 20% of the total biogenic SOA burden and is the main source of SOA in the mid-troposphere (4 to 6 km).

Chemical Composition of Secondary Organic Aerosol Formed from the Photooxidation of Isoprene

2006 ◽  
Vol 110 (31) ◽  
pp. 9665-9690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D. Surratt ◽  
Shane M. Murphy ◽  
Jesse H. Kroll ◽  
Nga L. Ng ◽  
Lea Hildebrandt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol

Investigating the NO-dependent photooxidation of limonene by OH and O3 using the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yat Sing Pang ◽  
Martin Kaminski ◽  
Anna Novelli ◽  
Philip Carlsson ◽  
Ismail-Hakki Acir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Reaction Pathways ◽  
Oh Radicals ◽  
Oh Radical ◽  
Simulation Experiments ◽  
Master Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Atmosphere Simulation Chamber

<p>Limonene is the fourth-most abundant monoterpene in the atmosphere, which upon oxidation leads to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and thereby influences climate and air quality.</p><p>In this study, the oxidation of limonene by OH at different atmospherically relevant NO and HO<sub>2</sub> levels (NO: 0.1 – 10 ppb; HO<sub>2</sub>: 20 ppt) was investigated in simulation experiments in the SAPHIR chamber at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The analysis focuses on comparing measured radical concentrations (RO<sub>2</sub>, HO<sub>2</sub>, OH) and OH reactivity (k<sub>OH</sub>) with modeled values calculated using the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) version 3.3.1.</p><p>At high and medium NO concentrations, RO<sub>2</sub> is expected to quickly react with NO. An HO<sub>2</sub> radical is produced during the process that can be converted back to an OH radical by another reaction with NO. Consistently, for experiments conducted at medium NO levels (~0.5 ppb, RO<sub>2</sub> lifetime ~10 s), simulated RO<sub>2</sub>, HO<sub>2</sub>, and OH agree with observations within the measurement uncertainties, if the OH reactivity of oxidation products is correctly described.</p><p>At lower NO concentrations, the regeneration of HO<sub>2</sub> in the RO<sub>2</sub> + NO reaction is slow and the reaction of RO<sub>2</sub> with HO<sub>2</sub> gains importance in forming peroxides. However, simulation results show a large discrepancy between calculated radical concentrations and measurements at low NO levels (<0.1 ppb, RO<sub>2</sub> lifetime ~ 100 s). Simulated RO<sub>2</sub> concentrations are found to be overestimated by a factor of three; simulated HO<sub>2</sub> concentrations are underestimated by 50 %; simulated OH concentrations are underestimated by about 35%, even if k<sub>OH</sub> is correctly described. This suggests that there could be additional RO<sub>2</sub> reaction pathways that regenerate HO<sub>2</sub> and OH radicals become important, but they are not taken into account in the MCM model.</p>

scholarly journals Exploration of oxidative chemistry and secondary organic aerosol formation in the Amazon during the wet season: explicit modeling of the Manaus urban plume with GECKO-A

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 5995-6014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Mouchel-Vallon ◽  
Julia Lee-Taylor ◽  
Alma Hodzic ◽  
Paulo Artaxo ◽  
Bernard Aumont ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Box Model ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Urban Plume ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The GoAmazon 2014/5 field campaign took place in Manaus, Brazil, and allowed the investigation of the interaction between background-level biogenic air masses and anthropogenic plumes. We present in this work a box model built to simulate the impact of urban chemistry on biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and composition. An organic chemistry mechanism is generated with the Generator for Explicit Chemistry and Kinetics of Organics in the Atmosphere (GECKO-A) to simulate the explicit oxidation of biogenic and anthropogenic compounds. A parameterization is also included to account for the reactive uptake of isoprene oxidation products on aqueous particles. The biogenic emissions estimated from existing emission inventories had to be reduced to match measurements. The model is able to reproduce ozone and NOx for clean and polluted situations. The explicit model is able to reproduce background case SOA mass concentrations but does not capture the enhancement observed in the urban plume. The oxidation of biogenic compounds is the major contributor to SOA mass. A volatility basis set (VBS) parameterization applied to the same cases obtains better results than GECKO-A for predicting SOA mass in the box model. The explicit mechanism may be missing SOA-formation processes related to the oxidation of monoterpenes that could be implicitly accounted for in the VBS parameterization.

scholarly journals Impact of molecular structure on secondary organic aerosol formation from aromatic hydrocarbon photooxidation under low NO<sub><i>x</i></sub> conditions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Li ◽  
P. Tang ◽  
S. Nakao ◽  
D. R. Cocker III
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Structure ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbon ◽  
Chain Length ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Ortho Position ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The molecular structure of volatile organic compounds (VOC) determines their oxidation pathway, directly impacting secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. This study comprehensively investigates the impact of molecular structure on SOA formation from the photooxidation of twelve different eight to nine carbon aromatic hydrocarbons under low NOx conditions. The effects of the alkyl substitute number, location, carbon chain length and branching structure on the photooxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons are demonstrated by analyzing SOA yield, chemical composition and physical properties. Aromatic hydrocarbons, categorized into five groups, show a yield order of ortho (o-xylene and o-ethyltoluene) > one substitute (ethylbenzene, propylbenzene and isopropylbenzene) > meta (m-xylene and m-ethyltoluene) > three substitute (trimethylbenzenes) > para (p-xylene and p-ethyltoluene). SOA yields of aromatic hydrocarbon photooxidation do not monotonically decrease when increasing alkyl substitute number. The ortho position promotes SOA formation while the para position suppresses aromatic oxidation and SOA formation. Observed SOA chemical composition and volatility confirm that higher yield is associated with further oxidation. SOA chemical composition also suggests that aromatic oxidation increases with increasing alkyl substitute chain length and branching structure. Further, carbon dilution theory developed by Li et al. (2015a) is extended in this study to serve as a standard method to determine the extent of oxidation of an alkyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbon.

scholarly journals Secondary organic aerosol in the global aerosol – chemistry transport model Oslo CTM2

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 9053-9092 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Hoyle ◽  
T. Berntsen ◽  
G. Myhre ◽  
I. S. A. Isaksen
Keyword(s):  
Ammonium Sulphate ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Sulphate Aerosol

Abstract. The global chemical transport model Oslo CTM2 has been extended to include the formation, transport and deposition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Precursor hydrocarbons which are oxidised to form condensible species include both biogenic species such as terpenes and isoprene, as well as species emitted predominantly by anthropogenic activities (toluene, m-xylene, methylbenzene and other aromatics). A model simulation for 2004 gives an annual global SOA production of approximately 55 Tg. Of this total, 2.5 Tg is found to consist of the oxidation products of anthropogenically emitted hydrocarbons, and about 15 Tg is formed by the oxidation products of isoprene. The global production of SOA is increased to about 76 Tg yr−1 by allowing semi-volatile species to condense on ammonium sulphate aerosol. This brings modelled organic aerosol values closer to those observed, however observations in Europe remain significantly underestimated, raising the possibility of an unaccounted for SOA source. Allowing SOA to form on ammonium sulphate aerosol increases the contribution of anthropogenic SOA from about 4.5% to almost 9% of the total production. The importance of NO3 as an oxidant of SOA precursors is found to vary regionally, causing up to 50%–60% of the total amount of SOA near the surface in polluted regions and less than 25% in more remote areas. This study underscores the need for SOA to be represented in a more realistic way in global aerosol models in order to better reproduce observations of organic aerosol burdens in industrialised and biomass burning regions.

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