scholarly journals The Secondary Organic Aerosol Processor (SOAP v1.0) model: a unified model with different ranges of complexity based on the molecular surrogate approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Couvidat ◽  
K. Sartelet
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Activity Coefficients ◽  
Organic Phase ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Computing Time ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Dynamic Representation

Abstract. The Secondary Organic Aerosol Processor (SOAP v1.0) model is presented. This model is designed to be modular with different user options depending on the computing time and the complexity required by the user. This model is based on the molecular surrogate approach, in which each surrogate compound is associated with a molecular structure to estimate some properties and parameters (hygroscopicity, absorption on the aqueous phase of particles, activity coefficients, phase separation). Each surrogate can be hydrophilic (condenses only on the aqueous phase of particles), hydrophobic (condenses only on the organic phase of particles) or both (condenses on both the aqueous and the organic phases of particles). Activity coefficients are computed with the UNIFAC thermodynamic model for short-range interactions and with the AIOMFAC parameterization for medium and long-range interactions between electrolytes and organic compounds. Phase separation is determined by Gibbs energy minimization. The user can choose between an equilibrium and a dynamic representation of the organic aerosol. In the equilibrium representation, compounds in the particle phase are assumed to be at equilibrium with the gas phase. However, recent studies show that the organic aerosol (OA) is not at equilibrium with the gas phase because the organic phase could be semi-solid (very viscous liquid phase). The condensation or evaporation of organic compounds could then be limited by the diffusion in the organic phase due to the high viscosity. A dynamic representation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is used with OA divided into layers, the first layer at the center of the particle (slowly reaches equilibrium) and the final layer near the interface with the gas phase (quickly reaches equilibrium).

scholarly journals The Secondary Organic Aerosol Processor (SOAP v1.0) model: a unified model with different ranges of complexity based on the molecular surrogate approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1111-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Couvidat ◽  
K. Sartelet
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Activity Coefficients ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosols ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Processing Unit ◽  
Dynamic Representation

Abstract. In this paper the Secondary Organic Aerosol Processor (SOAP v1.0) model is presented. This model determines the partitioning of organic compounds between the gas and particle phases. It is designed to be modular with different user options depending on the computation time and the complexity required by the user. This model is based on the molecular surrogate approach, in which each surrogate compound is associated with a molecular structure to estimate some properties and parameters (hygroscopicity, absorption into the aqueous phase of particles, activity coefficients and phase separation). Each surrogate can be hydrophilic (condenses only into the aqueous phase of particles), hydrophobic (condenses only into the organic phases of particles) or both (condenses into both the aqueous and the organic phases of particles). Activity coefficients are computed with the UNIFAC (UNIversal Functional group Activity Coefficient; Fredenslund et al., 1975) thermodynamic model for short-range interactions and with the Aerosol Inorganic–Organic Mixtures Functional groups Activity Coefficients (AIOMFAC) parameterization for medium- and long-range interactions between electrolytes and organic compounds. Phase separation is determined by Gibbs energy minimization. The user can choose between an equilibrium representation and a dynamic representation of organic aerosols (OAs). In the equilibrium representation, compounds in the particle phase are assumed to be at equilibrium with the gas phase. However, recent studies show that the organic aerosol is not at equilibrium with the gas phase because the organic phases could be semi-solid (very viscous liquid phase). The condensation–evaporation of organic compounds could then be limited by the diffusion in the organic phases due to the high viscosity. An implicit dynamic representation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) is available in SOAP with OAs divided into layers, the first layer being at the center of the particle (slowly reaches equilibrium) and the final layer being near the interface with the gas phase (quickly reaches equilibrium). Although this dynamic implicit representation is a simplified approach to model condensation–evaporation with a low number of layers and short CPU (central processing unit) time, it shows good agreements with an explicit representation of condensation–evaporation (no significant differences after a few hours of condensation).

scholarly journals Characterization of secondary organic aerosol from heated-cooking-oil emissions: evolution in composition and volatility

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 5137-5149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manpreet Takhar ◽  
Yunchun Li ◽  
Arthur W. H. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Carbon Number ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Atmospheric Evolution ◽  
Oxidative Aging ◽  
Cooking Oil

Abstract. Cooking emissions account for a major fraction of urban organic aerosol. It is therefore important to understand the atmospheric evolution in the physical and chemical properties of organic compounds emitted from cooking activities. In this work, we investigate the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from oxidation of gas-phase organic compounds from heated cooking oil. The chemical composition of cooking SOA is analyzed using thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD–GC–MS). While the particle-phase composition of SOA is a highly complex mixture, we adopt a new method to achieve molecular speciation of the SOA. All the GC-elutable material is classified by the constituent functional groups, allowing us to provide a molecular description of its chemical evolution upon oxidative aging. Our results demonstrate an increase in average oxidation state (from −0.6 to −0.24) and decrease in average carbon number (from 5.2 to 4.9) with increasing photochemical aging of cooking oil, suggesting that fragmentation reactions are key processes in the oxidative aging of cooking emissions within 2 d equivalent of ambient oxidant exposure. Moreover, we estimate that aldehyde precursors from cooking emissions account for a majority of the SOA formation and oxidation products. Overall, our results provide insights into the atmospheric evolution of cooking SOA, a majority of which is derived from gas-phase oxidation of aldehydes.

scholarly journals Aqueous-phase mechanism for secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene: application to the southeast United States and co-benefit of SO<sub>2</sub> emission controls

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1603-1618 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Marais ◽  
D. J. Jacob ◽  
J. L. Jimenez ◽  
P. Campuzano-Jost ◽  
D. A. Day ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
So2 Emissions ◽  
Aerosol Acidity ◽  
Emission Controls ◽  
Isoprene Oxidation ◽  
Southeast Us

Abstract. Isoprene emitted by vegetation is an important precursor of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), but the mechanism and yields are uncertain. Aerosol is prevailingly aqueous under the humid conditions typical of isoprene-emitting regions. Here we develop an aqueous-phase mechanism for isoprene SOA formation coupled to a detailed gas-phase isoprene oxidation scheme. The mechanism is based on aerosol reactive uptake coefficients (γ) for water-soluble isoprene oxidation products, including sensitivity to aerosol acidity and nucleophile concentrations. We apply this mechanism to simulation of aircraft (SEAC4RS) and ground-based (SOAS) observations over the southeast US in summer 2013 using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx  ≡  NO + NO2) over the southeast US are such that the peroxy radicals produced from isoprene oxidation (ISOPO2) react significantly with both NO (high-NOx pathway) and HO2 (low-NOx pathway), leading to different suites of isoprene SOA precursors. We find a mean SOA mass yield of 3.3 % from isoprene oxidation, consistent with the observed relationship of total fine organic aerosol (OA) and formaldehyde (a product of isoprene oxidation). Isoprene SOA production is mainly contributed by two immediate gas-phase precursors, isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX, 58 % of isoprene SOA) from the low-NOx pathway and glyoxal (28 %) from both low- and high-NOx pathways. This speciation is consistent with observations of IEPOX SOA from SOAS and SEAC4RS. Observations show a strong relationship between IEPOX SOA and sulfate aerosol that we explain as due to the effect of sulfate on aerosol acidity and volume. Isoprene SOA concentrations increase as NOx emissions decrease (favoring the low-NOx pathway for isoprene oxidation), but decrease more strongly as SO2 emissions decrease (due to the effect of sulfate on aerosol acidity and volume). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects 2013–2025 decreases in anthropogenic emissions of 34 % for NOx (leading to a 7 % increase in isoprene SOA) and 48 % for SO2 (35 % decrease in isoprene SOA). Reducing SO2 emissions decreases sulfate and isoprene SOA by a similar magnitude, representing a factor of 2 co-benefit for PM2.5 from SO2 emission controls.

scholarly journals Semivolatile POA and parameterized total combustion SOA in CMAQv5.2: impacts on source strength and partitioning

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 11107-11133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin N. Murphy ◽  
Matthew C. Woody ◽  
Jose L. Jimenez ◽  
Ann Marie G. Carlton ◽  
Patrick L. Hayes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Uncertain Parameters ◽  
Northern California ◽  
Modest Improvement ◽  
Organic Vapor ◽  
Combustion Emissions

Abstract. Mounting evidence from field and laboratory observations coupled with atmospheric model analyses shows that primary combustion emissions of organic compounds dynamically partition between the vapor and particulate phases, especially as near-source emissions dilute and cool to ambient conditions. The most recent version of the Community Multiscale Air Quality model version 5.2 (CMAQv5.2) accounts for the semivolatile partitioning and gas-phase aging of these primary organic aerosol (POA) compounds consistent with experimentally derived parameterizations. We also include a new surrogate species, potential secondary organic aerosol from combustion emissions (pcSOA), which provides a representation of the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from anthropogenic combustion sources that could be missing from current chemical transport model predictions. The reasons for this missing mass likely include the following: (1) unspeciated semivolatile and intermediate volatility organic compound (SVOC and IVOC, respectively) emissions missing from current inventories, (2) multigenerational aging of organic vapor products from known SOA precursors (e.g., toluene, alkanes), (3) underestimation of SOA yields due to vapor wall losses in smog chamber experiments, and (4) reversible organic compounds–water interactions and/or aqueous-phase processing of known organic vapor emissions. CMAQ predicts the spatially averaged contribution of pcSOA to OA surface concentrations in the continental United States to be 38.6 and 23.6 % in the 2011 winter and summer, respectively. Whereas many past modeling studies focused on a particular measurement campaign, season, location, or model configuration, we endeavor to evaluate the model and important uncertain parameters with a comprehensive set of United States-based model runs using multiple horizontal scales (4 and 12 km), gas-phase chemical mechanisms, and seasons and years. The model with representation of semivolatile POA improves predictions of hourly OA observations over the traditional nonvolatile model at sites during field campaigns in southern California (CalNex, May–June 2010), northern California (CARES, June 2010), the southeast US (SOAS, June 2013; SEARCH, January and July, 2011). Model improvements manifest better correlations (e.g., the correlation coefficient at Pasadena at night increases from 0.38 to 0.62) and reductions in underprediction during the photochemically active afternoon period (e.g., bias at Pasadena from −5.62 to −2.42 µg m−3). Daily averaged predictions of observations at routine-monitoring networks from simulations over the continental US (CONUS) in 2011 show modest improvement during winter, with mean biases reducing from 1.14 to 0.73 µg m−3, but less change in the summer when the decreases from POA evaporation were similar to the magnitude of added SOA mass. Because the model-performance improvement realized by including the relatively simple pcSOA approach is similar to that of more-complicated parameterizations of OA formation and aging, we recommend caution when applying these more-complicated approaches as they currently rely on numerous uncertain parameters. The pcSOA parameters optimized for performance at the southern and northern California sites lead to higher OA formation than is observed in the CONUS evaluation. This may be due to any of the following: variations in real pcSOA in different regions or time periods, too-high concentrations of other OA sources in the model that are important over the larger domain, or other model issues such as loss processes. This discrepancy is likely regionally and temporally dependent and driven by interferences from factors like varying emissions and chemical regimes.

scholarly journals Modeling secondary organic aerosol formation through cloud processing of organic compounds

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 8951-8982 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Chen ◽  
R. J. Griffin ◽  
A. Grini ◽  
P. Tulet
Keyword(s):  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Reactions ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Dimensional Model ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Cloud Processing ◽  
Potential Formation

Abstract. Interest in the potential formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) through reactions of organic compounds in condensed aqueous phases is growing. In this study, the potential formation of SOA from irreversible aqueous-phase reactions of organic species in clouds was investigated. A new proposed aqueous-phase chemistry mechanism (AqChem) is coupled with the existing gas-phase Caltech Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (CACM) and the Model to Predict the Multiphase Partitioning of Organics (MPMPO) that simulate SOA formation. AqChem treats irreversible organic reactions that lead mainly to the formation of carboxylic acids, which are usually less volatile than the corresponding aldehydic compounds. Zero-dimensional model simulations were performed for tropospheric conditions with clouds present for three consecutive hours per day. Zero-dimensional model simulations show that 48-h averaged SOA formation are increased by 27% for a rural scenario with strong monoterpene emissions and 7% for an urban scenario with strong emissions of aromatic compounds, respectively, when irreversible organic reactions in clouds are considered. AqChem was also incorporated into the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) version 4.4 with CACM/MPMPO and applied to a previously studied photochemical episode (3–4 August 2004) focusing on the eastern United States. The CMAQ study indicates that the maximum contribution of SOA formation from irreversible reactions of organics in clouds is 0.28 μg m−3 for 24-h average concentrations and 0.60 μg m−3 for one-hour average concentrations at certain locations. On average, domain-wide surface SOA predictions for the episode are increased by 8.6% when irreversible, in-cloud processing of organics is considered.

scholarly journals Characterization of secondary organic aerosol from heated cooking oil emissions: evolution in composition and volatility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manpreet Takhar ◽  
Yunchun Li ◽  
Arthur W. H. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Carbon Number ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Atmospheric Evolution ◽  
Oxidative Aging ◽  
Cooking Oil

Abstract. Cooking emissions account for a major fraction of urban organic aerosol. It is therefore important to understand the atmospheric evolution in the physical and chemical properties of organic compounds emitted from cooking activities. In this work, we investigate the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from oxidation of gas-phase organic compounds from heated cooking oil. The chemical composition of cooking SOA is analyzed using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. While the particle-phase composition of SOA is a highly complex mixture, we adopt a new method to achieve molecular speciation of the SOA. All the GC elutable material is classified by the constituent functional groups, allowing us to provide a molecular description of its chemical evolution upon oxidative aging. Our results demonstrate an increase in average oxidation state (from −0.6 to −0.24), and decrease in average carbon number (from 5.2 to 4.9) with increasing photochemical aging of cooking oil, suggesting that fragmentation reactions are key processes in the oxidative aging of cooking emissions within 2 days equivalent of ambient oxidant exposure. Moreover, we estimate that aldehyde precursors from cooking emissions account for a majority of the SOA formation and oxidation products. Overall, our results provide insights into the atmospheric evolution of cooking SOA, a majority of which is derived from gas-phase oxidation of aldehydes.

scholarly journals Modeling secondary organic aerosol formation through cloud processing of organic compounds

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (20) ◽  
pp. 5343-5355 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Chen ◽  
R. J. Griffin ◽  
A. Grini ◽  
P. Tulet
Keyword(s):  
Carboxylic Acids ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Reactions ◽  
Dimensional Model ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Cloud Processing ◽  
Potential Formation

Abstract. Interest in the potential formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) through reactions of organic compounds in condensed aqueous phases is growing. In this study, the potential formation of SOA from irreversible aqueous-phase reactions of organic species in clouds was investigated. A new proposed aqueous-phase chemistry mechanism (AqChem) is coupled with the existing gas-phase Caltech Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (CACM) and the Model to Predict the Multiphase Partitioning of Organics (MPMPO) that simulate SOA formation. AqChem treats irreversible organic reactions that lead mainly to the formation of carboxylic acids, which are usually less volatile than the corresponding aldehydic compounds. Zero-dimensional model simulations were performed for tropospheric conditions with clouds present for three consecutive hours per day. Zero-dimensional model simulations show that 48-h average SOA formation is increased by 27% for a rural scenario with strong monoterpene emissions and 7% for an urban scenario with strong emissions of aromatic compounds, respectively, when irreversible organic reactions in clouds are considered. AqChem was also incorporated into the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) version 4.4 with CACM/MPMPO and applied to a previously studied photochemical episode (3–4 August 2004) focusing on the eastern United States. The CMAQ study indicates that the maximum contribution of SOA formation from irreversible reactions of organics in clouds is 0.28 μg m−3 for 24-h average concentrations and 0.60 μg m−3 for one-hour average concentrations at certain locations. On average, domain-wide surface SOA predictions for the episode are increased by 9% when irreversible, in-cloud processing of organics is considered. Because aldehydes of carbon number greater than four are assumed to convert fully to the corresponding carboxylic acids upon reaction with OH in cloud droplets and this assumption may overestimate carboxylic acid formation from this reaction route, the present study provides an upper bound estimate of SOA formation via this pathway.

scholarly journals Modeling the formation and composition of secondary organic aerosol from diesel exhaust using parameterized and semi-explicit chemistry and thermodynamic models

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 13813-13838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sailaja Eluri ◽  
Christopher D. Cappa ◽  
Beth Friedman ◽  
Delphine K. Farmer ◽  
Shantanu H. Jathar
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Oxidation Catalyst ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. Laboratory-based studies have shown that combustion sources emit volatile organic compounds that can be photooxidized in the atmosphere to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In some cases, this SOA can exceed direct emissions of primary organic aerosol (POA). Jathar et al. (2017a) recently reported on experiments that used an oxidation flow reactor (OFR) to measure the photochemical production of SOA from a diesel engine operated at two different engine loads (idle, load), two fuel types (diesel, biodiesel), and two aftertreatment configurations (with and without an oxidation catalyst and particle filter). In this work, we used two different SOA models, the Volatility Basis Set (VBS) model and the Statistical Oxidation Model (SOM), to simulate the formation and composition of SOA for those experiments. Leveraging recent laboratory-based parameterizations, both frameworks accounted for a semi-volatile and reactive POA; SOA production from semi-volatile, intermediate-volatility, and volatile organic compounds (SVOC, IVOC and VOC); NOx-dependent parameterizations; multigenerational gas-phase chemistry; and kinetic gas–particle partitioning. Both frameworks demonstrated that for model predictions of SOA mass to agree with measurements across all engine load–fuel–aftertreatment combinations, it was necessary to model the kinetically limited gas–particle partitioning in OFRs and account for SOA formation from IVOCs, which were on average found to account for 70 % of the model-predicted SOA. Accounting for IVOCs, however, resulted in an average underprediction of 28 % for OA atomic O : C ratios. Model predictions of the gas-phase organic compounds (resolved in carbon and oxygen space) from the SOM compared favorably to gas-phase measurements from a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS), substantiating the semi-explicit chemistry captured by the SOM. Model–measurement comparisons were improved on using SOA parameterizations corrected for vapor wall loss. As OFRs are increasingly used to study SOA formation and evolution in laboratory and field environments, models such as those developed in this work can be used to interpret the OFR data.

scholarly journals Potential dual effect of anthropogenic emissions on the formation of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (BSOA)

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (24) ◽  
pp. 15651-15671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eetu Kari ◽  
Liqing Hao ◽  
Arttu Ylisirniö ◽  
Angela Buchholz ◽  
Ari Leskinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Vehicle Emissions ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Mass Yield ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. The fraction of gasoline direct-injection (GDI) vehicles comprising the total vehicle pool is projected to increase in the future. However, thorough knowledge about the influence of GDI engines on important atmospheric chemistry processes is missing – namely, their contribution to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) precursor emissions, contribution to SOA formation, and potential role in biogenic–anthropogenic interactions. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize emissions from modern GDI vehicles and investigate their role in SOA formation chemistry and (2) investigate biogenic–anthropogenic interactions related to SOA formation from a mixture of GDI-vehicle emissions and a model biogenic compound, α-pinene. Specifically, we studied SOA formation from modern GDI-vehicle emissions during the constant-load driving. In this study we show that SOA formation from GDI-vehicle emissions was observed in each experiment. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured with the proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) could account for 19 %–42 % of total SOA mass generated in each experiment. This suggests that there were lower-volatility intermediate VOCs (IVOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the GDI-vehicle exhaust that likely contributed to SOA production but were not detected with the instrumentation used in this study. This study also demonstrates that two distinct mechanisms caused by anthropogenic emissions suppress α-pinene SOA mass yield. The first suppressing effect was the presence of NOx. This mechanism is consistent with previous reports demonstrating suppression of biogenic SOA formation in the presence of anthropogenic emissions. Our results indicate a possible second suppressing effect, and we suggest that the presence of anthropogenic gas-phase species may have suppressed biogenic SOA formation by alterations to the gas-phase chemistry of α-pinene. This hypothesized change in oxidation pathways led to the formation of α-pinene oxidation products that most likely did not have vapor pressures low enough to partition into the particle phase. Overall, the presence of gasoline-vehicle exhaust caused a more than 50 % suppression in α-pinene SOA mass yield compared to the α-pinene SOA mass yield measured in the absence of any anthropogenic influence.

scholarly journals Multi-generation gas-phase oxidation, equilibrium partitioning, and the formation and evolution of secondary organic aerosol

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3295-3356 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Cappa ◽  
K. R. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Atomic Ratio ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Generalized Framework ◽  
Explicit Consideration ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. A new statistical model of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation is developed that explicitly takes into account multi-generational oxidation as well as fragmentation of gas-phase compounds. The model framework requires three tunable parameters to describe the kinetic evolution of SOA mass, the average oxygen-to-carbon atomic ratio and the mean particle volatility as oxidation proceeds. These parameters describe (1) the relationship between oxygen content and volatility, (2) the probability of fragmentation and (3) the amount of oxygen added per reaction. The time-evolution and absolute value of the SOA mass depends sensitively on all three tunable parameters. Of the tunable parameters, the mean O:C is most sensitive to the oxygen/volatility relationship, exhibiting only a weak dependence on the other two. The mean particle O:C produced from a given compound is primarily controlled by the number of carbon atoms comprising the SOA precursor. It is found that gas-phase compounds with larger than 11 carbon atoms are unlikely to form SOA with O:C values >0.4, which suggests that so-called "intermediate-volatility" organic compounds (IVOCs) and "semi-volatile" organic compounds (SVOCs) are not major contributors to the ambient SOA burden when high O:C ratios are observed, especially at short atmospheric times. The model is tested against laboratory measurements of SOA formation from the photooxidation of α-pinene and n-pentadecane and performs well (after tuning). This model may provide a generalized framework for the interpretation of laboratory SOA formation experiments in which explicit consideration of multiple-generations of products is required, which is true for all photo-oxidation experiments.

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