Characteristics and Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 September 2023) | Viewed by 5749

Special Issue Editors

School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Interests: secondary organic aerosol; biomass burning; gasoline vehicles; source apportionment; anthropogenic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Power Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: source emission; secondary organic aerosol; chemical evolution mechanism; mass spectrometry; gas-phase organic compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), formed from the multigenerational oxidation of gaseous precursors, account for a major proportion of submicron particles. They can directly or indirectly affect air quality, climate change and human health. However, current atmospheric models usually underestimate the measured SOAs due to missing precursors, formation mechanisms and the uncertainty in SOA yield. Although great efforts have been made in the last few decades, a great discrepancy still exists in the modeled and measured SOAs due to the complexity of the precursors and formation mechanisms. There are many factors that may affect SOA formation, many of which may act synergistically or competitively. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish the chemical and physical properties of SOAs, both from gas-phase precursors and from particle-phase evolution as a function of atmospheric conditions such as RH, temperature and aerosol acidity. A better understanding of the SOA formation mechanisms and characteristics will help to improve the prediction of aerosol loading and help mitigate air pollution around the world. The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent advances in the field of SOA formation. This topic encompasses SOA precursors from different sources, generated SOAs, and SOA follow-up effects.

For this Special Issue, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Chemical components of precursors and their contribution to SOAs
  • Chemical and physical characterization of SOAs in different environments
  • Formation and evolution mechanisms of SOAs
  • SOA formation from different sources
  • Distribution and characterization of different SOA precursors
  • The environmental impact and health effects of SOAs

Dr. Rongzhi Tang
Dr. Wenfei Zhu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • secondary organic aerosol
  • source apportionment
  • chemical evolution mechanism
  • source emission
  • semi-volatile/intermediate-volatility organic compounds

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5888 KiB  
Article
Spatial Inhomogeneity of New Particle Formation in the Urban and Mountainous Atmospheres of the North China Plain during the 2022 Winter Olympics
by Dongjie Shang, Min Hu, Xiaoyan Wang, Lizi Tang, Petri S. Clusius, Yanting Qiu, Xuena Yu, Zheng Chen, Zirui Zhang, Jiaqi Sun, Xu Dao, Limin Zeng, Song Guo, Zhijun Wu and Michael Boy
Atmosphere 2023, 14(9), 1395; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14091395 - 04 Sep 2023
Viewed by 621
Abstract
The new particle formation (NPF) process is a significant source of atmospheric secondary particles, which has remarkable impacts on the regional air quality and global radiative forcing. Most NPF studies conduct their measurements at a single site, which can hardly provide information about [...] Read more.
The new particle formation (NPF) process is a significant source of atmospheric secondary particles, which has remarkable impacts on the regional air quality and global radiative forcing. Most NPF studies conduct their measurements at a single site, which can hardly provide information about the regionality of NPF events at large scales (>100 km). During the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, simultaneous measurements of particle number size distributions and NPF-associated precursors were conducted at a mountainous site close to the Winter Olympic Village in Chongli (CL), Zhangjiakou, and an urban site in Beijing (BJ) located 150 km southeast of the CL site. High NPF frequencies were observed at the CL (50%) and BJ (52%) sites; however, the fraction of concurrent NPF events was smaller than the results in other regions. In addition, the wind distributions exhibited distinct air mass origins at the two sites during the concurrent NPF events. Compared with the BJ site, the NPF growth rates were higher at the CL site due to higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and radiation. Surprisingly, the formation rates at the CL site were lower than at the BJ site, even with a higher sulfuric acid concentration and lower CS, which may be attributed to lower dimethylamine concentrations in the mountainous area. This study reveals that, although NPF events are commonly thought to occur on regional scales, their intensity and mechanisms may have significant spatial inhomogeneity. Further studies are required to reduce the uncertainty when expanding the mechanisms based on the urban conditions to regional or global scales in the models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols)
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16 pages, 1418 KiB  
Article
Investigating VOCs Speciation Characteristics at the Fenceline of Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing Industries via Active and Passive Monitoring Techniques
by Hyo Eun Lee, Bong-Woo Lee and Jeong Hun Kim
Atmosphere 2023, 14(7), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14071119 - 06 Jul 2023
Viewed by 886
Abstract
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are prevalent emissions from a plethora of industries, known for their role in the formation of atmospheric ozone, thus contributing to secondary pollution. Both the United States and the European Union have presented various regulatory measures to mitigate VOC [...] Read more.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are prevalent emissions from a plethora of industries, known for their role in the formation of atmospheric ozone, thus contributing to secondary pollution. Both the United States and the European Union have presented various regulatory measures to mitigate VOC emissions. Nevertheless, the diversity of VOCs, some exhibiting carcinogenic properties, pose substantial challenges in devising comprehensive mitigation strategies. In light of this, the current study focuses on the synthetic rubber manufacturing industry, specifically analyzing VOCs with high emission volumes and elevated Photochemical Ozone Creation Potentials (POCPs). A total of 88 compounds, including PM-57 and TO-14A, were examined in this study. The Active and Passive monitoring methods, two out of the six recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Fenceline monitoring, were employed. For business entity ‘A’, the Active method revealed the highest emission rates of n-butane (13.5%) and n-Pentane (12.8%). In contrast, the Passive method indicated styrene (9.4%) and toluene (8.1%) as the most prominently emitted compounds. Benzene, though detected at all points ranging from 1~3 µg/m³, is not manipulated in this industry, suggesting potential influence from neighboring enterprises. Compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene demonstrated convertible concentrations using both Active and Passive methods, detected within the range of 0~3 µg/m³. Notably, the average concentrations determined by both methods exhibited remarkable similarity. For business entity ‘B’, the Active method detected significant levels of n-hexane (45.0%) and methylcyclopentane (14.4%), whereas the Passive method identified high concentrations of n-hexane (37.7%) and isopentane (8.8%). A general pattern emerged where high concentrations were exhibited at points 9, 10, and 11, located within the production area, while points 1, 2, and 3 displayed lower concentrations, likely due to the influence of eastward wind patterns. In terms of compounds with high POCPs, business entity ‘A’ demonstrated substantial emission of n-butane (38.80%) and n-hexane (27.15%) using the Active method, and toluene (28.62%) and n-hexane (25.23%) via the Passive method. For business entity ‘B’, n-hexane emerged dominantly, detected at 84.57% using the Active method and 68.85% via the Passive method. This suggests that in the synthetic rubber manufacturing industry, n-hexane should be prioritized in formulating effective emission reduction strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols)
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13 pages, 1796 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation of Volatile Organic Compounds from Vehicle and Cooking Emissions
by Rui Tan, Song Guo, Sihua Lu, Hui Wang, Wenfei Zhu, Ying Yu, Rongzhi Tang, Ruizhe Shen, Kai Song, Daqi Lv, Wenbin Zhang, Zhou Zhang, Shijin Shuai, Shuangde Li, Yunfa Chen and Yan Ding
Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050806 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2282
Abstract
In the present work, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vehicle exhaust and cooking fumes were investigated via simulation experiments, which covered engine emissions produced during gasoline direct injection (GDI) using two kinds of fuels and cooking emissions produced by preparing three domestic dishes. [...] Read more.
In the present work, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vehicle exhaust and cooking fumes were investigated via simulation experiments, which covered engine emissions produced during gasoline direct injection (GDI) using two kinds of fuels and cooking emissions produced by preparing three domestic dishes. The distinct characteristics of VOCs emitted during the two processes were identified. Alkanes (73% mass fraction on average) and aromatics (15% on average) dominated the vehicle VOCs, while oxygenated VOCs (49%) and alkanes (29%) dominated the cooking VOCs. Isopentane (22%) was the most abundant species among the vehicle VOCs. N-hexanal (20%) dominated the cooking VOCs. The n-hexanal-to-n-pentanal ratio (3.68 ± 0.64) was utilized to identify cooking VOCs in ambient air. The ozone formation potential produced by cooking VOCs was from 1.39 to 1.93 times higher than that produced by vehicle VOCs, which indicates the significant potential contribution of cooking VOCs to atmospheric ozone. With the equivalent photochemical age increasing from 0 h to 72 h, the secondary organic aerosol formation by vehicle VOCs was from 3% to 38% higher than that of cooking VOCs. Controlling cooking emissions can reduce SOA pollution in a short time due to its higher SOA formation rate than that of vehicle VOCs within the first 30 h. However, after 30 h of oxidation, the amount of SOAs formed by vehicle exhaust emissions exceeded the amount of SOAs produced by cooking activities, implying that reducing vehicle emissions will benefit particle pollution for a longer time. Our results highlight the importance of VOCs produced by cooking fumes, which has not been given much attention before. Further, our study suggested that more research on semi-volatile organic compounds produced by cooking emissions should be conducted in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols)
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13 pages, 2608 KiB  
Article
Study on the Speciation of VOCs at Oil Refining Plant Fenceline through Active Sampling
by Jeong-Hun Kim, Hyo Eun Lee and Seok J. Yoon
Atmosphere 2023, 14(3), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14030485 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1296
Abstract
The petroleum refining industry emits various volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including high-volatility benzene, which can have a significant impact on the local community. To address this issue, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a fenceline monitoring system to ensure that benzene [...] Read more.
The petroleum refining industry emits various volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including high-volatility benzene, which can have a significant impact on the local community. To address this issue, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a fenceline monitoring system to ensure that benzene concentrations at the fenceline do not exceed 9 μg/m3. However, there are various types of VOCs, and some with high potential atmospheric oxidation (POCP) values, that may cause secondary air pollution. This study found that both study sites exceeded the action level of benzene (9 μg/m3), and the locations where the level was exceeded were close to the crude distillation unit (CDU) (max concentration 34.07 μg/m3). Additionally, a significant amount of xylene with a high POCP was also released. The xylene emission rate of study site A was 27.71%, and the xylene emission rate of study site B was 46.75%. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce both high-volatility benzene and high-POCP xylene. In various industries that use organic solvents, it is important to prioritize VOCs for continuous measurement and analysis and to establish reduction strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics and Formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols)
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