Grantee Research Project Results
Microtransport and Partitioning of Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Combustion Aerosols
EPA Grant Number: U915158Title: Microtransport and Partitioning of Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Combustion Aerosols
Investigators: Strommen, Michael
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: January 1, 1997 through January 1, 2000
Project Amount: $102,000
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1997) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Academic Fellowships , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Fellowship - Atmospheric Sciences
Objective:
The objective of this research project is to elucidate and simulate the non-equilibrium partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) between the gas phase and sorption in/on atmospheric particulate matter.
Approach:
In this work, the transport of SVOCs in combustion aerosols is studied using a combination of smog chamber experiments and numerical modeling. In a typical experiment, deuterated SVOCs are injected into a 190 m3 outdoor smog chamber followed by the addition of diesel, wood, or coal soot. The gas- and particle-phase SVOC concentrations are measured over time using a filter/denuder sampling system, and are analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Other parameters, such as particle concentration, particle size distribution, temperature, and humidity, also are also measured. The observed uptake of the SVOCs is simulated using a radial diffusion numerical model developed for this research project. In this manner, both conceptual and quantitative information are obtained regarding the transport of SVOCs in the particles. This model also is also challenged by simulating experiments in which the gas-phase constituents are removed quickly using a gas-phase stripping device, and the particles offgas to compensate for the gas-phase loss.
Supplemental Keywords:
fellowship, semivolatile organic compounds, SVOCs, combustion aerosols, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter, PM, gas phase, particle phase., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Waste, INDUSTRY, particulate matter, Chemical Engineering, Air Pollutants, Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Environmental Monitoring, Industrial Processes, Incineration/Combustion, Environmental Engineering, diesel engine, fine particles, non-equilibrium partitioning, size-resolved mass, microtransport, chemical contaminants, gas chromatography, analytical chemistry, combustion, real time monitoring, incineration, aersol particles, combustion contaminants, aerosols, aerosol mass spectrometry, semi-volatile organicsProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.