Role of Black Carbon in the Organic Chemistry of Atmospheric Aerosols

Conference · Tue Apr 21 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6505099

Gundel, L. A. ^[1]; Dod, R. L. ^[1]; Hansen, A. D. A. ^[1]; Rosen, H. ^[1]; Chang, S. -G. ^[1]; Novakov, T. ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL), Berkeley, CA (United States); University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

Black carbon plays a significant role in the physics and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols because of its optical absorptivity, adsorption capacity, and surface characteristics. These properties affect the composition and chemical behavior of the associated organic material. Gas chromatographic and mass spectral studies indicate that particulate organic material contains unburned and partially oxidized fuel hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and polyfunctional oxygenated compounds which may be formed in the atmosphere by reactions of hydrocarbons with atmospheric or pollutant gases. Carbonaceous aerosols were characterized using combustion evolved gas analysis (thermal analysis) with simultaneous optical attenuation measurements and selective solvent extraction. Thermograms of urban aerosols typically exhibit three broad peaks when evolved CO₂ concentration is plotted versus heating temperature. Sample thermograms are shown. Field and characterization studies indicate that the ratios of secondary to primary carbon in urban particulate matter are similar for samples collected in Berkeley, Los Angeles, and New York City, irrespective of the level of photochemical activity at the sampling sites. The fraction of black carbon to total carbon in urban carbonaceous particles is approximately constant, independent of sampling location or time of year.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6505099
• Report Number(s): LBL--12540; CONF-810475-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500100* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CALIFORNIA
CARBON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
CHROMATOGRAPHY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
GAS ANALYSIS
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
LOS ANGELES
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MEASURING METHODS
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
NEW YORK
NEW YORK CITY
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLS
SPECTROSCOPY
THERMAL ANALYSIS
THERMOGRAPHY
USA
WESTERN REGION