Microchemical characterization of aerosols

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6704008· OSTI ID:6704008

Novakov, T

A methodology was developed to quantitate the amounts of different classes of carbonaceous aerosol particulates collected at various urban locations in the United States. The analysis of the results provides an assessment of the relative amounts of primary and secondary particulate carbon at these locations. Carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere consist of two major components - graphitic or black carbon (sometimes referred to as elemental or free carbon) and organic material. Two approaches were used in these studies. The first essentially involves a systematic study of 24-h average black carbon to total carbon ratios, since measurements of this ratio from a number of source samples give insights into the relative black to total carbon ratio of primary emissions and the source variabilities. Secondary material will not contain the black component, but it will increase the total mass of carbon and will therefore reduce the black to total carbon fraction. The second approach in the studies relies on the evolved gas (CO/sub 2/) thermal analysis method as a means of identifiying the organic and black carbon components of source emissions, source-enriched samples, and ambient particles. The differences between these should correspond to the secondary component.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Lawrence Berkeley Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6704008
• Report Number(s): LBL-11805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOL MONITORING
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
CARBON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COLLOIDS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
GRAPHITE
INFORMATION
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
POLLUTION
QUANTITY RATIO
SOLS
SOOT
THERMAL ANALYSIS
TRACE AMOUNTS