Secondary organic aerosol formation in biomass-burning plumes: theoretical analysis of lab studies and ambient plumes
Abstract
Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) has been shown to form in biomass-burning emissions in laboratory and field studies. However, there is significant variability among studies in mass enhancement, which could be due to differences in fuels, fire conditions, dilution, and/or limitations of laboratory experiments and observations. This study focuses on understanding processes affecting biomass-burning SOA formation in laboratory smog-chamber experiments and in ambient plumes. Vapor wall losses have been demonstrated to be an important factor that can suppress SOA formation in laboratory studies of traditional SOA precursors; however, impacts of vapor wall losses on biomass-burning SOA have not yet been investigated. We use an aerosol-microphysical model that includes representations of volatility and oxidation chemistry to estimate the influence of vapor wall loss on SOA formation observed in the FLAME III smog-chamber studies. Our simulations with base-case assumptions for chemistry and wall loss predict a mean OA mass enhancement (the ratio of final to initial OA mass, corrected for particle-phase wall losses) of 1.8 across all experiments when vapor wall losses are modeled, roughly matching the mean observed enhancement during FLAME III. The mean OA enhancement increases to over 3 when vapor wall losses are turned off, implying that vapor wall losses reducemore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1353515
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1368356
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0006035; R833747; R834554
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online)
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online) Journal Volume: 17 Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 1680-7324
- Publisher:
- Copernicus Publications, EGU
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Citation Formats
Bian, Qijing, Jathar, Shantanu H., Kodros, John K., Barsanti, Kelley C., Hatch, Lindsay E., May, Andrew A., Kreidenweis, Sonia M., and Pierce, Jeffrey R. Secondary organic aerosol formation in biomass-burning plumes: theoretical analysis of lab studies and ambient plumes. Germany: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.5194/acp-17-5459-2017.
Bian, Qijing, Jathar, Shantanu H., Kodros, John K., Barsanti, Kelley C., Hatch, Lindsay E., May, Andrew A., Kreidenweis, Sonia M., & Pierce, Jeffrey R. Secondary organic aerosol formation in biomass-burning plumes: theoretical analysis of lab studies and ambient plumes. Germany. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5459-2017
Bian, Qijing, Jathar, Shantanu H., Kodros, John K., Barsanti, Kelley C., Hatch, Lindsay E., May, Andrew A., Kreidenweis, Sonia M., and Pierce, Jeffrey R. Fri .
"Secondary organic aerosol formation in biomass-burning plumes: theoretical analysis of lab studies and ambient plumes". Germany. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5459-2017.
@article{osti_1353515,
title = {Secondary organic aerosol formation in biomass-burning plumes: theoretical analysis of lab studies and ambient plumes},
author = {Bian, Qijing and Jathar, Shantanu H. and Kodros, John K. and Barsanti, Kelley C. and Hatch, Lindsay E. and May, Andrew A. and Kreidenweis, Sonia M. and Pierce, Jeffrey R.},
abstractNote = {Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) has been shown to form in biomass-burning emissions in laboratory and field studies. However, there is significant variability among studies in mass enhancement, which could be due to differences in fuels, fire conditions, dilution, and/or limitations of laboratory experiments and observations. This study focuses on understanding processes affecting biomass-burning SOA formation in laboratory smog-chamber experiments and in ambient plumes. Vapor wall losses have been demonstrated to be an important factor that can suppress SOA formation in laboratory studies of traditional SOA precursors; however, impacts of vapor wall losses on biomass-burning SOA have not yet been investigated. We use an aerosol-microphysical model that includes representations of volatility and oxidation chemistry to estimate the influence of vapor wall loss on SOA formation observed in the FLAME III smog-chamber studies. Our simulations with base-case assumptions for chemistry and wall loss predict a mean OA mass enhancement (the ratio of final to initial OA mass, corrected for particle-phase wall losses) of 1.8 across all experiments when vapor wall losses are modeled, roughly matching the mean observed enhancement during FLAME III. The mean OA enhancement increases to over 3 when vapor wall losses are turned off, implying that vapor wall losses reduce the apparent SOA formation. We find that this decrease in the apparent SOA formation due to vapor wall losses is robust across the ranges of uncertainties in the key model assumptions for wall-loss and mass-transfer coefficients and chemical mechanisms.We then apply similar assumptions regarding SOA formation chemistry and physics to smoke emitted into the atmosphere. In ambient plumes, the plume dilution rate impacts the organic partitioning between the gas and particle phases, which may impact the potential for SOA to form as well as the rate of SOA formation. We add Gaussian dispersion to our aerosol-microphysical model to estimate how SOA formation may vary under different ambient-plume conditions (e.g., fire size, emission mass flux, atmospheric stability). Smoke from small fires, such as typical prescribed burns, dilutes rapidly, which drives evaporation of organic vapor from the particle phase, leading to more effective SOA formation. Emissions from large fires, such as intense wildfires, dilute slowly, suppressing OA evaporation and subsequent SOA formation in the near field. We also demonstrate that different approaches to the calculation of OA enhancement in ambient plumes can lead to different conclusions regarding SOA formation. OA mass enhancement ratios of around 1 calculated using an inert tracer, such as black carbon or CO, have traditionally been interpreted as exhibiting little or no SOA formation; however, we show that SOA formation may have greatly contributed to the mass in these plumes.In comparison of laboratory and plume results, the possible inconsistency of OA enhancement between them could be in part attributed to the effect of chamber walls and plume dilution. Our results highlight that laboratory and field experiments that focus on the fuel and fire conditions also need to consider the effects of plume dilution or vapor losses to walls.},
doi = {10.5194/acp-17-5459-2017},
journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online)},
number = 8,
volume = 17,
place = {Germany},
year = {Fri Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Fri Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5459-2017
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Simulating secondary organic aerosol in a regional air quality model using the statistical oxidation model – Part 2: Assessing the influence of vapor wall losses
journal, January 2016
- Cappa, Christopher D.; Jathar, Shantanu H.; Kleeman, Michael J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 5
Investigating the links between ozone and organic aerosol chemistry in a biomass burning plume from a prescribed fire in California chaparral
journal, January 2015
- Alvarado, M. J.; Lonsdale, C. R.; Yokelson, R. J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 12
The role of low volatile organics on secondary organic aerosol formation
journal, January 2014
- Kokkola, H.; Yli-Pirilä, P.; Vesterinen, M.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 14, Issue 3
Investigation of particle and vapor wall-loss effects on controlled wood-smoke smog-chamber experiments
journal, January 2015
- Bian, Q.; May, A. A.; Kreidenweis, S. M.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 19
Intercomparison of Two Box Models of the Chemical Evolution in Biomass-Burning Smoke Plumes
journal, September 2006
- Mason, Sherri A.; Trentmann, Jörg; Winterrath, Tanja
- Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry, Vol. 55, Issue 3
Vapor–Wall Deposition in Chambers: Theoretical Considerations
journal, August 2014
- McVay, Renee C.; Cappa, Christopher D.; Seinfeld, John H.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 17
Trace gas measurements in nascent, aged, and cloud-processed smoke from African savanna fires by airborne Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (AFTIR): TRACE GAS MEASUREMENTS IN SMOKE BY AFTIR
journal, July 2003
- Yokelson, Robert J.; Bertschi, Isaac T.; Christian, Ted J.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 108, Issue D13
Annual and diurnal african biomass burning temporal dynamics
journal, January 2009
- Roberts, G.; Wooster, M. J.; Lagoudakis, E.
- Biogeosciences, Vol. 6, Issue 5
Aging of biomass burning aerosols over West Africa: Aircraft measurements of chemical composition, microphysical properties, and emission ratios
journal, January 2008
- Capes, G.; Johnson, B.; McFiggans, G.
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 113
A Computationally Efficient Aerosol Nucleation/ Condensation Method: Pseudo-Steady-State Sulfuric Acid
journal, February 2009
- Pierce, J. R.; Adams, P. J.
- Aerosol Science and Technology, Vol. 43, Issue 3
Turbulent deposition and gravitational sedimentation of an aerosol in a vessel of arbitrary shape
journal, January 1981
- Crump, James G.; Seinfeld, John H.
- Journal of Aerosol Science, Vol. 12, Issue 5
Observations and analysis of organic aerosol evolution in some prescribed fire smoke plumes
journal, January 2015
- May, A. A.; Lee, T.; McMeeking, G. R.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 11
Measurements of reactive trace gases and variable O 3 formation rates in some South Carolina biomass burning plumes
journal, January 2013
- Akagi, S. K.; Yokelson, R. J.; Burling, I. R.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 13, Issue 3
Forest biomass diversion in the Sierra Nevada: Energy, economics and emissions
journal, July 2015
- Springsteen, Bruce; Christofk, Thomas; York, Robert A.
- California Agriculture, Vol. 69, Issue 3
Multi-instrument comparison and compilation of non-methane organic gas emissions from biomass burning and implications for smoke-derived secondary organic aerosol precursors
journal, January 2017
- Hatch, Lindsay E.; Yokelson, Robert J.; Stockwell, Chelsea E.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 17, Issue 2
Temporal and spatial variability in biomass burned areas across the USA derived from the GOES fire product
journal, June 2008
- Zhang, Xiaoyang; Kondragunta, Shobha
- Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 112, Issue 6
Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A scientific assessment: BLACK CARBON IN THE CLIMATE SYSTEM
journal, June 2013
- Bond, T. C.; Doherty, S. J.; Fahey, D. W.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 11
Gas-Wall Partitioning of Organic Compounds in a Teflon Film Chamber and Potential Effects on Reaction Product and Aerosol Yield Measurements
journal, August 2010
- Matsunaga, Aiko; Ziemann ‡, Paul J.
- Aerosol Science and Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 10
Characterizing the Aging of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol by Use of Mixing Ratios: A Meta-analysis of Four Regions
journal, November 2012
- Jolleys, Matthew D.; Coe, Hugh; McFiggans, Gordon
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 24
Organic aerosol emission ratios from the laboratory combustion of biomass fuels: BBOA emission ratios in chamber studies
journal, November 2014
- Jolleys, Matthew D.; Coe, Hugh; McFiggans, Gordon
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 119, Issue 22
Gas-particle partitioning of primary organic aerosol emissions: 3. Biomass burning: BIOMASS-BURNING PARTITIONING
journal, October 2013
- May, Andrew A.; Levin, Ezra J. T.; Hennigan, Christopher J.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 19
Vapor wall deposition in Teflon chambers
journal, January 2015
- Zhang, X.; Schwantes, R. H.; McVay, R. C.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 8
Influence of vapor wall loss in laboratory chambers on yields of secondary organic aerosol
journal, April 2014
- Zhang, X.; Cappa, C. D.; Jathar, S. H.
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue 16
Investigation of the sources and processing of organic aerosol over the Central Mexican Plateau from aircraft measurements during MILAGRO
journal, January 2010
- DeCarlo, P. F.; Ulbrich, I. M.; Crounse, J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 10, Issue 12
Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: Plume rise, atmospheric transport, and chemistry processes
journal, April 2014
- Heilman, Warren E.; Liu, Yongqiang; Urbanski, Shawn
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 317
Simulated data for "Secondary organic aerosol formation in biomass-burning plumes: Theoretical analysis from lab studies and ambient plumes"
report, January 2017
- Bian, Qijing; Jather, Shantanu H.; Kodros, John K.
- Forest Service Research Data Archive
Chemical and physical transformations of organic aerosol from the photo-oxidation of open biomass burning emissions in an environmental chamber
journal, January 2011
- Hennigan, C. J.; Miracolo, M. A.; Engelhart, G. J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 11, Issue 15
Secondary organic aerosol formation and primary organic aerosol oxidation from biomass-burning smoke in a flow reactor during FLAME-3
journal, January 2013
- Ortega, A. M.; Day, D. A.; Cubison, M. J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 13, Issue 22
Unspeciated organic emissions from combustion sources and their influence on the secondary organic aerosol budget in the United States
journal, July 2014
- Jathar, S. H.; Gordon, T. D.; Hennigan, C. J.
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue 29
An absorption model of gas/particle partitioning of organic compounds in the atmosphere
journal, January 1994
- Pankow, James F.
- Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 28, Issue 2
Organic Aerosol Formation from Photochemical Oxidation of Diesel Exhaust in a Smog Chamber
journal, October 2007
- Weitkamp, Emily A.; Sage, Amy M.; Pierce, Jeffrey R.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 41, Issue 20
Influence of seed aerosol surface area and oxidation rate on vapor wall
deposition and SOA mass yields: a case study with α -pinene
ozonolysis
journal, January 2016
- Nah, Theodora; McVay, Renee C.; Zhang, Xuan
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 14
Testing secondary organic aerosol models using smog chamber data for complex precursor mixtures: influence of precursor volatility and molecular structure
journal, January 2014
- Jathar, S. H.; Donahue, N. M.; Adams, P. J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 14, Issue 11
Formation of ozone and growth of aerosols in young smoke plumes from biomass burning: 1. Lagrangian parcel studies
journal, January 2009
- Alvarado, Matthew James; Prinn, Ronald G.
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, Issue D9
Evolution of Organic Aerosols in the Atmosphere
journal, December 2009
- Jimenez, J. L.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Donahue, N. M.
- Science, Vol. 326, Issue 5959
Ozone production from wildfires: A critical review
journal, May 2012
- Jaffe, Daniel A.; Wigder, Nicole L.
- Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 51
The evolution of biomass-burning aerosol size distributions due to coagulation: dependence on fire and meteorological details and parameterization
journal, January 2016
- Sakamoto, Kimiko M.; Laing, James R.; Stevens, Robin G.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 12
Emissions from biomass burning in the Yucatan
journal, January 2009
- Yokelson, R. J.; Crounse, J. D.; DeCarlo, P. F.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 9, Issue 15
Properties and evolution of biomass burning organic aerosol from Canadian boreal forest fires
journal, January 2015
- Jolleys, M. D.; Coe, H.; McFiggans, G.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 15, Issue 6
Aerosol emissions from prescribed fires in the United States: A synthesis of laboratory and aircraft measurements: Aerosols from US prescribed fires
journal, October 2014
- May, A. A.; McMeeking, G. R.; Lee, T.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 119, Issue 20
Woodsmoke Health Effects: A Review
journal, January 2007
- Naeher, Luke P.; Brauer, Michael; Lipsett, Michael
- Inhalation Toxicology, Vol. 19, Issue 1
Evolution of trace gases and particles emitted by a chaparral fire in California
journal, January 2012
- Akagi, S. K.; Craven, J. S.; Taylor, J. W.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 12, Issue 3
Quantification of Gas-Wall Partitioning in Teflon Environmental Chambers Using Rapid Bursts of Low-Volatility Oxidized Species Generated in Situ
journal, May 2016
- Krechmer, Jordan E.; Pagonis, Demetrios; Ziemann, Paul J.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 50, Issue 11
Constraining Particle Evolution from Wall Losses, Coagulation, and Condensation-Evaporation in Smog-Chamber Experiments: Optimal Estimation Based on Size Distribution Measurements
journal, October 2008
- Pierce, J. R.; Engelhart, G. J.; Hildebrandt, L.
- Aerosol Science and Technology, Vol. 42, Issue 12
Emission factors for open and domestic biomass burning for use in atmospheric models
journal, January 2011
- Akagi, S. K.; Yokelson, R. J.; Wiedinmyer, C.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 11, Issue 9
Effects of Molecular Structure on Aerosol Yields from OH Radical-Initiated Reactions of Linear, Branched, and Cyclic Alkanes in the Presence of NO x
journal, April 2009
- Lim, Yong B.; Ziemann, Paul J.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 43, Issue 7
Alkyl Nitrate Formation from the Reactions of C 8 –C 14 n -Alkanes with OH Radicals in the Presence of NO x : Measured Yields with Essential Corrections for Gas–Wall Partitioning
journal, April 2014
- Yeh, Geoffrey K.; Ziemann, Paul J.
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol. 118, Issue 37
Gas and aerosol wall losses in Teflon film smog chambers
journal, December 1985
- McMurry, Peter H.; Grosjean, Daniel.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 19, Issue 12
Impacts of brown carbon from biomass burning on surface UV and ozone photochemistry in the Amazon Basin
journal, November 2016
- Mok, Jungbin; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Arola, Antti
- Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1
Effects of aging on organic aerosol from open biomass burning smoke in aircraft and laboratory studies
journal, January 2011
- Cubison, M. J.; Ortega, A. M.; Hayes, P. L.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 11, Issue 23
Atmospheric Degradation of Volatile Organic Compounds
journal, December 2003
- Atkinson, Roger; Arey, Janet
- Chemical Reviews, Vol. 103, Issue 12
Estimated Global Mortality Attributable to Smoke from Landscape Fires
journal, May 2012
- Johnston, Fay H.; Henderson, Sarah B.; Chen, Yang
- Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 120, Issue 5
Impact of chamber wall loss of gaseous organic compounds on secondary organic aerosol formation: explicit modeling of SOA formation from alkane and alkene oxidation
journal, January 2016
- La, Y. S.; Camredon, M.; Ziemann, P. J.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 3
Predicting global aerosol size distributions in general circulation models
journal, January 2002
- Adams, Peter J.
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 107, Issue D19
Laboratory investigation of photochemical oxidation of organic aerosol from wood fires 1: measurement and simulation of organic aerosol evolution
journal, January 2009
- Grieshop, A. P.; Logue, J. M.; Donahue, N. M.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 9, Issue 4
Estimation of wildfire size and risk changes due to fuels treatments
journal, January 2012
- Cochrane, M. A.; Moran, C. J.; Wimberly, M. C.
- International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol. 21, Issue 4
Coupled Partitioning, Dilution, and Chemical Aging of Semivolatile Organics
journal, April 2006
- Donahue, N. M.; Robinson, A. L.; Stanier, C. O.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 40, Issue 8