Chemical and isotopic characterization of fatty acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aerosols - implications for biomass burning
- Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
Emissions of organic materials during biomass burning have been suggested to influence the biogeochemical distribution of nutrients in a range of ecosystems. Additionally, some organic components survive pyrolytic processes and are of regional and global biogeochemical significance because they may serve as tracers for transport of biomass burning products. Two classes of compounds that are of interest in determining the transport of these products are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and fatty acids. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are stable to biodegradation and are typically produced during natural and anthropogenic combustion processes. Fatty acids are also stable to atmospheric degradation and have been implicated as useful biomarkers for atmospheric transport. In this study, PAH and fatty acids emitted during controlled low and high temperature burns of sugar cane have been chemically and isotopically characterized using GC/MS and GC/IRMS, respectively. In order to determine if these species are suitable biomarkers for the transport of biomass burning materials, aerosols collected during sugar cane burning in South Africa have been similarly analyzed.
- OSTI ID:
- 214838
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950801-; TRN: 96:000922-0315
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 210. national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Chicago, IL (United States), 20-25 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of 210th ACS national meeting. Part 1 and 2; PB: 1866 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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