Contribution of anthropogenic and biogenic volatile compounds - voc's - to the aerosol formation in ambient air
FP4 — Training and Mobility of Researchers
- Duration
- 1997-12-01 → 1998-11-30
- EU contribution
- —
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- RGI
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Project objective
Research objectives and content Volatile organic compounds (VOC's), are known to play an important role in the chemistry of the atrnosphere, in particular in the formation of photochemical oxidants e.g. ozone, PAN etc. Moreover, prelirninary evidence indicates that VOC's are contributing to a large extent to organic aerosol formed under atmospheric conditions. Athough many reaction mechanisms for volatile organics are proposed which might explain product formation and distribution, the atmospheric processes which govern formation and growth of aerosols are only partly elucidated. In addition, the complexity of the chemical and physical processes involved in gas-to-particle conversion of organic carbon makes it difficult to relate the organic component of particulate matter to specific sources of the volatile hydrocarbons which act as aerosol precursors. The work proposed aims at clarifying the chemical processes involving selected anthropogenic e.g. cyclohexene and biogenic e.g.limonene hydrocarbons leading to aerosol forrnation as a result of their reaction with atmospheric trace gases e.g. 03, NOx under simulated atmospheric conditions and in the field. Factors which possibly affect aerosol formation e.g. humidity, solar radiation, temperature will be considered too. Training content (objective, benefit and expected impact) Experiments will be carried out in the laboratory in order to investigate the aerosol production by the ozonolysis and photooxidation of limonene and cyclohexene. A method will be developed and tested for sampling the aerosol particles. Analysis will be performed by GC and GC/MS and HPLC. In addition, in field measurements in the greater Athens area the organic fraction of collected aerosols will be analysed. From the results in both the laboratory and field experiments, information concerning the chemical composition, the rate of production and the made of formation of particulate organic matter will be obtained. Moreover, an atempt will be made to use these data in chemical reaction models.
Original text from CORDIS.
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