AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from the Photochemical Oxidation of Fuels: Quantifying the Impact of Fuel Composition and Environmental Variables
TERRY LATHEM, Phillips 66
Abstract Number: 6 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract Increasingly stringent environmental regulations on particulate matter are requiring a more advanced understanding of the emission, formation, and evolution of atmospheric particles. The emission of particulate matter is complex and dynamic, with emissions arising from both primary and secondary sources. Advanced knowledge on these particle sources and particle formation pathways is critical for cost-effective regulatory compliance. This presentation will introduce the current challenges and uncertainties in quantifying and measuring secondary particulate matter from fuel sources and will present development of indoor and outdoor environmental chambers for improved understanding of secondary particle formation. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation resulting from the atmospheric photo-oxidation of different gasoline and gasoline/ethanol blends will be presented, including fuels of varying aromatic content (30 - 50 weight percent) and varying ethanol blends (E10, E15, E85). The influence of environmental variables on the SOA formation will be discussed by comparing indoor and outdoor environmental chamber experiments, including a comparison of yields at outdoor temperatures ranging from -10 to +40 degrees Celsius. It will be shown that fuel composition and environmental variables (temperature and solar radiation) can have significant influences on SOA formation potential.