AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Low Temperature Chemistry of Biomass Burning Markers
VIKRAM PRATAP, Aditya Kiran Srikakulapu, Qijing Bian, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Philip K Hopke, Shunsuke Nakao, Clarkson University
Abstract Number: 370 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract Chemistry of biomass burning markers, such as levoglucosan, has been studied for summertime conditions in the context of wildfires and prescribed fire. However, studies under low temperature conditions are very limited despite significant contributions of residential wood combustion to air pollution during wintertime. Low temperatures during winter are expected to impact gas-particle partitioning and reaction kinetics. The impact of lower temperature on quantitative interpretation of biomass markers is not well understood. In this study, we have conducted wood smoke experiments using real wood smoke in an outdoor 6-m3 Teflon smog chamber. Ambient temperatures (native to Potsdam NY winter conditions) have been used to study the chemistry. The lifetime of levoglucosan and other secondary markers was evaluated in this work. Additionally, an aerosol microphysics model was utilized to compare the experimental results with the model predictions considering particle and vapor wall loss within a Teflon chamber. Preliminary experimental results indicate a significant increase in the lifetime of levoglucosan below 10 °C. Finally, the applicability of wood smoke markers will be assessed for source apportionment studies for winter conditions.