AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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Nighttime Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Biodiesel and Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Blends
SHAOKAI GAO, Jennifer L. Murphy, Phillips 66 Research Center
Abstract Number: 301 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract The Renewable Fuel Standard requires oil refiners to blend biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, into transportation fuels. Since the approval of this Standard in 2007, biodiesel use has been increasing in the United States. However, the impact of use of biodiesel on air quality has been difficult to assess as photochemical models lack parameters for predicting secondary pollutant formation (e.g. ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA)) from biodiesel volatile organic compound precursors.
The goal of this study is to investigate effect of biodiesel on nighttime SOA formation behavior when blended with petroleum diesel. Three biodiesel samples obtained from different feedstocks, including soybean, corn oil, and canola oil were blended with an ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) at different volume ratios (B0, B5, B10, B15, and B20). A comparison of SOA mass loadings and composition from the four biodiesel blends and ULSD will be presented. The results will help in quantitatively understanding the role of intermediate volatile organic compounds (IVOC) in the SOA formation chemistry, which will help in improving accuracy of photochemical models used for development of future particulate matter regulations.