Characterizing the Atmospheric Oxidation and Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of the Polystyrene Nanoplastic Particles

SAHIR GAGAN, Alana Dodero, Miska Olin, Ruizhe Liu, Zezhen Cheng, Sining Niu, Janie (Yeaseul) Kim, Andrew Lambe, Yuzhi Chen, Swarup China, Yue Zhang, Texas A&M University

     Abstract Number: 622
     Working Group: Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Indoor and Outdoor Aerosol: Sources, Vectors, Reactivity, and Impacts

Abstract
Nanoplastic particles (NPPs) are emerging anthropogenic pollutants identified from urban to remote areas. Characterizing the lifetime, fate, and cloud-forming potential of atmospheric NPPs improves understanding of their environmental processes and climate impacts. This study provides the first quantified heterogeneous reaction rate and lifetimes of polystyrene (PS) NPPs against common atmospheric oxidants. The atomized PS NPPs were introduced to a Potential Aerosol Mass (PAM) oxidation flow reactor with ·OH exposure of 0 to 1.5 x 10¹² molecule cm^-3 s, equivalent to atmospheric exposure from 0 to 18 days, assuming ambient ·OH concentration of 1 x 10⁶ cm^-3. The decay of the PS mass concentration was quantified by monitoring tracer ions, C₆H₆⁺ (m/z 78) and C₈H₈⁺ (m/z 104), using a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The pseudo-first-order rate constant of PS particles reacting with ·OH, k_OH, was determined to be (3.2 x 0.7) x 10^-13 cm³ molecule^-1 s^-1, equivalent to a half-lifetime of a few hours to ~80 days in the atmosphere, depending on particle sizes and hydroxyl radical concentrations. The hygroscopicity of 100 nm PS NPPs at different ·OH exposure levels was quantified using a cloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC), showing a two-fold increase of hygroscopicity parameter upon 27 days of atmospheric photo-oxidation.