Investigating the influence of burn conditions on the physicochemical properties of biomass-burning carbonaceous aerosols generated during the Georgia Wildland-fire Simulation Experiment (G-WISE) campaign
EMSL Project ID
61071
Abstract
Carbonaceous aerosols (CA, including black carbon (BC) and organic aerosols (OA)) are major components of atmospheric particles and play significant but poorly constrained roles in perturbing the climate system1. This is partly because their major source is biomass burning (BB), where combustion conditions (air-to-fuel ratio and combustion temperature) are typically variable and uncontrolled. Thus, emitted CA has highly variable morphology and broad physical, chemical, and optical properties. Moreover, CA is often co-emitted with other species (e.g., fly ash and salts), complicating the retrieval of CA-specific properties. Previous studies have shown that the properties of bulk BB CA are highly dependent on combustion conditions2,3, but it is still unclear how CA properties are correlated with combustion conditions on the single-particle and molecular levels. Thus, the main objective of this study is to investigate the physicochemical properties of BB CA emitted from different combustion conditions. This study will utilize both bulk and individual and molecular level analysis for specific aims: AIM1) Characterize the physical and chemical properties of individual CA particles collected from open BB of different biomass fuels, and AIM2) Investigate the molecular composition of CA particles. We have conducted open BB experiments during the Georgia Wildland-fire Simulation Experiment (G-WISE) campaign at the University of Georgia to mimic real-world combustion conditions. Filter and TEM grid samples collected from the G-WISE campaign will be analyzed at EMSL (microscopy, mass spectrometry) to probe their morphology (size, shape, mixing state), volatility, and chemical composition (elemental composition and molecular information). This analysis will shed light on the CA formation pathways and atmospheric evolution and will help link CA properties with combustion conditions. The outcomes from these experiments will enhance the understanding of CA, informing various fields such as climate science and atmospheric modeling.
Project Details
Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2024-01-22
End Date
N/A
Status
Active
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)