PNNL

Abstract

When secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are formed by ozonolysis in the presence of the gas21#ase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their formation and properties are significantly different from the SOA particles formed without PAHs. For all SOA precursors and all PAHs, discussed in this study, the presence of the gas21#ase PAHs during SOA formation significantly affects particle mass loadings, composition, growth, evaporation kinetics, and viscosity. SOA particles formed in the presence of PAHs have, as part of their compositions, trapped, unreacted PAHs and products of heterogeneous reactions between PAHs with ozone. Compared to ‘pure’ SOA particles, these particles exhibit slower evaporation kinetics, have higher fractions of non2volatile components, like oligomers, and higher viscosities, assuring their longer atmospheric lifetimes. In turn, the increased viscosity and decreased volatility provide a shield that protects PAHs from chemical degradation and evaporation, allowing for the long2 range transport of these toxic pollutants. The magnitude of the effect of PAHs on SOA formation is surprisingly large. The presence of PAHs during SOA formation increases mass loadings by factors of two to five, and particle number concentrations, in some cases, by more than a factor of 100. Increase in SOA mass, particle number concentrations, and lifetime has important implications to many atmospheric processes related to climate, weather, visibility, and human health, all of which relate to the interactions between biogenic SOA and anthropogenic PAHs. The synergistic relationship between SOA and PAHs presented here are clearly complex and call for future research to elucidate further the underlying processes and their exact atmospheric implications.