A Molecular Picture for Biomass Burning

化学系的环境化学科学（ECS）计划将支持科罗拉多大学的Barney Ellison教授和Daily教授以及德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的John Stanton教授的合作研究计划。这个跨学科的研究人员和他们的学生合作团队将开发一种新型的生物质光谱仪，将可调真空紫外光电离质谱（VUV PIMS）检测与傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱相结合，以研究森林火灾的基本化学过程。该项目将结合联合收割机最先进的光谱方法来表征生物质燃烧过程中形成的活性碳物种的有机化学（埃里森），先进的光谱分析方法来分析红外和质谱（斯坦顿）和计算流体动力学计算和蒙特卡洛模拟（每日）来模拟计划中的生物质光谱仪的流体动力学。生物质光谱仪将使该小组能够通过识别生物质燃烧的化学中间体和副产品来研究森林火灾期间生物质裂解的机制。 该项目将解决一个非常困难和复杂的化学问题，并能够解释在森林火灾期间获得的高度复杂的实地数据。该项目将为希望在具有重大环境意义的领域从事专业科学事业的学生提供极好的跨学科培训机会。

The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the collaborative research program of Prof. Barney Ellison and Prof. Daily of the University of Colorado and Prof. John Stanton of the University of Texas at Austin. This interdisciplinary collaborative team of investigators and their students will develop a novel biomass spectrometer that combines tunable vacuum ultraviolet photo ionization mass spectrometry (VUV PIMS) detection with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to study the fundamental chemical processes of forest fires. The project will combine state-of-the art spectroscopic methods to characterize the organic chemistry of reactive carbon species formed during biomass burning (Ellison), advanced spectral analysis methods to analyze infrared and mass spectra (Stanton) and computational fluid dynamics calculations and Monte Carlo simulations (Daily) to model the fluid dynamics of the planned biomass spectrometer. The biomass spectrometer will enable the group to study the mechanism of biomass cracking during forest fires by identifying chemical intermediates and by-products of biomass burning. The project will solve a very difficult and complex chemical problem and enable the interpretation of highly complex field data which is obtained during forest fires. The project will provide excellent interdisciplinary training opportunities for students who wish to pursue a professional scientific career in an area of great environmental importance.