CAREER: From the kitchen to the clouds: research and teaching on the emission and evolution of aerosols from household energy use by the global poor

这个项目旨在帮助解决一个影响从个人到全球的具有挑战性的问题：国内和国际穷人使用室内生物燃料对人类健康和全球气候的影响。这种以问题为导向的研究本质上是跨学科的，利用工程学、气雾学、教育和外联活动来实现稳健和可持续的成果。核心问题是：我们需要知道什么，才能限制当前和未来生物燃料燃烧实践排放的影响的不确定性，做出正确的决定，避免意外结果？以下目标确定了该计划的范围：1)探索燃烧条件和大气影响如何决定生物燃料燃烧产生的气溶胶排放的“老化”，从而对空气质量和气候产生影响；2)桥的实验室和现场测量，开发目前缺乏的方法来模拟真实世界的排放和老化过程，以控制各种炉子和燃料类型的净影响；3)合作开发和部署一种简单的方法，在新技术推广期间评估家庭炉灶，支持监测工作，减少大规模排放估计中的不确定性；4)让从高中生到研究生水平的学生和国际合作伙伴参与实践学习和研究活动，以培养对环境工程和科学的技能、兴奋和兴趣。原始生物燃料用于家庭能源对人类健康和全球气候有巨大影响。室内生物燃料的使用每年导致数百万人死亡，这种生物燃料和其他生物质燃烧是黑碳气溶胶和其他物种的主要来源，对全球气候系统和世界各地的区域空气质量产生强烈影响，甚至可能影响用于饮用水的水源的质量。因此，减少家用生物燃料燃烧的排放作为一种提供巨大的全球健康和气候益处的手段，最近理所当然地引起了人们的关注。然而，由于科学认识有限，以及与实际炉灶使用和性能相关的复杂性，目前的做法和与“改进”炉灶相关的改进的实际影响是高度不确定的。真实世界中生物燃料燃烧的排放率和特征无法在实验室中再现，这阻碍了有效技术的开发。基本的科学不确定性源于生物质燃烧排放的动态性质，这些排放通过复杂的大气化学不断演变(即这些排放随着时间和成分的变化而变化)。排放的老化形成二次有机气溶胶，可通过直接(短波散射)和间接(云)气候效应完全或部分抵消排放的BC的变暖影响。因此，老化可能会决定生物燃料燃烧排放对空气质量的影响，以及它们是对气候变暖还是对气候降温产生影响。该项目致力于建立对生物燃料燃烧排放及其在大气中如何演变的基本理解，并将弥合实验室和家庭环境之间的差距。由此产生的知识和工具将支持那些开发和监测新炉灶的人的活动。将利用对所有生物质燃烧排放老化的洞察以及对全球和区域模型的投入来了解我们目前的大气层，并预测不同发展情景的好处或影响。这项研究的结果将通过出版物、在科学会议上的陈述和其他不太正式的方式广泛传播。这项工作的一个关键成果将是培训几名本科生和研究生环境工程师，并让他们直接体验与应对普遍能源供应和环境可持续性的重大挑战相关的复杂、跨学科问题。此外，这项计划将有助于在我的大学和北卡罗来纳州立大学的向上绑定计划之间建立联系，从而帮助那些渴望成为家庭中第一个获得大学学位的北卡罗来纳州农村青年。最终，这个项目将通过让高中生和国际实施伙伴参与研究，产生远远超出实验室和学术舞台的影响。

1351721GrieshopThis project aims to help solve a challenging problem that impacts at scales from personal to global: the human health and global climate impacts of indoor biofuel use by the poor, nationally and internationally. This problem-oriented research is inherently interdisciplinary and uses engineering, aerosol science, education and outreach activities to achieve robust and sustainable outcomes. The central question is: What do we need to know to constrain uncertainties in the impacts of emissions from current and future biofuel burning practices, make good decisions and avoid unexpected outcomes? The following goals define the scope of the program: 1) Explore how combustion conditions and atmospheric influences dictate the "aging" of aerosol emissions from biofuel burning, and thus their effects on air quality and climate; 2) Bridge lab and field measurements and develop currently lacking approaches to simulate real-world emission and aging processes that control the net impacts of various stove and fuel types; 3) Cooperatively develop and deploy a simple approach to assess stoves in households during new technology roll-out, support monitoring efforts and reduce uncertainty in large-scale emission estimates; and, 4) Engage students from high school to graduate levels and international partners in hands-on learning and research activities to develop skills, excitement and interest in environmental engineering and science.Primitive biofuel use for household energy has massive impacts on human health and the global climate. Indoor biofuel use kills millions each year, and this and other biomass burning are a dominant source of black carbon aerosols and other species with strong impacts on the global climate system and regional air quality worldwide, and possibly even the quality of sources of water used for drinking water. Therefore, reducing emissions from household biofuel burning has rightfully garnered recent attention as a means to provide both enormous global health and climate benefits. However, the actual impacts of current practices and improvements associated with "improved" stoves are both highly uncertain due to limited scientific understanding and the complexities associated with actual stove use and performance. Real-world biofuel burning emission rates and characteristics are not recreated in the lab, hampering the development of effective technologies. Fundamental scientific uncertainties stem from the dynamic nature of biomass burning emissions, which continually evolve (That is these emissions age with time and change in their composition) via complex atmospheric chemistry. Aging of emissions forms secondary organic aerosols, which may fully or partially counteract the warming impacts of the emitted BC through direct (shortwave scattering) and indirect (cloud) climate effects. Thus, aging may dictate the air quality impacts of biofuel burning emissions and whether they have net warming or cooling climate effects. This project endeavors to build fundamental understanding of biofuel combustion emissions and how they evolve in the atmosphere, and will bridge the gap between the laboratory and household settings. The resulting knowledge and tools will support the activities of those developing and monitoring new stoves. Insights into the aging of all biomass burning emissions and inputs into global and regional models will be used to understand our current atmosphere and anticipate the benefits or impacts of different development scenarios. The results of this research will be widely disseminated via publications, presentations at scientific meetings and other, less formal means. A key outcome of the work will be the training of several undergraduate and graduate environmental engineers, and giving them direct experience with the complex, interdisciplinary questions associated with meeting the grand challenges of universal energy provision and environmental sustainability. In addition, this program will help build the links between my the University and the Upward Bound program at North Carolina State University, and thus to rural North Carolinian youth who aspire to be the first in their families to earn college degrees. In the end, this project will have impacts far beyond the lab and scholarly arenas by engaging high school students and international implementation partners in the research.