AGS-PRF: Laboratory Studies of the Heterogeneous Oxidation of Organic Compounds Found in Biomass Burning Aerosols by Hydroxyl Radicals

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Atmospheric aerosols emitted into the air by biomass burning undergo many chemical reactions in the atmosphere as they age. These reactions can significantly change the impacts that these particles have on air quality and climate. The research conducted by this Postdoctoral Fellow will investigate several factors that can influence these reactions for both simple and complex aerosol mixtures.The overarching goal of this research is to increase the understanding of heterogeneous OH oxidation mechanisms on organic aerosols by performing laboratory studies on multi-component mixtures of organics (variety of functional groups, and mixtures) and inorganic components (sulfate and nitrate), that more closely mimic the compositional complexity of BBA in the atmosphere. This goal will be achieved by four objectives: (1) Determine the effect multi-functional organic groups have on OH heterogeneous uptake kinetics and oxidation products; (2) Examine whether heterogeneous oxidation of single component organic aerosol systems are different than in mixtures; (3) Determine the effect relative humidity has on single organic systems and mixed inorganic-organic mixtures on heterogeneous reaction mechanisms; and (4) Integrate the data to assess what complexities in model BBA systems have the greatest impact on heterogeneous oxidation mechanisms. The results of this effort will provide useful information to climate modelers in estimating the impact of aerosols on climate change.