MRI: Development of an Automated Collection and Extraction System (ACES) for Off- or On-line Chemical Analysis of Organic Aerosol Species

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This Major Research Instrumentation project will focus on the development of a device to automatically collect and extract organic aerosols from the ambient atmosphere. The system will be compared with conventional samplers in the laboratory and during field sampling campaigns. Automated low-cost aerosol sampling devices are needed for chemical characterization of ambient air pollution.The key features of the instrument will be: (1) reduction of sampling and decomposition artifacts characteristic of filter-based and thermal desorption instruments; (2) a combination of a small particle deposit area with ultra-low solvent volumes, of the order of a microliter, that allows the device to achieve high time resolution and sensitivity; (3) solvent extraction that preserves the chemical composition of the sample; (4) the extraction efficiency is enhanced by using elevated solvent temperature and pressure; and (5) the flexibility of use, as it can be used for off-line collection or coupled to an online instrument.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.