Collaborative Research: Nitrogen Partitioning and Evolution of Particulate Organic Nitrogen in Peat Fire Emissions

该项目是沙漠研究所和密歇根理工大学的合作项目，旨在深入了解泥炭土燃烧过程中含氮化合物的排放情况。初步估计表明，泥炭地火灾产生的氮排放可能与化石燃料燃烧产生的氮排放不相上下。要对全球氮循环进行准确评估，需要详细了解泥炭火灾期间排放的各种含氮化合物，以及影响它们分解为气体和颗粒相的因素，以及它们在大气中随年龄的变化。该研究的主要假设是，颗粒有机氮（PON）中含有泥炭燃料氮(N)的重要部分，并且该部分在大气中的光化学处理过程中发生变化。本研究的目标是：1)评价泥炭土壤氮在气体相和颗粒相组分中的分配与泥炭燃料类型和燃烧效率的关系，重点对PON组分进行量化；2)评估羟基（OH）自由基对烟雾的氧化（老化）如何改变PON的丰度和化学性质。这项工作有望促进对泥炭火灾对全球氮循环和大气化学重要性的理解。研究结果将通过网络研讨会分发给美国自然资源管理者，这可能会为他们在泥炭地恢复和保护方面的决策提供信息。参与这项研究的一名高中科学教师将帮助开发材料，让学生参与与生物质燃烧、火灾生态学和这些火灾的大气化学含义相关的实践活动。

This project is a collaborative effort by Desert Research Institute and Michigan Technological University to provide insight into the emissions of nitrogen-containing compounds from the combustion of peat soils. Preliminary estimation suggests that nitrogen emissions from fires in peatlands can potentially rival that of fossil fuel combustion. An accurate assessment of the global nitrogen cycling requires a detailed understanding of the various nitrogen-containing compounds emitted during peat fires and the factors affecting their partitioning into the gas and particle phases and the changes that they undergo in the atmosphere with age.The main hypothesis of the proposed work is that an important fraction of peat fuel nitrogen (N) is contained in particulate organic nitrogen (PON), and that this fraction changes during photochemical processing in the atmosphere. The objectives of the research are: 1) to evaluate the partitioning of peat soil N into gas and particle-phase components as a function of peat fuel type and combustion efficiency, with a particular focus on quantifying the PON fraction; and 2) to assess how the oxidation (aging) of smoke by hydroxyl (OH) radicals alters the abundance and chemical properties of the PON.The proposed work is expected to advance the understanding of the importance of peat fires for global N cycling and atmospheric chemistry. The research results will be distributed to US natural resource managers through a webinar, which may inform their decision-making on peatland restoration and preservation. A high school science teacher involved in this research will help develop material for engaging students in hands-on activities related to biomass burning, fire ecology, and atmospheric chemistry implications of these fires.