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壤燃烧产生的含氮化合物的排放情况。初步估计，泥炭地火灾产生的氮排放有可能与化石燃料燃烧的氮排放相媲美。对全球氮循环的准确评估需要详细了解泥炭火灾过程中释放的各种含氮化合物，影响它们在气相和颗粒相中分配的因素，以及它们在大气中随时间的变化。拟议工作的主要假设是，泥炭燃料氮(N)的一个重要部分包含在颗粒有机氮(PON)中，这一部分在大气中的光化学处理过程中发生变化。这项研究的目的是：1)评估泥炭土壤N随泥炭燃料类型和燃烧效率的变化，特别是对PON部分的量化；以及2)评估羟基(OH)自由基氧化(老化)烟雾如何改变PON的丰度和化学性质。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、火生态和这些火灾的大气化学影响有关的动手活动。

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.