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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Determination of Elemental Composition of Secondary Organic Aerosols using Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry: A Combined Laboratory and Field Investigation

Objective

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) play an important role in atmospheric chemistry and give rise to secondary organic aerosols (SOA), which have effects on climate and human health. A considerable lack of knowledge exists concerning the formation of new particle mass from BVOCs and the organic chemical composition of natural aerosols. Laboratory chamber experiments have been performed during several decades in an attempt to mimic atmospheric SOA formation. However, it is not entirely clear how close the aerosol particles generated in laboratory smog chamber experiments resemble atmospheric SOA particles with respect to their chemical composition. The objective of the current proposal includes determination of the elemental composition of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) from both laboratory and ambient samples using novel ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. For reaching this objective, we will examine archived and newly collected aerosol samples from both laboratory experiments (i.e. performed at smog chamber facilities) and field campaigns at forested European sites (i.e. a boreal forest site, Hyytiälä, Finland, and a rural site, Auchencorth, United Kingdom) which exhibit large concentrations of biogenic SOA. Aerosol samples will be extracted in water and then directly analyzed with the ultra-high resolution Orbitrap MS. The elemental composition of detected compounds will be determined using Kendrick mass analysis methods. The influence of different smog chamber operation conditions (e.g. ozonolysis vs. photo-oxidation) on the elemental composition of SOA components will be evaluated. The elemental composition of the complex compound mixtures from SOA samples generated under various laboratory conditions will be compared with field samples using statistical data analysis methods and will enable to determine for the first time which laboratory SOA systems reproduce ambient aerosols most closely with respect to their detailed chemical composition.

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF
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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
EU contribution
€ 180 103,20
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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