Photochemical transformations of aromatic pollutants in the environment can negatively impact water and air quality, since reaction products are often more toxic than the parent compounds. Many aromatic pollutants photolyze significantly more rapidly at ice surfaces than in aqueous solution, which could lead to negative health effects in snow-covered regions. Most measurements of pollutant photolysis kinetics have been performed using samples frozen from deionized water, which does not reflect the complex composition of real environmental snow and ice. We have investigated the effects of common environmental solutes such as organic matter on the photolysis kinetics of aromatic pollutants at ice surfaces. Our results show that even low solute concentrations can significantly alter the fate of PAHs at ice surfaces.<br/>

Effects of solutes on pollutant photolysis kinetics at ice surfaces

249th National Meeting (2015)

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