Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced through various anthropogenic processes such as the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, burning of biomass and even cooking PAH’s have been identified as both carcinogenic and mutagenic. Once emitted PAHs can react with different gas-phase oxidants (e.g., nitrogen dioxide, nitrate radicals, ozone, etc.) to form various oxidation products that have been found to be more toxic than their PAH precursors. PAH oxidation reaction can occur in both the gas- and particle phases, and while much has been reported on the mechanism behind their gas-phase formation (homogeneous), their heterogeneous oxidation has not been studied to a great extent. In this work the transformation of PAHs emitted by a diesel engine was studied using a 10 m3 atmospheric chamber. Exhaust from a diesel engine was injected into a Teflon bag in the chamber and exposed to either air or air+NO2. Experiments with each oxidant were performed in dark conditions and with exposure to UV irradiation. Aerosols and gas-phase species were collected onto quartz and polyurethane foam filters, which were then subjected to various extraction and sample preparation procedures. Extracts were then analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS).

Products formed during the heterogeneous oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the aging of diesel exhaust in an atmospheric chamber

249th National Meeting (2015)

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