| NSF Org: |
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 26, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 26, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1428738 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Peter Milne
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | February 28, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $482,297.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $482,297.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
926 DALNEY ST NW ATLANTA GA US 30318-6395 (404)894-4819 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
225 North Ave NW Atlanta GA US 30332-0002 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Major Research Instrumentation, Atmospheric Chemistry |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Air quality and composition studies, especially of volatile organic compounds, their oxidation products leading to secondary aerosol particle formation, are based on a detailed knowledge of the molecular identity and concentration of many chemical compounds. Given the complexity of, and often vanishingly small concentrations of key chemical intermediates, techniques such as high resolution mass spectrometry are preferred.
An interdisciplinary group at Georgia Tech jointly engaged in atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, clouds, climate, and air quality research will acquire a commercial instrument, a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols High Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS). This instrument will advance research in atmospheric trace gases/aerosols/clouds/air quality, expose undergraduate and graduate students to state-of-the-art mass spectrometric techniques, and serve as a locus to increase diversity in science and engineering at Georgia Tech.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The project supports the acquisition of a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols High Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS). This instrument allows for high mass resolution, real-time molecular level measurement of atmospheric trace gases, oxidized organic gases, and organic aerosols. The main goals of the project are:
- Advance our outstanding of atmospheric traces gases and aerosols through integrated laboratory and field studies.
- Expand the research portfolio of the faculty at Georgia Tech engaged in atmospheric chemistry, climate, and health studies.
- Expose undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers to cutting-edge mass spectrometry and provide training opportunities.
The new measurement capabilities afforded by the instrument have expanded research capabilities within and beyond Georgia Tech. The instrument has been utilize in a number of collaborative research projects:
We developed a new technique for the direct measurement of hydroperoxy radicals (HO2) using bromide chemical ionization mass spectrometry. This is the first direct HO2 measurement technique reported in literature. The instrument performance and capability was demonstrated in ambient measurements conducted in Atlanta.
We reported the detection of highly-oxygenated organic nitrates from the reactions of monoterpenes and nitrate radicals (NO3) in laboratory experiments. We found that organic nitrates formed from a-pinene+NO3 and b-pinene+NO3 can act as temporary and permanent NOx sinks, respectively. This is the first study to investigate how the transition from night to day oxidation environments affects the fates of nighttime monoterpene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and organic nitrates formed from NO3 chemistry, and can have important implications for next day ozone formation.
We investigated the mixing of sulfate aerosols and isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) in secondary organic aerosol formation. Experimental results suggested that how IEPOX and sulfate mix in the atmosphere can influence the their heterogeneous reactivity in ambient environments.
We studied formation and evaporation of organic aerosol from a kinetic modeling perspective. The experimental results are interpreted by a newly developed multi-layer aerosol model. The model generated a semi-explicit chemical mechanism that simplifies existing comprehensive mechanisms of atmospheric chemistry, which is a crucial prerequisite for efficient modelling of organic aerosol formation in larger scale models.
We conducted ambient measurements at Yorkville, GA (SEARCH site) to investigate the effect of ammonia on organic aerosols in a changing climate. We characterized C4-C17 organic nitrate and non-nitrate multifunctional compounds in both the gas and particle phases using FIGAERO-HR-CIMS. We found that C4 and C5 compounds show dominant daytime chemistry, consistent with isoprene emissions; while C9 and C10 organic nitrates show several types of diurnal trends, implying different chemistry of monoterpene organic nitrates formation.
The instrument was also utilized in laboratory studies of SOA formation from anthropogenic emissions and biomass burning emissions, as well as ambient measurements at Jefferson Street Atlanta, GA (SEARCH site) to investigate the formation and fates of highly oxidized organic nitrates from nitrate radical oxidation of emissions from trees.
The research supported by this project contributes to the theses of multiple graduate students from the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The instrument also provided research opportunities for a number of undergraduates, including minority REU students, as well as visiting students/scholars from research institutes worldwide. Students/postdocs presented results from this project during the Environmental Engineering Seminar Series every Spring semester. We have also incorporated the instrument acquired through this project into various activities, including the Research and Innovation GT 1000 class to expose freshmen to a broad range of air research areas; undergrad and graduate level core/elective classes to expose them to state-of-the-art mass spectrometric techniques and principles of chemical ionization and aerosol mass spectrometry; summer undergrad exchange programs (Georgia Tech and Peking University) where students learned about topics related to air and water quality, energy and sustainability , etc.
Last Modified: 06/20/2018
Modified by: Nga Lee Ng
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