Innovative Aerosol Collector for On-Line Analysis of Individual Particulate Organics

Atmospheric aerosol particles play an important role in the earth¿s climate, visibility, acid deposition, and human health. Detailed chemical characterization of ambient aerosol particles is necessary in order to fully understand the physical and chemical processes underlying the formation and transformation of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. However, standard analytical methods for detailed aerosol chemical speciation require long sampling times, are subject to artifacts during aerosol collection and storage, and are labor intensive. This project will develop an Aerosol Collector Module and demonstrate its feasibility for routine measurements of ambient and laboratory-generated aerosols in near real time with high time resolution (< 1 hour averages), and without artifacts due to filter sampling and storage. Phase I designed and assembled the aerosol collection chamber, connected it to an existing vacuum chamber, and prepared an interface to analytical instruments. Control hardware and software were designed and implemented. Laboratory-generated organic particles were used to evaluate the concept. During Phase II, an integrated, stand-alone Aerosol Collector Module will be developed. Further improvements to the hardware will improve sensitivity and linearity. A scheme to obtain particle size measurements will be implemented. Finally, the performance of the Aerosol Collector Module will be demonstrated in field measurements of ambient aerosol particles. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The Aerosol Collector Module should provide a universal interface for aerosol collection and concentration and should easily be adapted to existing analytical techniques and new spectrometric techniques. The instrument should be ideal for the on-line characterization of airborne particles emitted from anthropogenic and natural or photochemically-produced sources in the atmosphere. Due to its universal interface and its low cost both for acquisition and operation, the long term commercial potential is large