DOCSLIB.ORG

Development of a New High Sensitivity Monitor for Peroxyacetyl Nitrate And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Development of a New High Sensitivity Monitor for Peroxyacetyl Nitrate And Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 21, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 Development of a new high sensitivity monitor for peroxyacetyl nitrate and results from the west-central Mediterranean region D. Zedda, G.W. Keigley, D.W. Joseph and C.W. Spicer Consorzio Ricerche Associate Battelle Columbus Abstract Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) is a photochemical product of the reaction of organic gases with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. It is toxic to plants and animals and it is a severe eye irritant. PAN is widely distributed in the atmosphere with mixing ratios as low as 5 ppt in remote regions and as high as 50 ppb in industrial areas. PAN is intimately involved in the tropospheric ozone cycle. Its thermal characteristics allow it to serve as a reservoir for nitrogen dioxide, storing NO] at cooler times and locations and releasing it under warmer conditions, hours or days later in a different location. This paper will report on a collaborative project to develop new tools for PAN monitoring and calibrating. We have developed a high sensitivity monitor that performs an analysis every 10 minutes. The unit is small, portable, highly sensitive and reliable, and it is meant to be used in the field. The use of a nonradioactive detector eliminates potential difficulties with compliance with radiation regulations in many countries. This paper describes the characteristics of the new instrument, and summarizes ambient monitoring data which shows the relationship between PAN and other pollutants near the coast of Sardinia in the west-central Mediterranean Sea. Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 21, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 80 /*/ Introduction and Background The chemical peroxyacetyl nitrate, also known as PAN, is one of the products of photochemical reactions involving organic gases with nitrogen oxides. PAN is one member of a family of peroxyacyl nitrates formed by these atmospheric reactions. Other members of this family of compounds include, for example, peroxypropionyl nitrate (PPN) and peroxybenzoyl nitrate (PBzN). In the atmosphere, PAN is usually present at much higher concentrations than other peroxyacyl nitrates. PAN is an oxidant and can cause damage to plants and animals in the same manner as other oxidants. It is toxic to animals, and is a severe eye irritant. It is also toxic to plants and can cause severe damage to vegetation. In addition to these direct environmental effects, PAN can serve as a reservoir for nitrogen dioxide, and therefore it can contribute to increased ozone levels at downwind locations. Because the stability of the molecule is very temperature sensitive over the range of ambient air temperatures, PAN can form, and then be transported downwind for many hours when the temperature is cool (e.g. at night or at higher elevations) and then release photochemically active nitrogen dioxide at warmer temperatures (e.g. during the next day or at lower altitudes). This process can allow PAN to be a source of NO] in areas where the emission of NOx is low. It has a variable lifetime ranging from about 30 minutes at ground level in mid latitudes during summer to several months and longer at colder locations. Several studies have been performed to monitor PAN at different latitudes and altitudes in Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world (1-10). PAN is widely distributed in the atmosphere, with mixing ratios in urban areas from <1 ppb (1 ppb = 10"' v/v) to as much as 50 ppb; in rural areas from 0.1 ppb to about 2 ppb, and in very remote regions (over the oceans) from 5 ppt to 100 ppt (ppt = 10"" v/v). To date, PAN has been measured primarily for research purposes. PAN has been measured to assess exposures of plants and/or people to this toxic chemical; to determine its spatial distribution and temporal behavior; as a tracer of photochemical activity; as a surrogate for total photochemical oxidants; and to assist in formulating and evaluating atmospheric chemistry models. It is reported to be a more reliable indicator of photochemical smog than ozone (11,12) because it only originates from photochemical reactions within the troposphere. In the U.S., PAN is not regulated directly, but is discussed with ozone as part of "other photochemical oxidants". It is expected that strategies used to control ozone will also bring about reductions in ambient air concentrations of PAN. There are indications that the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Station (PAMS) monitoring Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 21, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 Air Pollution 81 network will implement PAN monitoring at some locations in the future. The European Union has set reporting requirements and data exchange protocols for member states for PAN, among other pollutants (13), but monitoring for PAN is not mandatory at this time. In Italy, the Ministero dell'Ambiente has published criteria for locating air monitoring stations in and downwind of urban areas, and has issued directives stating that authorities must monitor photochemical pollutants, including Og and NC>2, and should monitor an additional group of pollutants including PAN (14). However, PAN monitoring is not now being done on a routine basis. The Ministero dell'Ambiente plans to issue guidance on measure- ment methods for PAN at a future date. PAN measurements have been performed for many years using commercial gas chromatographs that have been modified by the user specifically for PAN analysis. One instrument maker now markets a gas chromatograph specifically for PAN. Using commercial gas chromato- graphs, PAN can be measured in urban areas during the summer without sample pretreatment. However, measurements outside of cities, or in cities in cooler weather, or at higher altitudes, require preconcentration of the air sample to achieve required detection limits. Commercial instruments do not offer this capability. In addition, the commercial chromatographic instruments employ electron capture detectors that make use of radioactive materials. Use of radioactive material is highly restricted in some countries, making instruments with this type of detector less desirable. The program described here is developing and evaluating an improved measurement tool for PAN that will be suitable for commercialization and field use. Design and Characterization of the Instrument The instrument consists of a small portable gas chromatograph, a thermoelectric module for sample preconcentration, a 6-port electrically activated gas sampling valve, a small pump and mass flow controller, and a pulsed discharge electron capture detector (PD-ECD). The column is a 10 m x 0.53 mm fused silica trifluoropropylmethyl polysiloxane crossbond column (Rtx-200 from Restek Corp.). The thermoelectric module is made up of an array of semiconductor couples connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel (15). With a DC potential applied, heat is absorbed at one end of the device, cooling it, while heat is rejected at the other end. The module is built to hold a removable trap containing an absorbent material that collects PAN and PPN at reduced temperature and releases them when Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 21, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 82 Air Pollution the temperature is increased. In practice, we concentrate the sample at -38°C and desorb the sample at 60°C. The pulsed discharge electron capture detector is a non radioactive detector that uses a discharge in helium to produce electrons. The use of this detector eliminates the safety and maintenance problems associated with the use of a conventional electron capture detector with a radioactive source. During the design and optimization of the new instrument, we have evaluated the performance in the laboratory of every component of the system and each operating parameter. These tests have allowed us to select the most advantageous temperatures, column material and length, carrier gas flow rates, and sampling rates and times for ambient air monitoring. However, the instrument is quite flexible, and other choices in operating parameters could be made depending on the monitoring application. One very important characteristic of an air monitoring system is its sampling efficiency. For this instrument, it is desirable to sample at a temperature and flow rate that allow efficient collection of PAN, and to desorb at a temperature and for a time that recovers all of the PAN from the trap with minimal thermal decomposition of the sample. Figure 1 shows the response of the instrument versus the trap temperature. These tests used a sampling rate of 22 mL-min~* and a collection period of 2 minutes. The data show that lower trap temperatures yield maximum response, suggesting that the collection efficiency is enhanced at lower temperatures. The presence of a plateau at the lowest trap temperature examined suggests that the system is collecting PAN at near 100 percent efficiency. Other experiments studied trap desorption temperatures. Maximum response is obtained using a desorption temperature between 60 and 80°C. Other important characteristics of the instrument that we have examined are the effect of sample flow rate on collection efficiency and the linearity of response with respect to sample volume. Figure 2 shows the response of the GC versus the sample volume. The response is linear up to at least 76 mL. Sample flow rate has been examined over the range 5 to 35 mL-min"\ The response is linear throughout this range. Table 1 gives the retention times for PAN, PPN and several other atmospheric constituents under the conditions of our analysis. The PAN peak is well separated from other potentially interfering atmospheric constituents, including carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1 -trichloroethane, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 21, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 Air Pollution 83 1.2E+07 8.0E+06 O Q_ W 4.0E+06 O.OE+00 -30 -20 -10 0 10 Trap temperature,°C Figure 1.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Understanding Unusually High Levels of Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) in Winter in Urban Jinan, China
    JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 71 (2018) 249– 260 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect www.elsevier.com/locate/jes Understanding unusually high levels of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) in winter in Urban Jinan, China Lu Liu1, Xinfeng Wang1, Jianmin Chen1,2,3,⁎, Likun Xue1,3, Wenxing Wang1, Liang Wen1, Dandan Li1, Tianshu Chen1 1. Environment Research Institute, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Ji'nan 250100, China 2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China 3. Institute for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), as a major secondary pollutant, has gained increasing worldwide Received 21 December 2017 attentions, but relevant studies in China are still quite limited. During winter of 2015 to summer Revised 15 May 2018 of 2016, the ambient levels of PAN were measured continuously by an automatic gas Accepted 16 May 2018 chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (GC–ECD) analyzer at an urban site Available online 24 May 2018 in Jinan (China), with related parameters including concentrations of O3,NO,NO2,PM2.5, HONO, thephotolysisrateconstantofNO2 and meteorological factors observed concurrently. The mean Keywords: and maximum values of PAN concentration were (1.89 ± 1.42) and 9.61 ppbv respectively in Peroxyacetyl nitrate winter, and (2.54 ± 1.44) and 13.47 ppbv respectively in summer. Unusually high levels of PAN Winter were observed during severe haze episodes in winter, and the formation mechanisms of them Haze episodes were emphatically discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Introduction
    1 Introduction Air pollution is a major environmental and health problem affecting developed and developing countries around the world (Akimoto, 2003). Increasing amounts of potentially harmful gases and particles are being emitted into the atmosphere on a global scale, resulting in damage to human health and the environment and reducing the resources needed for the long-term sustainable development of the planet (Baldasano et al., 2003). Urban growth and industrial development have caused serious problems of air pollution in the last decades. The atmosphere has become a massive chemical reactor where pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) react in the presence of solar radiation to yield a variety of pollutants. In the second half of the XXth century, large cities began to experience a new pollution problem, which had been unknown until then. This condition is called photochemical smog because it contains an increased concentration of ozone (O3) in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) formed by the interaction of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and solar radiation. The best-known and most studied case is that of Los Angeles, USA (Figure 1.1), which was identified by Hagen- Smith et al. (1951) by recognizing symptoms of damage to plants. Figure 1.1. First registered photo of photochemical smog in Los Angeles (1943). Already in the decade of the eighties of the last century, it became clear that the changing composition of the earth’s atmosphere was becoming a problem going beyond local and regional scale and spreading to entire continents through what is known as acid rain.
    [Show full text]
  • Observations of Total Peroxy Nitrates and Aldehydes 4 Steady State Calculation of Peroxy Nitrates P
    Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 6, 12929–12965, 2006 Atmospheric www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/12929/2006/ Chemistry ACPD © Author(s) 2006. This work is licensed and Physics 6, 12929–12965, 2006 under a Creative Commons License. Discussions Observations of total Observations of total peroxy nitrates and peroxy nitrates and aldehydes: measurement interpretation aldehydes and inference of OH radical P. A. Cleary et al. concentrations Title Page P. A. Cleary1,*, P. J. Wooldridge1, D. B. Millet2,**, R. C. Cohen2, M. McKay2,4, and Abstract Introduction 1,3,4 A. H. Goldstein Conclusions References 1Dept. of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Tables Figures 2Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA 3Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, Univ. of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA J I 4Environment Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA J I 94720, USA * now at: Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 S. 34th St, Philadelphia, Back Close PA 19104, USA **now at: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Full Screen / Esc 02138, USA Printer-friendly Version Received: 30 October 2006 – Accepted: 30 November 2006 – Published: 12 December 2006 Correspondence to: R. C. Cohen ([email protected]) Interactive Discussion EGU 12929 Abstract ACPD We describe measurements of total peroxy nitrates (ΣPNs), NO2,O3 and several alde- hydes at Granite Bay, California, during the Chemistry and Transport of the Sacramento 6, 12929–12965, 2006 Urban Plume (CATSUP) campaign, from 19 July–16 September 2001. We observed 5 a strong photochemically driven variation of ΣPNs during the day with the median of Observations of total 1.2 ppb at noon.
    [Show full text]
  • Formation and Effects of Smog - Jeffrey S
    ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY – Vol. II – Formation and Effects of Smog - Jeffrey S. Gaffney, Nancy A. Marley, and John E. Frederick FORMATION AND EFFECTS OF SMOG Jeffrey S. Gaffney, Nancy A. Marley, and John E. Frederick University of Arkansas at Little Rock and The University of Chicago, Illinois, USA Keywords: acid rain, aerosols, air pollution, atmospheric chemistry, carbon monoxide, clouds, ethylene, greenhouse effect, oxidants, ozone, PAN, peroxyacetyl nitrate, photochemical smog, plant damage, radiative balance, smog, sulfur dioxide, urban heat island, UV-B, visibility reduction Contents 1.Introduction 2.Brief History of Smog 2.1. London Type Sulfurous Smog 2.2. Los Angeles Type Photochemical Smog 2.2.1. Ozone Formation 2.2.2. Peroxyacyl Nitrate Formation 2.2.3. Aerosol Formation 3.Plant Effects 3.1. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 3.2. Ozone (O3) 3.3. Peroxyacetyl Nitrate 3.4. Ethylene (Ethene) 4.Health Effects 4.1. Oxidants 4.2. Carbon Monoxide (CO) 4.3. Aerosols 5.Materials Effects 5.1. Acids 5.2. Oxidants 6.Megacity and Regional Impacts 6.1. Acid Rain 6.2. Visibility Reduction 6.3. Crop ReductionUNESCO and Loss – EOLSS 6.4. Urban Heat Island Effects and Global Radiative Balance 6.5. Cloud Effects 7.Conclusions and Perspectives AcknowledgementsSAMPLE CHAPTERS Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketches Summary This chapter deals with urban air pollution, commonly called smog, and its impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, material substances, and human health. A brief description of the two types of smog (London or sulfurous smog and Los Angeles or photochemical ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY – Vol. II – Formation and Effects of Smog - Jeffrey S.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparison of Measurements of Peroxyacyl Nitrates and Primary Carbonaceous Aerosol Concentrations in Mexico City Determined in 1997 and 2003
    Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 2277–2285, 2007 www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/2277/2007/ Atmospheric © Author(s) 2007. This work is licensed Chemistry under a Creative Commons License. and Physics Comparison of measurements of peroxyacyl nitrates and primary carbonaceous aerosol concentrations in Mexico City determined in 1997 and 2003 N. A. Marley1, J. S. Gaffney1, R. Ramos-Villegas2, and B. Cardenas´ Gonzalez´ 3 1Chemistry Department, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA 2Secretariat of the Environment, Government of the Federal District, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico 3El Centro National de Investigation y Capitacion´ Ambiental, Instituto National de Ecologia, Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico Received: 18 December 2006 – Published in Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss.: 29 January 2007 Revised: 13 April 2007 – Accepted: 15 April 2007 – Published: 4 May 2007 Abstract. The concentrations of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) while air quality and ozone production have improved, Mex- in ambient air can be a good indicator of air quality and the ico City and other megacities continue to be a major source effectiveness of control strategies for reducing ozone levels of black carbon aerosols, which can be an important species in urban areas. As PAN is formed by the oxidation of reactive in determining regional radiative balance and climate. hydrocarbons in the presence of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), it is a direct measure of the peroxyacyl radical levels produced from reactive organic emissions in the urban air shed. Carbon soot, known as black carbon (BC) or elemental carbon (EC), 1 Introduction is a primary atmospheric aerosol species and is a good indica- tor of the levels of combustion emissions, particularly from Megacities are large urban and suburban complexes whose diesel engines, in major cities.
    [Show full text]
  • Heterogeneous Photocatalysis and Prospects of Tio2-Based Photocatalytic Denoxing the Atmospheric Environment
    Review Heterogeneous Photocatalysis and Prospects of TiO2-Based Photocatalytic DeNOxing the Atmospheric Environment Nick Serpone PhotoGreen Laboratory, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, Pavia 27011, Italy; [email protected]; Tel.: +1-514-489-9551 Received: 18 October 2018; Accepted: 5 November 2018; Published: 16 November 2018 Abstract: This article reviews the efforts of the last two decades to deNOxify the atmospheric environment with TiO2-based photocatalytic materials supported on various cementitious-like substrates. Prior to undertaking this important aspect of applied photocatalysis with metal-oxide emiconductor photocatalysts, however, it is pertinent to describe and understand the fundamentals of Heterogeneous Photocatalysis. The many attempts done in a laboratory setting to degrade (deNOxify) the major components that make up the NOx, namely nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), but most importantly the efforts expended in deNOxifying the real environment upon depositing titania-based coatings on various model and authentic infrastructures, such as urban roads, highway noise barriers, tunnels, and building external walls among others, are examined. Both laboratory and outdoor experimentations have been performed toward NOx being oxidized to form nitrates (NO3−) that remain adsorbed on the TiO2-based photocatalytic surfaces (except in tunnels—indoor walls) but get subsequently dislodged by rain or by periodic washings of the infrastructures. However, no serious considerations have been given to the possible conversion of NOx via photocatalytic reduction back to N2 and O2 gases that would restore the atmospheric environment, as the adsorbed nitrates block the surface-active sites of the photocatalyst and when washed-off ultimately cause unduly damages to the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Atmospheric Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN): a Global Budget and Source Attribution
    Atmospheric Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN): A Global Budget and Source Attribution The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Fischer, E. V., Daniel James Jacob, Robert M. Yantosca, Melissa Payer Sulprizio, D. B. Millet, J. Mao, F. Paulot, et al. 2014. “Atmospheric Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN): A Global Budget and Source Attribution.” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 14 (5): 2679–2698. Published Version doi:10.5194/acp-14-2679-2014 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:13792758 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Open Access Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 2679–2698, 2014 Atmospheric www.atmos-chem-phys.net/14/2679/2014/ doi:10.5194/acp-14-2679-2014 Chemistry © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. and Physics Atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN): a global budget and source attribution E. V. Fischer1, D. J. Jacob2, R. M. Yantosca2, M. P. Sulprizio2, D. B. Millet3, J. Mao4, F. Paulot1, H. B. Singh5, A. Roiger6, L. Ries7, R.W. Talbot8, K. Dzepina9, and S. Pandey Deolal10 1Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA 2School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA 3Department of Soil, Water and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA 4Princeton University, GFDL, Princeton, NJ, USA 5NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA 6Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany 7Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA 8Federal Environment Agency, GAW Global Station Zugspitze/Hohenpeissenberg, Zugspitze, Germany 9Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA 10Bluesign Technologies AG, St.
    [Show full text]
  • Quantification of Peroxynitric Acid and Peroxyacyl Nitrates Using an Ethane
    Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2018-113 Manuscript under review for journal Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discussion started: 16 April 2018 c Author(s) 2018. CC BY 4.0 License. Quantification of peroxynitric acid and peroxyacyl nitrates using an ethane-based thermal dissociation peroxy radical chemical amplification cavity ring-down spectrometer Youssef M. Taha1, Matthew T. Saowapon1, Faisal V. Assad1, Connie Z. Ye1, Xining Chen1,a, Natasha M. 5 Garner1, and Hans D. Osthoff1 1 Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 a now at: Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2K6 Correspondence to: Hans D. Osthoff ([email protected]) Abstract. Peroxy and peroxyacyl nitrates (PNs and PANs) are important trace gas constituents of the troposphere 10 which are challenging to quantify by differential thermal dissociation with NO2 detection in polluted (i.e., high- NOx) environments. In this paper, a thermal dissociation peroxy radical chemical amplification cavity ring-down spectrometer (TD-PERCA-CRDS) for sensitive and selective quantification of total peroxynitrates (ΣPN = ΣRO2NO2) and of total peroxyacyl nitrates (ΣPAN = ΣRC(O)O2NO2) is described. The instrument features multiple detection channels to monitor the NO2 background and the ROx (= HO2 + RO2+ ΣRO2) radicals generated by TD 15 of ΣPN and/or ΣPAN. Chemical amplification is achieved through addition of 0.6 ppm NO and 1.6% C2H6 to the inlet. The instrument's performance was evaluated using peroxynitric acid (PNA) and peroxyacetic or peroxypropionic nitric anhydride (PAN or PPN) as representative examples of ΣPN and ΣPAN, respectively, whose abundances were verified by iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS).
    [Show full text]
  • Reducing Automobile Emissions in Southern California: the Dance of Public Policies and Technological Fixes
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research Pitzer Faculty Scholarship 1-1-2003 Reducing Automobile Emissions in Southern California: The aD nce of Public Policies and Technological Fixes Rudi Volti Pitzer College Recommended Citation “Reducing Automobile Emissions in Southern California: The aD nce of Public Policies and Technological Fixes,” in Arthur Molella and Joyce Bedi (eds.), Inventing for the Environment (Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press, 2003) This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the Pitzer Faculty Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REDUCING AUTOMOBILE EMISSIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: THE DANCE OF PUBLIC POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGICAL FIXES RUDI VOLTI For many years I have taught at a small liberal arts college in Southern Cal­ ifornia. When first-year students arrived at the college in the early 1970s, they settled into the usual things that occupy freshmen. A few weeks would go by, and then they would make a remarkable discovery: tall mountains would appear to the north as autumn weather dissipated the heavy blanket of smog that had obscured them. Today, the air is not perfectly clear in Sep­ tember, but students are aware of the mountains from the day they move into the dormitories. The region's partial victory over smog illustrates the successful use of technological fixes for a problem that was itself caused by technology. But it also shows that technological fixes have to be comple­ mented by appropriate policies if they are to be successful.
    [Show full text]
  • Nitrate Radicals and Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds: Oxidation, Mechanisms, and Organic Aerosol
    Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2103–2162, 2017 www.atmos-chem-phys.net/17/2103/2017/ doi:10.5194/acp-17-2103-2017 © Author(s) 2017. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Nitrate radicals and biogenic volatile organic compounds: oxidation, mechanisms, and organic aerosol Nga Lee Ng1,2, Steven S. Brown3,4, Alexander T. Archibald5, Elliot Atlas6, Ronald C. Cohen7, John N. Crowley8, Douglas A. Day9,4, Neil M. Donahue10, Juliane L. Fry11, Hendrik Fuchs12, Robert J. Griffin13, Marcelo I. Guzman14, Hartmut Herrmann15, Alma Hodzic16, Yoshiteru Iinuma15, José L. Jimenez9,4, Astrid Kiendler-Scharr12, Ben H. Lee17, Deborah J. Luecken18, Jingqiu Mao19,20,a, Robert McLaren21, Anke Mutzel15, Hans D. Osthoff22, Bin Ouyang23, Benedicte Picquet-Varrault24, Ulrich Platt25, Havala O. T. Pye18, Yinon Rudich26, Rebecca H. Schwantes27, Manabu Shiraiwa28, Jochen Stutz29, Joel A. Thornton17, Andreas Tilgner15, Brent J. Williams30, and Rahul A. Zaveri31 1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA 2School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA 3NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder, CO, USA 4Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA 5National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 6Department of Atmospheric Sciences, RSMAS, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA 7Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA 8Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie,
    [Show full text]
  • Development Team
    Paper No: 8 Atmospheric Processes Module: 12 Atmospheric Chemistry Development Team Principal Investigator Prof. R.K. Kohli & Prof. V.K. Garg &Prof. Ashok Dhawan Co- Principal Investigator Central University of Punjab, Bathinda Dr. Sunayan Saha Paper Coordinator Scientist, ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati, Pune Dr. Puneeta Pandey Content Writer Central University of Punjab, Bhatinda Dr. Amrita Daripa Content Reviewer ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur, Maharashtra 1 Anchor Institute Central University of Punjab Atmospheric Processes Environmental Sciences Atmospheric Chemistry Description of Module Subject Name Environmental Sciences Paper Name Atmospheric Processes Module Name/Title Atmospheric Chemistry Module Id EVS/AP-VIII/12 Pre-requisites Basic knowledge of elementary physics and chemistry Understand the structure of the atmosphere and its thermal stratification Know the chemical composition of the atmosphere Objectives Know the thermo-chemical and photochemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere Understand the mechanism of formation of smog, its reactions and effects Keywords Atmosphere, Electromagnetic spectrum, Thermochemical, Photochemical, Smog 2 Atmospheric Processes Environmental Sciences Atmospheric Chemistry TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Aim of the Module 2. Introduction 3. Chemical composition of the earth atmosphere 3.1 Nitrogen (N2) 3.2 Oxygen (O2) 3.3 Argon (Ar) 3.4 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 3.5 Trace Elements 4. Thermochemical reactions in atmosphere 4.1 Electromagnetic spectrum 4.1.1 Gamma rays 4.1.2 X-rays 4.1.3 Ultra-Violet light 4.1.4 Visible light 4.1.5 Infrared light 4.1.6 Microwaves 4.1.7 Radiowaves 4.2 Reactions taking place in earth’s atmosphere 4.2.1 Troposphere 4.2.2 Stratosphere 4.2.3 Mesosphere 4.2.4 Thermosphere 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Highly Functionalized Organic Nitrates in the Southeast United States: Contribution to Secondary Organic Aerosol and Reactive Nitrogen Budgets
    Highly functionalized organic nitrates in the southeast United States: Contribution to secondary organic aerosol and reactive nitrogen budgets Ben H. Leea,1, Claudia Mohra,1,2, Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfikera, Anna Lutzb, Mattias Hallquistb, Lance Leec,3, Paul Romerc, Ronald C. Cohenc, Siddharth Iyerd, Theo Kurténd, Weiwei Hue,f, Douglas A. Daye,f, Pedro Campuzano-Joste,f, Jose L. Jimeneze,f,LuXug, Nga Lee Ngg,h, Hongyu Guoh, Rodney J. Weberh, Robert J. Wildf,i, Steven S. Browni, Abigail Kossi, Joost de Gouwf,i, Kevin Olsonj,4, Allen H. Goldsteinj, Roger Secok, Saewung Kimk, Kevin McAveyl, Paul B. Shepsonl, Tim Starnm, Karsten Baumannn, Eric S. Edgertonn, Jiumeng Liuo, John E. Shillingo, David O. Millerp, William Brunep, Siegfried Schobesbergera, Emma L. D’Ambroq, and Joel A. Thorntona,5 aDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; bDepartment of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Atmospheric Science, University of Gothenburg, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden; cDepartment of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; dDepartment of Chemistry, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FIN-00014, Finland; eDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309; fCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309; gSchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; hSchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology,
    [Show full text]