Insights Into Formation and Aging of Secondary Organic Aerosol From Oxidation Flow Reactors: A Review

Abstract

Purpose of Review
This review aims to provide a comprehensive examination of oxidation flow reactor (OFR) studies and their applications in both laboratory and field investigations. OFRs play a crucial role in understanding secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and aging processes in the atmosphere. By evaluating the advancements and limitations of OFR technology, this review seeks to identify key research directions and challenges for future studies in atmospheric chemistry and air quality research.

Recent Findings
In recent years, OFR has emerged as an encouraging alternative to smog chambers for SOA study. The high oxidative capacity and short residence time of OFR enable its wide application in both laboratory and field studies. Research utilizing OFR has uncovered the critical role of semi-volatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (S/IVOCs) in the formation of SOA from various sources, including vehicle emissions, biomass burning, cooking activities, and non-traditional emissions such as volatile chemical products. Notably, field studies have observed considerable variability in the SOA formation potential across different environments globally, generally showing higher formation potential in urban areas compared to rural and forest regions.

Summary
OFR studies have significantly advanced our understanding of SOA formation and aging processes, identifying key precursors, evaluating influencing factors, and quantifying SOA formation potential. However, challenges remain in unraveling detailed mechanisms due to the complexity of SOA sources and properties. Future OFR research should focus on innovations in OFR design, study non-traditional emissions, conduct long-term field observations, develop standardized calibration procedures, and establish SOA yield parameterization schemes for S/IVOCs.

Full text

Vol.:(0123456789)
Current Pollution Reports (2024) 10:387–400
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-024-00309-7
REVIEW
Insights Into Formation andAging ofSecondary Organic Aerosol From
Oxidation Flow Reactors: AReview
ZijunZhang1,2· WeiqiXu1· AndrewT.Lambe3· WeiweiHu4· TengyuLiu5· YeleSun1,2
Accepted: 9 April 2024 / Published online: 16 April 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
Abstract
Purpose of Review This review aims to provide a comprehensive examination of oxidation flow reactor (OFR) studies and
their applications in both laboratory and field investigations. OFRs play a crucial role in understanding secondary organic
aerosol (SOA) formation and aging processes in the atmosphere. By evaluating the advancements and limitations of OFR
technology, this review seeks to identify key research directions and challenges for future studies in atmospheric chemistry
and air quality research.
Recent Findings In recent years, OFR has emerged as an encouraging alternative to smog chambers for SOA study. The
high oxidative capacity and short residence time of OFR enable its wide application in both laboratory and field studies.
Research utilizing OFR has uncovered the critical role of semi-volatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (S/
IVOCs) in the formation of SOA from various sources, including vehicle emissions, biomass burning, cooking activities, and
non-traditional emissions such as volatile chemical products. Notably, field studies have observed considerable variability in
the SOA formation potential across different environments globally, generally showing higher formation potential in urban
areas compared to rural and forest regions.
Summary OFR studies have significantly advanced our understanding of SOA formation and aging processes, identifying
key precursors, evaluating influencing factors, and quantifying SOA formation potential. However, challenges remain in
unraveling detailed mechanisms due to the complexity of SOA sources and properties. Future OFR research should focus
on innovations in OFR design, study non-traditional emissions, conduct long-term field observations, develop standardized
calibration procedures, and establish SOA yield parameterization schemes for S/IVOCs.
Keywords Secondary organic aerosol· Oxidation flow reactor· Volatile organic compounds· Photochemical aging·
Mass spectrometry
Introduction
The formation and aging of secondary organic aerosol
(SOA) represent critical processes in the troposphere. SOA
can influence climate by absorbing or scattering sunlight
and serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice
nuclei [1, 2]. Besides its climatic implications, SOA also has
significant effects on air quality and human health. Globally,
SOA particles account for a significant portion of the aerosol
budget, with an estimated annual production ranging from
16 to 121 Tg [3]. SOA arises from the oxidation of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) by various oxidants, such as
ozone (O3), hydroxyl radical (OH), nitrate radical (NO3),
chlorine atoms (Cl), and triplet excited states of organic
compounds (3C*) [4–7], yet the formation mechanisms are
far from completely understood. The oxidation processes of
* Yele Sun
sunyele@mail.iap.ac.cn
1 State Key Laboratory ofAtmospheric Boundary
Layer Physics andAtmospheric Chemistry, Institute
ofAtmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy ofSciences,
Beijing100029, China
2 College ofEarth andPlanetary Sciences, University
ofChinese Academy ofSciences, Beijing100049, China
3 Aerodyne Research Inc, Billerica, MA01821, USA
4 State Key Laboratory ofOrganic Geochemistry, Guangzhou
Institute ofGeochemistry, Chinese Academy ofSciences,
Guangzhou510640, China
5 Joint International Research Laboratory ofAtmospheric
andEarth System Sciences, School ofAtmospheric Sciences,
Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China
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