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Estimation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production from traffic from the city of Athens

Paper Topic: 
General
 
Volume: 
 
Issue: 
 

Pages :
33 - 38

Authors: 
Kourtidis K. and Ziomas I.
Paper ID: 
109
Paper Status: 
Published
Abstract: 

Estimates of the amount of secondary organic aerosol formed in the atmosphere from the degradation of
traffic C6-C12 hydrocarbon emissions in the city of Athens are presented. Around 1.26 tn of organic aerosol
is estimated to be produced during a six hours air pollution episode from the aromatic hydrocarbons,
the other NMHC groups contributing an additional 0.2 tn. The main contributor to the SOA production is
m-xylene. It accounts, together with toluene, for around 50% of the produced organic aerosol. The main
aerosol products that are expected to form from the Athens NMHC traffic mixture are nitrophenols. Due
to predominant wind flow to the S-SE direction in the area, a portion of these aerosols is likely to contribute
to the SOA burden of the marine atmosphere over SE Mediterranean. These results are also relevant to
ozone abatement strategies involving species-specific NMHC reductions and affecting fine particulate
composition and concentrations.

Keywords: 
Secondary organic aerosol, non-methane hydrocarbons, aromatics