Modeling of aerosol dynamics - Aerosol size and composition

A mechanism for the evolution of the size and composition of an aerosol particle is investigated by developing a model that includes the transfer of gaseous pollutants to the surface of existing aerosol particles, the transfer of the pollutants across the gas-particle interface, and the reaction of dissolved species within the aerosol particle. The reaction mechanisms considered include homogeneous gas-phase and heterogeneous solution chemistry. Aerosol particles evolving within an urban plume and within power-plant and smelter plumes are studied, along with the evolution of particle size and chemical composition for regions of various relative humidities, with particular emphasis on aqueous chemistry in the low-humidity environments of the southwestern U.S. A simulation of a copper smelting complex in central Arizona indicates that all particles shrink from their original size as plume humidity approaches background relative humidity, that most secondary sulfate formation occurs in the near-plume region, and that the final particle pH is in the range 2.0-2.2 for a wide range of physical conditions.