Chemical and toxicological properties of aerosol emissions subject to atmospheric processing

We need to account for atmospheric aerosol emissions not just in terms of directly emitted particulate matter but also gases that may form secondary particulate matter through atmospheric processing. However, we currently lack sufficient fundamental scientific understanding governing the chemical formation and toxicological impacts of these aerosols.

Oxidation flow reactors (OFR) can provide a standardised method of simulating atmospheric processes on sources of emission, and thus a method of quantifying the aerosol-forming potential of these emissions. This can help inform emission inventories and account for transboundary pollution contributions. This PhD will develop and apply a new protocol for the generation and quantification of secondary and aged primary aerosols using the newly commercialised Dekati OFR and quantitatively investigate the processes governing long-range PM formation and human health impacts. This protocol will be applicable to a range of real-world sources, and the particulates will be subjected to chemical and toxicological analysis. These results can be used to inform atmospheric chemical transport models and public health impacts of air pollution.

This project will aim to characterise the physicochemical transformations induced by the OFR using a variety of state of the art aerosol instrumentation including aerosol mass spectrometers. It will also aim to optimise the conditions of the OFR to be most representative of atmospheric ageing, providing insight into long range impacts of pollution sources on air quality. Furthermore, development of a method of sampling the aerosol into a physiologically relevant media, suitable for toxicological assessment, without capturing excessive amounts of gaseous oxidants, will be undertaken to evaluate the impact of chemical processing and secondary aerosol formation on human health.