Articles | Volume 15, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10777-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10777-2015
Research article
 | 
28 Sep 2015
Research article |  | 28 Sep 2015

Modelling the contribution of biogenic volatile organic compounds to new particle formation in the Jülich plant atmosphere chamber

P. Roldin, L. Liao, D. Mogensen, M. Dal Maso, A. Rusanen, V.-M. Kerminen, T. F. Mentel, J. Wildt, E. Kleist, A. Kiendler-Scharr, R. Tillmann, M. Ehn, M. Kulmala, and M. Boy

Abstract. We used the Aerosol Dynamics gas- and particle-phase chemistry model for laboratory CHAMber studies (ADCHAM) to simulate the contribution of BVOC plant emissions to the observed new particle formation during photooxidation experiments performed in the Jülich Plant-Atmosphere Chamber and to evaluate how well smog chamber experiments can mimic the atmospheric conditions during new particle formation events. ADCHAM couples the detailed gas-phase chemistry from Master Chemical Mechanism with a novel aerosol dynamics and particle phase chemistry module. Our model simulations reveal that the observed particle growth may have either been controlled by the formation rate of semi- and low-volatility organic compounds in the gas phase or by acid catalysed heterogeneous reactions between semi-volatility organic compounds in the particle surface layer (e.g. peroxyhemiacetal dimer formation). The contribution of extremely low-volatility organic gas-phase compounds to the particle formation and growth was suppressed because of their rapid and irreversible wall losses, which decreased their contribution to the nano-CN formation and growth compared to the atmospheric situation. The best agreement between the modelled and measured total particle number concentration (R2 > 0.95) was achieved if the nano-CN was formed by kinetic nucleation involving both sulphuric acid and organic compounds formed from OH oxidation of BVOCs.

Short summary
We used the ADCHAM model to study new particle formation events in the JPAC chamber. The model results show that the new particles may be formed by a kinetic type of nucleation involving both sulphuric acid and organic compounds formed from OH oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The observed particle growth may either be controlled by the condensation of semi- and low-volatililty organic compounds or by the formation of low-volatility compounds (oligomers) at the particle surface.
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