Hi Everyone,

SOCAAR is pleased to announce our Seminar for February:

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

3 – 4 PM
200 College Street, WB 407

Linking Tailpipe to Ambient: Atmospheric Evolution of Combustion Emissions

Dr. Allen L. Robinson

Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering

Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies,

Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Allen L. Robinson is the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.  He is also a Professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and a member of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies.  Dr. Robinson’s research examines the impact of emissions from energy systems on air quality and global climate.  A major focus is the atmospheric transformation of particulate matter emissions from cars, trucks, and other combustion system.  He is currently serving on the Research Committee of the Health Effects Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Air Monitoring and Methods Subcommittee.  He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University (1990), and an M.S. (1993) and Ph.D. (1996) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Abstract: Emissions from motor vehicles, wildfires, and other combustion processes are major contributors to atmospheric fine particle mass.  These emissions are a complex mixture of organic and inorganic species.  Some of these species are directly emitted as particles, but the vast majority of the emissions are gases and vapors.  Upon entering the atmosphere, emissions are exposed to oxidants and sunlight, which causes them to evolve chemically and physically, generating secondary particulate matter.  To develop effective control strategies one must understand the overall contribution of emissions from combustion processes to ambient particulate matter -- both direct particle emissions and particle mass formed in the atmosphere.  This talk will synthesize results from source testing, tunnel experiments, ambient measurements and chemical transport modeling to investigate the atmospheric evolution of emissions from combustion processes, focusing on organic aerosols.  The results reveal a dynamic picture in which secondary organic aerosol formed in the atmosphere dramatically exceeds the direct particle emissions, especially for low emitting sources.  Both speciation data and mass closure analysis indicate that low-volatility vapors are an important class of secondary organic aerosol precursors.  The talk concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of these findings on human exposures, climate, and the design of regulations to control pollutant emissions.

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