Aerosol HULIS photochemistry is a potentially important source of ambient SOA

In our recent publication in ES&T Letters, Ph.D. student William Tsui shows with the GAMMA model that reactions of photosensitized humic-like substances (HULIS) may be an important source of secondary organic aerosol under ambient conditions. This phenomenon was first demonstrated in the lab by the CARE group at IRCELYON, and Will’s calculations allowed us to evaluate the potential impact of this chemistry on the atmosphere. We plan to follow up this summer with experiments in our new aerosol photochemical reaction chamber.

“Modeling Secondary Organic Aerosol Production from Photosensitized Humic-like Substances (HULIS),” William G. Tsui and V. Faye McNeill, Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 5 (5), pp 255–259 (2018)