Effectiveness of Ammonia Reduction on Control of Fine Particle Nitrate

Guo, Hongyu; Otjes, R.P.; Schlag, Patrick; Kiendler‐Scharr, Astrid; Nenes, Athanasios; Weber, R. J.

doi:10.5194/acp-2018-378

Cited by 15 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…T precursor emissions to one that is sensitive to both NH 3 T and NO 3 T ranges from 2.8 and 3.2, which is in perfect agreement with the analysis of Guo et al (2018). The additional insight that our framework shows is that the "transition pH" varies with temperature and logarithmically with aerosol liquid water content, in response to emissions and diurnal/seasonal variability and climate change.…”

Section: Application Of Frameworksupporting

confidence: 81%

“…This sensitivity may be in one direction (e.g., increase of the emissions if the corresponding particulate levels are low and decrease if they are high) or in both. Guo et al (2018) found a "critical" pH of approximately 3, above which the (NO 3 − ) is nearly 1 and almost all nitrate (NO 3 T ) is in the gas phase (HNO3). Here we generalize the approach developing relationships between the terms that depend on aerosol composition, pH and particle 5 water, with temperature still remaining as an independent variable.…”

Section: Determining When Aerosol Mass Is Sensitive To Nitric Acid Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aerosol pH and liquid water content determine when particulate matter is sensitive to ammonia and nitrate availability

Nenes¹,

Pandis²,

Weber³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3) from anthropogenic and biogenic emissions are central contributors to particulate matter (PM) concentrations worldwide. The response of PM to changes in the emissions of both compounds is typically studied on a case-by-case basis, owing in part to the complex thermodynamic interactions of these aerosol precursors with other PM constituents. Here we present a simple but thermodynamically consistent approach that expresses the chemical domains of sensitivity of aerosol particulate matter to NH3 and HNO3 availability in terms of aerosol pH and liquid water content. From our analysis, four policy-relevant regimes emerge in terms of sensitivity: (i) NH3-dominated, (ii) HNO3-dominated, (iii) combined NH3 and HNO3 sensitive, and, (iv) a domain where neither NH3 and HNO3 are important for PM levels (but only nonvolatile precursors such as NVCs and sulfate). When this framework is applied to ambient measurements or predictions of PM and gaseous precursors, the chemical regime of PM sensitivity to NH3 and HNO3 availability is directly determined. The use of these regimes allows novel insights and is an important tool to evaluate chemical transport models. With this extended understanding, aerosol pH and associated liquid water content naturally emerge as previously ignored state parameters that drive PM formation.

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Section: Application Of Frameworksupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Determining When Aerosol Mass Is Sensitive To Nitric Acid Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerosol pH and liquid water content determine when particulate matter is sensitive to ammonia and nitrate availability

Nenes¹,

Pandis²,

Weber³

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In contrast, more particulate nitrate leads to a slightly higher pH by increasing the particle liquid water and diluting aqueous H + concentrations. Through the comparison of pH predictions among various locations worldwide, Guo et al (2018) also found that a higher particle pH was generally associated with higher concentrations of nitrate. During 2013-2017, the average particle pH varied from 5.0 to 6.2, with a significant decrease in sulfate concentration, resulting in a more neutral atmospheric environment.…”

Section: Influence Of the Transition In Aerosol Characteristics On Pamentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Therefore, a minor reduction in NHx would not be sufficient for air quality improvement. Guo et al (2018) revealed that for winter haze conditions in Beijing, an approximate 60% decrease in NHx was required to achieve an effective reduction in PM2.5. Due to the close linkage between ammonia emissions and agricultural activities, it may be difficult to attain substantial ammonia reduction in China.…”

Section: Influence Of the Transition In Aerosol Characteristics On Pamentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid transition in winter aerosol composition in Beijing from 2014 to 2017: response to clean air actions

Li¹,

Cheng²,

Zhang³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. The clean air actions implemented by the Chinese government in 2013 have led to significantly improved air quality in Beijing. In this work, we combined the in-situ measurements of the chemical components of submicron particles (PM1) in Beijing during the winters of 2014 and 2017 and a regional chemical transport model to investigate the impact of clean air actions on aerosol chemistry and quantify the relative contributions of anthropogenic emissions, meteorological conditions, and regional transport to the changes in aerosol chemical composition from 2014 to 2017. We found that the average PM1 concentration in winter in Beijing decreased by 49.5&#8201;% from 2014 to 2017 (from 66.2&#8201;&#956;g&#8201;m&#8722;3 to 33.4&#8201;&#956;g&#8201;m&#8722;3). Sulfate exhibited a much larger decline than nitrate and ammonium, which led to a rapid transition from sulfate-driven to nitrate-driven aerosol pollution during the wintertime. Organic aerosol (OA), especially coal combustion OA, and black carbon also showed large decreasing rates, indicating the effective emission control of coal combustion and biomass burning. The decreased sulfate contribution and increased nitrate fraction were highly consistent with the much faster emission reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) due to phasing out coal in Beijing compared to reduction in nitrogen oxides emissions estimated by bottom-up inventory. The chemical transport model simulations with these emission estimates reproduced the relative changes in aerosol composition and suggested that the reduced emissions in Beijing and its surrounding regions played a dominant role. The variations in meteorological conditions and regional transport contributed much less to the changes in aerosol concentration and its chemical composition during 2014&#8211;2017 compared to the decreasing emissions. Finally, we observed that changes in precursor emissions also altered the aerosol formation mechanisms. The decreased SO2 emissions suppressed the rapid formation of secondary sulfate through heterogeneous reactions. The observed explosive growth of sulfate at a relative humidity (RH) greater than 50&#8201;% in 2014 was delayed to a higher RH of 70&#8201;% in 2017. Thermodynamic simulations showed that the decreased sulfate and nitrate concentrations have lowered the aerosol water content, particle acidity, and ammonium particle fraction. The results in this study demonstrated the response of aerosol chemistry to the stringent clean air actions and identified that the anthropogenic emission reductions are a major driver, which could help to further guide air pollution control strategies in China.

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“…Their findings indicate a large increase of PM2.5 concentrations, the highest of which would occur over the northern Balkan countries (Bulgaria and Romania) and northern Italy. The regulation of agricultural NH 3 emissions has been considered the most effective control strategy for reducing PM2.5 in Europe [28,34,49]. Pozzer et al [56] found that a 50% decrease of NH 3 emissions could reduce the annual, geographical average near-surface PM2.5 concentrations by about 11% across Europe, while with maximum emission controls up to 35% reduction would be possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs and benefits of agricultural ammonia emission abatement options for compliance with European air quality regulations

et al. 2019

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Background: In Europe, ammonia (NH 3) emissions strongly contribute to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution and associated premature human mortality. The National Emission Ceilings Directive 2016/2284/EU has set an obligation for all European Union countries to reduce the NH 3 emissions by 6%, relative to 2005, by 2020. This study aims to assess the costs and benefits of four NH 3 emission abatement options for the compliance of the agricultural sector with the commitments of the European air quality regulatory framework. A regional atmospheric model (WRF/Chem) was used to assess the effects of regulating NH 3 emissions reductions on PM2.5 concentrations over Europe. Nonmarket valuation techniques (value of statistical life) were used to monetize the associated health outcomes. Results: We calculated that 16 out of the 28 EU member states exceeded their 2020 NH 3 emission ceilings in 2016. The highest exceedances from the 2020 emission commitment level occurred in Latvia (15%), Germany (12%) and the UK (12%). Simulation of the required NH 3 emission reduction by WRF/Chem showed that relatively large reductions in PM2.5 concentrations occur over central-western Europe and the UK. The largest health benefits (> 5% reduction in premature mortality) were found for Scandinavia. The economic benefit from avoided premature deaths over Europe amounts to 14,837 M€/year. The costs of four NH 3 emission abatement options, where each would fully achieve the required emission reduction, range from 80 M€/year for low nitrogen feed to 3738 M€/year for low-emission animal housing, with covered manure storage (236 M€/year) and urea fertilizer application (253 M€/year), in between. Conclusion: Our analysis indicates that the costs of compliance by the agricultural sector with the commitments of the European air quality regulations are much lower than the economic benefit. Thus, much more ambitious reduction commitments for NH 3 emissions could be applied by the EU-28. The monetization of the health benefits of NH 3 emission abatement policies and the assessment of the implementation costs can help policy-makers devise effective air pollution control programmes.

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Effectiveness of Ammonia Reduction on Control of Fine Particle Nitrate

Cited by 15 publications

References 57 publications

Aerosol pH and liquid water content determine when particulate matter is sensitive to ammonia and nitrate availability

Aerosol pH and liquid water content determine when particulate matter is sensitive to ammonia and nitrate availability

Rapid transition in winter aerosol composition in Beijing from 2014 to 2017: response to clean air actions

Costs and benefits of agricultural ammonia emission abatement options for compliance with European air quality regulations

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