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Volatile organic compound conversion by ozone, hydroxyl radicals, and nitrate radicals in residential indoor air: Magnitudes and impacts of oxidant sources
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Volatile organic compound conversion by ozone, hydroxyl radicals, and nitrate radicals in residential indoor air: Magnitudes and impacts of oxidant sources

Michael S. Waring and J. Raymond Wells
Atmospheric environment (1994), v 106, pp 382-391
Apr 2015
PMID: 26855604
url
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4741105View
Accepted (AM) Open

Abstract

Indoor chemistry Monte Carlo modeling Photolysis Terpenes VOC oxidation
Indoor chemistry may be initiated by reactions of ozone (O3), the hydroxyl radical (OH), or the nitrate radical (NO3) with volatile organic compounds (VOC). The principal indoor source of O3 is air exchange, while OH and NO3 formation are considered as primarily from O3 reactions with alkenes and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), respectively. Herein, we used time-averaged models for residences to predict O3, OH, and NO3 concentrations and their impacts on conversion of typical residential VOC profiles, within a Monte Carlo framework that varied inputs probabilistically. We accounted for established oxidant sources, as well as explored the importance of two newly realized indoor sources: (i) the photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO) indoors to generate OH and (ii) the reaction of stabilized Criegee intermediates (SCI) with NO2 to generate NO3. We found total VOC conversion to be dominated by reactions both with O3, which almost solely reacted with d-limonene, and also with OH, which reacted with d-limonene, other terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, and aromatics. VOC oxidation rates increased with air exchange, outdoor O3, NO2 and d-limonene sources, and indoor photolysis rates; and they decreased with O3 deposition and nitric oxide (NO) sources. Photolysis was a strong OH formation mechanism for high NO, NO2, and HONO settings, but SCI/NO2 reactions weakly generated NO3 except for only a few cases. •Impacts of O3, OH, and NO3 on indoor residential VOC conversion were modeled.•Time averaged equations were used in Monte Carlo modeling for four settings.•New and established sources of radical oxidants were considered in the modeling.•Total VOC conversion was dominated by ozonolysis and OH reactions, and not NO3.•Source of OH by HONO photolysis was strong, but NO3 by NO2 + SCI reactions was not.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Environmental Sciences
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
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