Combustion aerosol water content and its effect on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon reactivity

A linear relationship was observed between particle water uptake and relative humidity for aerosol samples collected on Teflon coated glass fiber filters. Gasoline soot and wood smoke sample weight increases were three to five times greater than diesel soot weight increases at comparable relative humidities. Lower limit estimates of wood smoke water content at 90% relative humidity were in the 5–10% range. Based on these results polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon photodegradation was investigated in liquid mixtures of actual wood smoke components with water content varied from 0 to 15%. Reaction rates of benz[a]anthracene and benzo[k]fluroanthene were significantly greater in methoxyphenol mixtures with 10% water content than in mixtures which did not contain water. Benzo[a]pyrene photodegradation was not significantly different. The results indicate that combustion particle water content increases with increasing relative humidity and that PAH photodegradation rates are likely to increase with increasing particle water content. This provides an explanation for previously described smog chamber studies in which a correlation between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) decay in sunlight and water vapor concentration was reported.