Biomass burning as a source of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and hydrogen cyanide
Abstract
Using a novel experimental technique, based on proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, from measurements of emissions from laboratory scale biomass burning experiments, we have estimated the source strengths of several potential HO x producing gases: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol and acetone. The derived global average emissions are 5–13; 3.8–10; 1.5‐4; 2.3‐6.1 Tg y−1, respectively. The resulting global average HO x production from photochemical decay of these gases is 3 × 10 9 molecules cm−2 s−1. Although relatively small in a global context, these emissions are significant for the photochemistry in fresh fire plumes. From our measurements are also estimated global source strengths from biomass burning for CH 3 CN and HCN of 0.4‐1.0; 0.2‐0.6 Tg y−1 respectively. The biomass burning emissions of CH 3 CN may well dominate the global source of this compound, which thus might well be a unique tracer for biomass burning. Some discrepancies between experimental studies must, however, be resolved.
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Factor 1 is rich in C2-C6 hydrocarbons, alkenes and acetonitrile, with contributions mainly during the first leg when the air masses originate from the Suez Canal.
“Factor 1 illustrates an emission source that is rich in C2–C6 hydrocarbons, alkenes and acetonitrile (a biomass-burning tracer23), with contributions mainly during the first leg when the air masses originate from the Suez Canal (Supplementary Fig. 7).”
From The Red Sea Deep Water is a potent source of atmospheric ethane and propane (2020) · cites this paper as [23]
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The Red Sea Deep Water is a potent source of atmospheric ethane and propane
Bourtsoukidis, E., Pozzer, A., Sattler, T., Matthaios, V. N., Ernle, L., Edtbauer, A., Fischer, H., Könemann, T., Osipov, S., Paris, J.-D., et al. (2020) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-020-14375-0 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
- Authors
- Holzinger, R., Warneke, C., Hansel, A., Jordan, A., Lindinger, W., Scharffe, D. H., Schade, G., & Crutzen, P. J.
- Affiliations
- Universität Innsbruck (AT)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (DE)
- Venue
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 1999-04-15
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1161-1164
- ISSN
- 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
- 1944-8007
- OpenAlex
- W2119705547
- Cited by
- 343
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 12.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
- Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes › Advanced Combustion Engine Technologies
- Keywords
- biomass burning emissions, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol, acetone, acetonitrile, hydrogen cyanide, fire plume, proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, volatile organic compounds
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