Impact of fuel uses in the formation and prevention of global secondary organic aerosol

Abstract

This study estimates global anthropogenic and biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols (a-SOA and b-SOA) and the contributions of four fuel sectors (Solid Biofuel, Coal, Liquid Oil and Natural Gas, and Process and non-combustion emissions (in metal production, chemical industry, manure management)) to their formation. The global landscape was divided into eleven domains (North America; South America; Europe; North Africa and the Middle East; Equatorial Africa; South of Africa; Russia and Central Asia; Eastern Asia; South Asia; Southeast Asia, and Australia). WRF-Chem model coupled with emission inventories as model inputs, atmospheric reactions from the RACM gas-phase mechanism, and the secondary organic aerosol module (SORGAM) were employed for estimating a-SOA and b-SOA for the year 2018. At the global scale, SOA contribution was dominated by liquid oil and natural gas emissions (38%), process and non-combustion emissions (24%), and solid biofuels (22%). Over 54% of SOA formations can be effectively prevented by eliminating emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel (liquid oil + natural gas and coal). However, the relative equilibrium between these fuels differed at the domain levels.