- Principal Investigator: Dr. Demetrios Pagonis (Weber State University)
- Study Period: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025
- Funded by Science for Solutions Research Grant: $30,955
- DAQ Contact: Chris Pennell ([email protected])
The atmospheric chemistry of the Salt Lake City airshed is distinct from other metropolitan areas in the United States due to the region’s unique combination of industrial halogen emissions and topography. Over 50% of the chlorine emissions in the United States occur within 50 miles of downtown Salt Lake City.1 Efforts to model the impacts of these emissions have predicted significant impacts on the region’s oxidation budget, ozone concentrations, and particulate matter (PM) concentrations.2 However, these model predictions have lacked support from measurements of halogen-initiated chemistry in the area. This study aims to quantify the extent of halogen- initiated oxidation of volatile organic compounds in the Salt Lake City airshed. This will be accomplished through quantitative offline GC-MS measurement of chloroacetone and alkyl nitrates. Chloroacetone is a product of chlorine-initiated VOC oxidation. The isomer ratios of alkyl nitrates provide further insight into which atmospheric oxidant (OH radical or Cl radical) initiated most of the oxidation in an air mass. This project will provide the Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) with direct measurements of the extent to which regional halogen emissions are initiating the chemistry responsible for regional ozone and PM.