Department of Physics, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Sep 4;46(17):9777-84. doi: 10.1021/es3013084. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
The expanding production of bioenergy crops may impact regional air quality through the production of volatile organic compounds such as isoprene. To investigate the effects of isoprene-emitting crops on air quality, specifically ozone (O(3)) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, we performed a series of model runs using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) coupled with the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) simulating a proposed cropland conversion to the giant cane Arundo donax for biomass production. Cultivation of A. donax in the relatively clean air of northeastern Oregon resulted in an average increase in 8 h O(3) levels of 0.52 ppb, while SOA was largely unaffected (<+0.01 μg m(-3)). Conversions in U.S. regions with reduced air quality (eastern Texas and northern Illinois) resulted in average 8 h O(3) increases of 2.46 and 3.97 ppb, respectively, with daily increases up to 15 ppb in the Illinois case, and daytime SOA increases up to 0.57 μg m(-3). While cultivation of isoprene-emitting bioenergy crops may be appropriate at some scales and in some regions, other areas may experience increased O(3) and SOA, highlighting the need to consider isoprene emissions when evaluating potential regional impacts of bioenergy crop production.
生物能源作物产量的增加可能会通过产生异戊二烯等挥发性有机化合物对区域空气质量产生影响。为了研究产生异戊二烯的作物对空气质量的影响，特别是臭氧（O(3)）和二次有机气溶胶（SOA）的形成，我们使用带有化学模块的天气研究与预报模型（WRF/Chem）结合自然排放气体和气溶胶模型（MEGAN）进行了一系列模拟，模拟了拟议的将农田转换为用于生物量生产的巨型甘蔗巨藤的情况。在俄勒冈州东北部相对清洁的空气中种植巨藤，导致 8 小时臭氧水平平均增加 0.52 个 ppb，而 SOA 基本不受影响（<+0.01μg/m(-3)）。在美国空气质量较差的地区（德克萨斯州东部和伊利诺伊州北部）进行转换，导致 8 小时臭氧水平平均分别增加 2.46 和 3.97 个 ppb，伊利诺伊州的日增幅高达 15 个 ppb，白天 SOA 增加高达 0.57μg/m(-3)。虽然在某些规模和某些地区种植产生异戊二烯的生物能源作物可能是合适的，但其他地区可能会经历臭氧和 SOA 的增加，这凸显了在评估生物能源作物生产对潜在区域影响时需要考虑异戊二烯排放的必要性。
