Particle/Gas Partitioning of Phthalates to Organic and Inorganic Airborne Particles in the Indoor Environment

The particle/gas partition coefficient K p is an important parameter affecting the fate and transport of indoor semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and resulting human exposure. Unfortunately, experimental measurements of K p exist almost exclusively for atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2018-03, Vol.52 (6), p.3583-3590
Main Authors: Wu, Yaoxing, Eichler, Clara M. A, Cao, Jianping, Benning, Jennifer, Olson, Amy, Chen, Shengyang, Liu, Cong, Vejerano, Eric P, Marr, Linsey C, Little, John C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonium
Ammonium sulfate
Boundary layer
Boundary layers
Concentration gradient
Design
Design of experiments
Experimental design
Gases
Indoor environments
Laminar flow
Mass transfer
Measurement
Oleic acid
Organic compounds
Particulates
Phthalate esters
Phthalates
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Studies
VOCs
Volatile organic compounds
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Summary:The particle/gas partition coefficient K p is an important parameter affecting the fate and transport of indoor semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and resulting human exposure. Unfortunately, experimental measurements of K p exist almost exclusively for atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, with very few studies focusing on SVOCs that occur in indoor environments. A specially designed tube chamber operating in the laminar flow regime was developed to measure K p of the plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) for one inorganic (ammonium sulfate) and two organic (oleic acid and squalane) particles. The values of K p for the organic particles (0.23 ± 0.13 m3/μg for oleic acid and 0.11 ± 0.10 m3/μg for squalane) are an order of magnitude higher than those for the inorganic particles (0.011 ± 0.004 m3/μg), suggesting that the process by which the particles accumulate SVOCs is different. A mechanistic model based on the experimental design reveals that the presence of the particles increases the gas-phase concentration gradient in the boundary layer, resulting in enhanced mass transfer from the emission source into the air. This novel approach provides new insight into experimental designs for rapid K p measurement and a sound basis for investigating particle-mediated mass transfer of SVOCs.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b05982