Project Number: 22-006

Research

Title: Hydrogen Cyanide for Improved Identification of Fire Plumes in the (BC)2 Network

Institution(s) Represented: Aerodyne Research, Inc. (PI: Tara Yacovitch), Baylor University (Co-PIs: Rebecca Sheesley, Sascha Usenko)

Lead PI: Tara Yacovitch

AQRP Project Manager: Vincent Torres

TCEQ Project Liaison: Erik Gribbin

Awarded Amount: $108,480.00

Abstract

Wildfire incidents in the US have and will continue to increase with a changing climate. Smoke can impact the local air quality in Texas from both local/in-state fires, and transported emissions from other parts of the US and from Mexico. The 2020 Black and Brown Carbon (BC)2 study demonstrated how wavelength-dependent aerosol optical properties could be used to track the influence of biomass burning. The (BC)2 network operated in El Paso, Houston, and Galveston in 2020 -21 and is being expanded to include Dallas-Fort Worth in 2022. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a small nitrogen-containing molecule produced in significant quantities from biomass burning, and in limited quantities from vehicle combustion. The goal of this project is to improve smoke plume characterization with the addition of HCN to the (BC)2 smoke monitoring network. This goal explicitly addresses the AQRP's 2022-2023 research priorities, notably "Domestic Fire Emissions" including transported emissions from wildfires (domestic, international) and their impacts on exceptional events in Texas. Performing this monitoring at a Dallas-Fort Worth site ties in with the AQRP's 2022-2023 research priority "Changing Emission Patterns in Texas", which includes additional research along the Interstate-35. This project will deploy a laser-based instrument measure HCN at a new (BC)2 network site in Dallas-Fort Worth. The work is laid out as 3 tasks: 1) Design measurement campaign; 2) Execute field campaigns; and 3) Data Analysis.

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Research

Research

FY 2022 - 2023

Project Number: 22-006