Sulfate formation is dominated by manganese-catalyzed oxidation of SO2 on aerosol surfaces during haze events

Weigang Wang, Mingyuan Liu, Tiantian Wang, Yu Song (), Li Zhou, Junji Cao, Jingnan Hu, Guigang Tang, Zhe Chen, Zhijie Li, Zhenying Xu, Chao Peng, Chaofan Lian, Yan Chen, Yuepeng Pan, Yunhong Zhang, Yele Sun, Weijun Li, Tong Zhu, Hezhong Tian and Maofa Ge ()
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Weigang Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mingyuan Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tiantian Wang: Peking University
Yu Song: Peking University
Li Zhou: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Junji Cao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jingnan Hu: Institute of Atmospheric Environment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences
Guigang Tang: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Quality Control in Environmental Monitoring, China National Environmental Monitoring Centre
Zhe Chen: Beijing Institute of Technology
Zhijie Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhenying Xu: Peking University
Chao Peng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chaofan Lian: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yan Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yuepeng Pan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yunhong Zhang: Beijing Institute of Technology
Yele Sun: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weijun Li: Zhejiang University
Tong Zhu: Peking University
Hezhong Tian: Beijing Normal University
Maofa Ge: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The formation mechanism of aerosol sulfate during wintertime haze events in China is still largely unknown. As companions, SO2 and transition metals are mainly emitted from coal combustion. Here, we argue that the transition metal-catalyzed oxidation of SO2 on aerosol surfaces could be the dominant sulfate formation pathway and investigate this hypothesis by integrating chamber experiments, numerical simulations and in-field observations. Our analysis shows that the contribution of the manganese-catalyzed oxidation of SO2 on aerosol surfaces is approximately one to two orders of magnitude larger than previously known routes, and contributes 69.2% ± 5.0% of the particulate sulfur production during haze events. This formation pathway could explain the missing source of sulfate and improve the understanding of atmospheric chemistry and climate change.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22091-6

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