Effects of black carbon content, particle size, and mixing on light absorption by aerosols from biomass burning in Brazil

Black carbon mass absorption efficiencies of smoke particles were measured for various types of biomass fires during the Smoke, Clouds, and Radiation-Brazil (SCAR-B) experiment using thermal evolution measurements for black carbon and optical absorption methods. The obtained results range between 5.2 and 19.3 m2 g−1 with an average value of 12.1±4.0 m2 g−1. Particle size distributions and optical properties were also measured to provide a full set of physical parameters for modeling calculations. Mie theory was used to model the optical properties of the particles assuming both internal and external mixtures coupling the modeling calculations with the experimental results obtained during the campaign. For internal mixing, a particle model with a layered structure consisting of an absorbing black carbon core, surrounded by a nonabsorbing shell, was assumed. Also, for internal mixing, a discrete dipole approximation code was used to simulate packed soot clusters commonly found in electron microscopy photographs of filters collected during the experiment. The modeled results for layered spheres and packed clusters explain black carbon mass absorption coefficients up to values of about 25 m2 g−1, but measurements show even higher values which were correlated with the chemical composition and characteristics of the structure of the particles. Unrealistic high values of black carbon absorption efficiencies were linked to high concentrations of K, which influence the volatilization of black carbon (BC) at lower temperatures than usual, possibly causing artifacts in the determination of BC by thermal technique. The modeling results are compared with nephelometer and light absorption measurements.