Effects of air/fuel combustion ratio on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of carbonaceous soots from selected fuels

Abstract Patterns of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content were observed from GC/MS analysis of the extracts of soots at various air/fuel combustion ratios of three commonly used fuels: n-hexane, JP-8 (Jet fuel), and diesel. With increasing air/fuel ratio, from a simple diffusion flame up to an air/fuel ratio of 3.94, there is a significant loss of high molecular weight PAHs and an increasing abundance of oxidized lower molecular weight aromatics. The formation of high molecular weight PAHs is favored for JP-8 and diesel fuels at higher air/fuel combustion ratios than is the case with n-hexane, probably due to the aromatic content in JP-8 and diesel fuels acting as centers for large aromatic and soot nucleation. The efficiency and reproducibility of two techniques, Soxhlet and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), used for extraction of PAHs from soot were compared. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements were performed on the soot both before and after supercritical fluid and Soxhlet extraction, and a substantial decrease in the spin density of soot following extraction indicates that extractable molecules are associated with 40–50% of the unpaired electrons in soot. This analysis generally supports trends observed in our earlier work for surface oxidation, surface area, unpaired electron spin density, hydration, and ozone oxidation.

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