Articles | Volume 25, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11597-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11597-2025
Research article
 | 
30 Sep 2025
Research article |  | 30 Sep 2025

Molecular insight into aqueous-phase photolysis and photooxidation of water-soluble organic matter emitted from biomass burning and coal combustion

Tao Cao, Cuncun Xu, Hao Chen, Jianzhong Song, Jun Li, Haiyan Song, Bin Jiang, Yin Zhong, and Ping'an Peng

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Cited articles

Arciva, S., Niedek, C., Mavis, C., Yoon, M., Sanchez, M. E., Zhang, Q., and Anastasio, C.: Aqueous OH Oxidation of Highly Substituted Phenols as a Source of Secondary Organic Aerosol, Environ. Sci. Technol., 56, 9959–9967, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c02225, 2022. 
Arciva, S., Ma, L., Mavis, C., Guzman, C., and Anastasio, C.: Formation and loss of light absorbance by phenolic aqueous SOA by OH and an organic triplet excited state, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4473–4485, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4473-2024, 2024. 
Bali, K., Banerji, S., Campbell, J. R., Bhakta, A. V., Chen, L. W. A., Holmes, C. D., and Mao, J.: Measurements of brown carbon and its optical properties from boreal forest fires in Alaska summer, Atmos. Environ., 324, 120436, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120436, 2024. 
Bates, J. T., Fang, T., Verma, V., Zeng, L., Weber, R. J., Tolbert, P. E., Abrams, J. Y., Sarnat, S. E., Klein, M., Mulholland, J. A., and Russell, A. G.: Review of Acellular Assays of Ambient Particulate Matter Oxidative Potential: Methods and Relationships with Composition, Sources, and Health Effects, Environ. Sci. Technol., 53, 4003–4019, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b03430, 2019. 
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Short summary
This study investigated the evolution of biomass and water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) derived from coal combustion during an aqueous photochemical process. The results indicate that photochemical aging induces distinct changes in the optical and molecular properties of WSOM. More pronounced alterations were observed during OH photooxidation than direct photolysis. Our results also demonstrate that atmospheric photooxidation may represent a significant source of black-carbon-like substances.
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