Hygroscopic properties of potassium chloride and its internal mixtures with organic compounds relevant to biomass burning aerosol particles

While water uptake of aerosols exerts considerable impacts on climate, the effects of aerosol composition and potential interactions between species on hygroscopicity of atmospheric particles have not been fully characterized. The water uptake behaviors of potassium chloride and its internal mixtures with water soluble organic compounds (WSOCs) related to biomass burning aerosols including oxalic acid, levoglucosan and humic acid at different mass ratios were investigated using a hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA). Deliquescence points of KCl/organic mixtures were observed to occur at lower RH values and over a broader RH range eventually disappearing at high organic mass fractions. This leads to substantial under-prediction of water uptake at intermediate RH. Large discrepancies for water content between model predictions and measurements were observed for KCl aerosols with 75 wt% oxalic acid content, which is likely due to the formation of less hygroscopic potassium oxalate from interactions between KCl and oxalic acid without taken into account in the model methods. Our results also indicate strong influence of levoglucosan on hygroscopic behaviors of multicomponent mixed particles. These findings are important in further understanding the role of interactions between WSOCs and inorganic salt on hygroscopic behaviors and environmental effects of atmospheric particles.