Kinetics of heterogeneous reaction of CaCO3 particles with gaseous HNO3 over a wide range of humidity

Heterogeneous reaction kinetics of gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles was investigated using a particle-on-substrate stagnation flow reactor (PS-SFR). This technique utilizes the exposure of substrate deposited, isolated, and narrowly dispersed particles to a gas mixture of HNO3/H2O/N-2, followed by microanalysis of individual reacted particles using computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (CCSEM/EDX). The first series of experiments were conducted at atmospheric pressure, room temperature and constant relative humidity (40%) with a median dry particle diameter of (D) over bar (P) = 0.85 mu m, particle loading densities 2 x 104 <= N-s <= 6 x 10(6) cm(-2) and free stream HNO3 concentrations of 7, 14, and 25 ppb. The apparent, pseudo first-order rate constant for the reaction was determined from oxygen enrichment in individual particles as a function of particle loading. Quantitative treatment of the data using a diffusion-kinetic model yields a lower limit to the net reaction probability gamma(net) >= 0.06 (x3/divided by 2). In a second series of experiments, HNO3 uptake on CaCO3 particles of the same size was examined over a wide range of relative humidity, from 10 to 80%. The net reaction probability was found to increase with increasing relative humidity, from gamma(net) >= 0.003 at RH = 10% to 0.21 at 80%.