International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Research Applications and Utilization of Accelerators

4-8 May 2009, Vienna

SM/EB-19

How EB Radiation could affect the Mechanism of PAH Formation

A.M. Mastral

ICB–CSIC, Zaragoza, Spain

Corresponding Author: amastral@icb.csic.es

Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAH) are a family of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds with at least two fused aromatic rings. Their volatile property makes them highly mobile throughout the environment and facilitates their partitioning between air, soil and water. Some of them have been listed as priority pollutants by the US-EPA due to their carcinogenic/mutagenic characteristics. Their origin is mainly anthropogenic, being transport and electricity their main sources. On the other side, EB treatment, proven treatment for NOx and SOx removal at energy generation, could affect the PAH formation and emissions mechanisms. The abundance of radicals involved in any thermal process at energy generation could be affected by the EB irradiation and therefore, the radicals nucleation and condensation step to reach a more stable species, it is to say, the PAH formation, could be influenced. Therefore, the goal should be to try to control the PAH formation by attaining bulky radicals associations addressed to the Coronene formation, which is a very stable and a non-pollutant PAH.