Copper oxide aerosol: generation and characterization

Effluent gases from high temperature systems such as fossil fuel combustion and pyrometallurgical processes contain inorganic material which has the potential to interact with sulfur dioxide (SO2) on the surface of particles to form an irritant aerosol. The submicron fraction of this inorganic material is especially important as the fine particles may penetrate deep into the lung and cause serious health effects. A laboratory furnace was designed to produce a submicrometer copper oxide aerosol to stimulate emissions from copper smelters and other pyrometallurgical operations. The ultimate aim of this research is to investigate the interaction of SO2 and the copper oxide aerosol at different temperatures and humidities in order to determine the reaction products and their potential health effects upon inhalation. The initial work, as presented in this paper, was to reproducibly generate a submicrometer copper oxide aerosol and to characterize it in terms of size, morphology and composition. Two experimental regimes were set up. One admitted filtered air, without water vapor, into the furnace, and the other admitted filtered air and water vapor. The size and morphology of the aerosols were determined using an electrical aerosol analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. The particles appear as chain aggregates with a count median diameter of 0.026 micron when no water vapor was added and 0.031 micron when water vapor was added into the furnace. Composition of the aerosol was determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The aerosol, with or without water in the furnace, consists of a mixture of copper(I) oxide and copper(II) hydroxide.