Soot
Why? Task Mission
Results from our work streams are essential for developing clean combustion systems:
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of soot formation/oxidation processes to enable the prediction of soot emissions for a variety of fuels and combustion systems
- Expand the understanding of how soot toxicity and environmental impact change with fuel and combustion type
Project Duration: 2016-2029
Task Contact

Will Northrup
wnorthro@umn.edu
Key Deliverables
Predictive models for soot formation and oxidation that enable computer-optimized design of practical combustion systems for industry, buildings, and transportation.
Activities
- Advance foundational scientific understanding of the formation of gas-phase species leading to soot formation, the soot nucleation process, and soot particle oxidation
- Develop data sets characterizing and understanding the effects of combustion system design parameters on soot formation, oxidation, and emissions
- Synthesize reduced complexity engineering models with sufficient accuracy for design optimization
- Increase our understanding of how soot properties can be influenced to minimize adverse impacts on human health
Policy Relevance
Combustion technologies are capable of soot particulate emission levels well below ambient levels in urban environments and can be further reduced with optimized design. Soot control through combustor design can enable lower-cost solutions than after-treatment solutions, enabling access to clean, low-cost technologies by economically disadvantaged communities.
Publications
Publications relating to Combustion Chemistry:
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