Abstract: Dust particles adsorb a large amount of gaseous pollutant during their transport in air, and the gaseous components adsorbed on the surface of particulate matter could directly contribute to O₃ generation via heterogeneous atmospheric chemical reactions. The mechanisms through which dust aerosols affect the generation of urban atmospheric O₃ are complex as the physical and chemical properties such as absorption capacity and oxidative potential (OP) of the mineral compositions widely differ. In this work, the mechanisms were summarized and analyzed based on field observation data, research conclusions, and reports in the literature. It was found that the heavy metals and main mineral components (e.g. quartz) in dust stored OP and played important roles in the atmospheric chemical reactions involving gaseous pollutants. Suggestions for future researches were also proposed.

Key words: dust particles, mineral component, ozone, heterogeneous reaction