Efficient dispersal of submicron solid particles for stratospheric aerosol injection

Abstract

Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) using solid particles has been proposed as an alternative to sulfate aerosols for solar radiation modification, but practical deployment faces challenges in efficiently deagglomerating and dispersing powders as submicron particles. Here we experimentally demonstrate pneumatic dispersal of particles in optically optimal size ranges for SAI. Using spherical amorphous silica particles, we find that applying a hydrophobic surface treatment substantially improves dispersibility, with 50-85% of treated particle mass achieving submicron sizes compared to 10% for untreated particles. We compare the dispersal of treated particles of different sizes and find that 300 nm particles provide superior deagglomeration than 500 nm particles for the same air consumption. Theoretical modeling of the adhesion forces between particles, combined with surface roughness parameters extracted from atomic force microscopy, successfully predicted the relative dispersibility across different particle types. The pneumatic dispersal system achieved optimal performance at air-to-powder mass ratios of about 10:1. Using the measured dispersed particle sizes, we provide a scaling analysis suggesting that a feasibly sized fleet of dispersal aircraft could provide an aerosol layer sufficient for meaningful climate intervention. These results demonstrate that hydrophobic surface treatment and pneumatic dispersal can overcome the agglomeration challenge for SAI with solid particles.