Sofia Belisário Costa

Sofia Belisário Costa

Biography

Sofia is a Chemical Engineering student and Stamps Scholar at the University of Miami
(UM). Born and raised in rural Brazil, she developed an early commitment to sustainable
technology for vulnerable communities. Her passion for the environment later led her to
Kruger National Park, where she volunteered to protect the African Big Five. Her research
journey began in high school, when she left home to attend a federal research institute on
her own, an experience that propelled her to pursue research overseas. At UM, Sofia now
works in the Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, focusing on aerosol-based
nanomaterial synthesis and its electrochemical applications for environmental remediation. As
an international student and avid traveler, Sofia considers herself a citizen of the world. She
advocates for Latin American representation through UM’s Council of International Students
and is active in the Environment, Sustainability, and Government Honor Society.

Comparing Experimental Yields of Formaldehyde to Model Results to Advance
Air Quality Assessments
Sofia Belisário Costa1, Ursula Jongebloed2, Seamus Frey2, Sheila Nguyen2, Jesse Kroll2
1Department of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Miami
2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is an atmospheric trace gas and satellite-retrievable proxy
for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and a major carcinogenic air pollutant that
contributes to ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation, components of
harmful smog. Isoprene accounts for half of all non-methane biogenic VOC emissions, and
its oxidation is the main source of near-surface continental HCHO. Formaldehyde yield from
isoprene oxidation depends strongly on nitrogen oxides (NOx) and relative humidity (RH), yet
it remains poorly constrained, as it has never been measured experimentally. Consequently,
the degree to which formaldehyde pollution can be controlled by mitigating anthropogenic
NOx emissions is unknown. To address this gap, we conducted isoprene oxidation experiments
using the MIT Environmental Chamber to quantify HCHO yields from isoprene oxidation
across NOx regimes and RH. Results were compared against a zero-dimensional chemical
kinetics model (F0AM) to evaluate whether current isoprene oxidation mechanisms reproduced
observed NOx-dependent yields. Experiments diverged from prior model simulation results,
revealing unexpectedly high HCHO concentrations that may indicate an underestimated
or previously unknown HCHO-formation pathway during isoprene oxidation. These yield
parameters can clarify the sources of atmospheric HCHO, how they vary across distinct
chemical environments, and implications for air quality.