Measurement of heterogeneous uptake of NO2 on inorganic particles, sea water and urban grime

Heterogeneous reactions of NO₂ on different surfaces play an important role in atmospheric NO_x removal and HONO formation, having profound impacts on photochemistry in polluted urban areas. Previous studies have suggested that the NO₂ uptake on the ground or aerosol surfaces could be a dominant source for elevated HONO during the daytime. However, the uptake behavior of NO₂ varies with different surfaces, and different uptake coefficients were used or derived in different studies. To obtain a more holistic picture of heterogeneous NO₂ uptake on different surfaces, a series of laboratory experiments using different flow tube reactors was conducted, and the NO₂ uptake coefficients (γ) were determined on inorganic particles, sea water and urban grime. The results showed that heterogeneous reactions on those surfaces were generally weak in dark conditions, with the measured γ varied from <10^?8 to 3.2 × 10^?7 under different humidity. A photo-enhanced uptake of NO₂ on urban grime was observed, with the obvious formation of HONO and NO from the heterogeneous reaction. The photo-enhanced γ was measured to be 1.9 × 10^?6 at 5% relative humidity (RH) and 5.8 × 10^?6 at 70% RH on urban grime, showing a positive RH dependence for both NO₂ uptake and HONO formation. The results demonstrate an important role of urban grime in the daytime NO₂-to-HONO conversion, and could be helpful to explain the unknown daytime HONO source in the polluted urban area.     

Observation of atmospheric nitrous acid with DOAS in Beijing, China

Measurements of nitrous acid （HONO） and nitrogen dioxide （NO2） in Beijing City have been performed by means of a developed differential optical absorption spectroscopy （DOAS） system based on photodiode array （PDA）, during the autumn of 2004. HONO and NO2 were simultaneously identified by their characteristic absorption bands in the spectral region between 337 nm and 372 nm with high sensibility and time resolution. The concentrations of HONO exhibit obviously diurnal variation with a nocturnal maximum and a daytime minimum. The highest HONO value up to 11.8 μg/m^3 was observed during the night of 2/3 September. Possible sources of the observed HONO were discussed. Good correlation to NO2 indicates that NO2 is a main source component. The measurement also shows direct emission of HONO is an imnortant source in strongly polluted urban area.     

Effect of relative humidity and the presence of aerosol particles on the α-pinene ozonolysis

The α-pinene ozonolysis under the different environmental conditions were observed in a smog chamber. The second-order rate constant(k) was determined to be(7.25 ± 0.06) ×10~(–17)cm~3/(molecule·sec) under 20% of relative humidity(RH) and room temperature. RH showed a marked influence on the α-pinene ozonolysis. The value of k increased with RH increase, which was 1.6 times faster at RH = 80% than that at RH = 20%. Additionally, the value of k apparently changed in the presence of the aerosol particles. The diesel soot increased the k value. The fly ash prohibited the reaction, however, H_2SO_4-treated fly ash promoted the reaction. The information of products gained using FT-IR and SPAMS showed that pinonic acid, 10-hydroxy-pinonic acid and pinic acid could be generated during the α-pinene ozonolysis. Water molecules could take part in the formation of the products, and play a vital role in the degradation of α-pinene. The atmospheric residence time calculation showed that the ozonolysis in the atmosphere is an important way of the α-pinene consumption as compared to that reacted with OH during daytime. The results suggested that the degradation of α-pinene via the ozonization in the atmosphere may be affected greatly by RH, as well as the presence of aerosol particles. The ozonolysis reaction may be an important way of the α-pinene consumption during daytime.     

Photodegradation of 2,4-D induced by NO2- in aqueous solutions：The role of NO2

To elucidate the effect of nitrite ion （NO2^-） on the photodegradation of organic pollutants, a 300 W mercury lamp and Pyrex tubes restricting the transmission of wavelengths below 290nm were used to simulate sunlight, and the photodegradation processes of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid （2,4-D） with different concentrations of NO2^- in freshwater and seawater were studied. The effect of reactive oxygen species （ROS） on the photolysis of 2,4-D was also demonstrated using electron paramagnetic resonance （EPR）. The results indicated that the 2,4-D photolysis reaction followed the first-order kinetics in freshwater and seawater under different concentrations of NO2^-. Meanwhile, the photochemical reaction rate of 2,4-D increased with increasing concentration of NO2^-. When the concentration of NO2^- was lower than 23 mg/L, the photodegradation rate of 2,4-D in seawater was higher than that in freshwater. However, when the concentration of NO2^- was reached 230 mg/L, 2,4-D degradation slowed down in seawater. It was important to note that EPR spectra showed NO2 radical was generated in the NO5 solution under simulated sunlight irradiation, indicating that 2,4-D photodegradation could be induced by NO2. These results show the key role of NO2^- in photochemistry and are helpful for better understanding of the phototransformation of environmental contaminants in natural aquatic systems.     

Effect of potential HONO sources on peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) formation in eastern China in winter

As an important secondary photochemical pollutant, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) has been studied over decades, yet its simulations usually underestimate the corresponding observations, especially in polluted areas. Recent observations in north China found unusually high concentrations of PAN during wintertime heavy haze events, but the current model still cannot reproduce the observations, and researchers speculated that nitrous acid (HONO) played a key role in PAN formation. For the first time we systematically assessed the impact of potential HONO sources on PAN formation mechanisms in eastern China using the Weather Research and Forecasting/Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model in February of 2017. The results showed that the potential HONO sources significantly improved the PAN simulations, remarkably accelerated the RO_x (sum of hydroxyl, hydroperoxyl, and organic peroxy radicals) cycles, and resulted in 80%–150% enhancements of PAN near the ground in the coastal areas of eastern China and 10%–50% enhancements in the areas around 35–40°N within 3 km during a heavy haze period. The direct precursors of PAN were aldehyde and methylglyoxal, and the primary precursors of PAN were alkenes with C > 3, xylenes, propene and toluene. The above results suggest that the potential HONO sources should be considered in regional and global chemical transport models when conducting PAN studies.     

Graphene-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron：Removal of phosphorus from aqueous solution and mechanistic study

Excess phosphorus from non-point pollution sources is one of the key factors causing eutrophication in many lakes in China,so finding a cost-effective method to remove phosphorus from non-point pollution sources is very important for the health of the aqueous environment. Graphene was selected to support nanoscale zero-valent iron(nZVI)for phosphorus removal from synthetic rainwater runoff in this article. Compared with nZVI supported on other porous materials,graphene-supported nZVI(G-nZVI) could remove phosphorus more efficiently. The amount of nZVI in G-nZVI was an important factor in the removal of phosphorus by G-nZVI,and G-nZVI with 20 wt.% nZVI(20% G-nZVI)could remove phosphorus most efficiently. The nZVI was very stable and could disperse very well on graphene,as characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to elucidate the reaction process,and the results indicated that Fe-O-P was formed after phosphorus was adsorbed by G-nZVI. The results obtained from X-ray diffraction(XRD) indicated that the reaction product between nZVI supported on graphene and phosphorus was Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O(Vivianite). It was confirmed that the specific reaction mechanism for the removal of phosphorus with nZVI or G-nZVI was mainly due to chemical reaction between nZVI and phosphorus.     

Characterizing oxygenated volatile organic compounds and their sources in rural atmospheres in China

Oxygenated volatile organic compounds(OVOCs) are important precursors and products of atmospheric secondary pollution. The sources of OVOCs, however, are still quite uncertain,especially in the atmosphere with much pollution in China. To study the sources of OVOCs in rural atmospheres, a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry(PTR-MS) was deployed at a northern rural site(WD) and a southern rural site(YMK) in China during the summer of 2014 and 2016, respectively. The continuous observation showed that the mean concentration of TVOCs(totally 17 VOCs) measured at WD(52.4 ppbv) was far higher than that at YMK(11.1 ppbv), and the OVOCs were the most abundant at both the two sites. The diurnal variations showed that local sources of OVOCs were still prominent at WD, while regional transport influenced YMK much. The photochemical age-based parameterization method was then used to quantitatively apportion the sources of ambient OVOCs. The anthropogenic primary sources at WD and YMK contributed less(2%–16%) to each OVOC species. At both the sites, the atmospheric background had a dominant contribution(～ 50%) to acetone and formic acid, while the anthropogenic secondary formation was the main source(～ 40%) of methanol and MEK. For acetaldehyde and acetic acid, the biogenic sources were their largest source(～ 40%) at WD, while the background(39%) and anthropogenic secondary formation(42%) were their largest sources at YMK, respectively. This study reveals the complexity of sources of OVOCs in China, which urgently needs explored further.     

Insights into the formation of secondary organic carbon in the summertime in urban Shanghai

To investigate formation mechanisms of secondary organic carbon(SOC) in Eastern China,measurements were conducted in an urban site in Shanghai in the summer of 2015. A period of high O_3 concentrations(daily peak 120 ppb) was observed, during which daily maximum SOC concentrations exceeding 9.0 μg/(C·m~3). Diurnal variations of SOC concentration and SOC/organic carbon(OC) ratio exhibited both daytime and nighttime peaks. The SOC concentrations correlated well with O_x(= O_3+ NO_2) and relative humidity in the daytime and nighttime, respectively, suggesting that secondary organic aerosol formation in Shanghai is driven by both photochemical production and aqueous phase reactions. Single particle mass spectrometry was used to examine the formation pathways of SOC. Along with the daytime increase of SOC, the number fraction of elemental carbon(EC) particles coated with OC quickly increased from 38.1% to 61.9% in the size range of 250–2000 nm, which was likely due to gas-to-particle partitioning of photochemically generated semi-volatile organic compounds onto EC particles. In the nighttime, particles rich in OC components were highly hygroscopic, and number fraction of these particles correlated well with relative humidity and SOC/OC nocturnal peaks. Meanwhile, as an aqueous-phase SOC tracer, particles that contained oxalate-Fe(III) complex also peaked at night. These observations suggested that aqueous-phase processes had an important contribution to the SOC nighttime formation. The influence of aerosol acidity on SOC formation was studied by both bulk and single particle level measurements, suggesting that the aqueous-phase formation of SOC was enhanced by particle acidity.     

Sources of methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone and their contributions to methylglyoxal and formaldehyde at a receptor site in Pearl River Delta

Methacrolein(MACR) and methyl vinyl ketone(MVK) are two major intermediate products from the photochemical oxidation of isoprene, the most important biogenic volatile organic compound. In addition, MACR and MVK have primary emissions. Investigating the sources and evolution of MACR and MVK could provide helpful information for the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere. In this study, hourly measurements of isoprene, MACR, and MVK were conducted at a receptor site in the Pearl River Delta region(PRD), i.e., the Heshan site(HS), from 22 October to 20 November, 2014. The average mixing ratios of isoprene,MACR and MVK were 151 ± 17, 91 ± 6 and 79 ± 6 pptv, respectively. The daily variations and the ratios of MVK/MACR during daytime and nighttime suggested that other sources besides isoprene photooxidation influenced the MACR and MVK abundances at the HS.Positive matrix factorization was utilized to resolve the sources of MACR and MVK. Five sources were identified and quantified, including biogenic emissions, biomass burning,secondary formation, diesel, and gasoline vehicular emissions. Among them, secondary formation made the greatest contribution to observed MACR and MVK with average contributions of ～ 45% and ～ 70%, respectively. Through the yields of secondary products from the oxidation of MACR and MVK by the OH radical and the concentrations of MACR and MVK, it was found that methylglyoxal and formaldehyde were the main oxidation products of MACR and MVK at the HS site. Overall, this study evaluated the roles of primary emissions on ambient levels of MACR and MVK and advanced the understanding of photochemical oxidation of MACR and MVK in the PRD.     

Simulation investigations on the marble deterioration by sulphur dioxide

This paper deals with investigations on corrosion of marble SO2. We have simulated oxidation of SO2 by photochemical process in the atmosphere. The experiments indicate that formation of SO3 aerosols is related to the concentration of SO2, the UV light intensity, the time of irradiation and the humidity of the air. The corrosion feature of surfaces of the marble and the depth profiles of sulphur were obtained by SEM (Scanning electron microscope), EDXA (Energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer) and SIMS (Secondary ion mass spectrometer). The results of experiments show the corrosive extent of marble depends on its compositions and microareas of marble, which contain lower silicon content can be easily corroded by SO2.     

Measurement of HONO flux using the aerodynamic gradient method over an agricultural field in the Huaihe River Basin, China

To investigate nitrous acid (HONO) levels and potential HONO sources above crop rotation fields. The HONO fluxes were measured by the aerodynamic gradient (AG) method from 14 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 over an agricultural field in the Huaihe River Basin. The ambient HONO levels were measured at two different heights (0.15 and 1.5 m), showing a typical diurnal cycle with low daytime levels and high nighttime levels. The upward HONO fluxes were mostly observed during the day, whereas deposition dominated at night. The diurnal variation of HONO flux followed solar radiation, with a noontime maximum of 0.2 nmol/(m²∙sec). The average upward HONO flux of 0.06 ± 0.17 nmol/(m²∙sec) indicated that the agricultural field was a net source for atmospheric HONO. The higher HONO/NO₂ ratio and NO₂–to–HONO conversion rate close to the surface suggested that nocturnal HONO was formed and released near the ground. The unknown HONO source was derived from the daytime HONO budget analysis, with an average strength of 0.31 ppbV/hr at noontime. The surface HONO flux, which was highly correlated with the photolysis frequency J(NO₂) (R² = 0.925) and the product of J(NO₂) × NO₂ (R² = 0.840), accounted for ∼23% of unknown daytime HONO source. The significant correlation between HONO fluxes and J(NO₂) suggests a light-driven HONO formation mechanism responsible for the surface HONO flux during daytime.     

The study for polyaromatic hydrocarbons decay on Chinese coal soot particles in atmosphere

A study for the photochemical behavior of some polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), for example B(a )P, B( k )F and fluoranthene in coal smoke particles was performed by using indoor Teflon smog chamber.Experiments suggest that the photochemical reaction of PAH is first order reaction and kinetic rates of some PAH were obtained. It was shown that the reaction rate constant is proportional to light intensity and water vapor concentration. Temperature and PAH loading also have influence on PAH decay rate. A model for PAH loss has been set up on the basis of the results of our experiments and the simulating results of this model suggest that coal particle PAH half lives are of the order of a period of days in winter and a few hours in summer. Other factors which may have effect on the photochemical reaction of PAH have also been discussed.     

The crystal growth of hydroxyapatite in presence of collagens

The crystal growth of hydroxyapatite (HAP) seeds in presence of the abnormal collagen secreted by the chondrocyte grown in media containing free radical sources or fulvic acid and the type II collagen (pig cartilage) damaged by · OH and fulvic acid(FA) from potable water in endemic region of Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) was studied. The results showed that in the former case, the abnormal collagen rich in type I collagen promoted mineralization in contrast with the type n collagen. The oxidatively damaged type II collagen became less inhibitive or even promotive. In all cases, the reaction followed a second order kinetics. The powder X-diffraction analysis and SEM observation indicated that the damaged type II collagen lowers the crystalinity in the beginning and made the final crystal more agglomerated. All the results showed that the abnormal and the damaged cartilage matrix affected the bimineralization and was likely to have played an important role in the development of KBD.     

A retrospective survey on the effect of Kaschin-Beck disease prophylaxis by a change of water sources

In order to provide further references for studing on the causes of Kaschin-Beck discase (KBD) and measuring for its prevention and treatment from a macroscopic view, we analyzed the natural growth and declineof KBD and the effects of selenium and humic acid on its occurrence from an epidemiologic angle. In this article through a retrospective survey on the spots of disease areas by comparison between a change in water sources and that without. It was proved that a change in water sources was an effective measure for the prevention of KBD occurrence, and the pathogenic factor of KBD was one (or several kinds) of organic compounds or active radicals related to water.     

Formation mechanisms of nitrous acid (HONO) during the haze and non-haze periods in Beijing, China

As an important precursor of hydroxyl radical (OH), nitrous acid (HONO) plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry. Here, an observation of HONO and relevant air pollutants in an urban site of Beijing from 14 to 28 April, 2017 was performed. Two distinct peaks of HONO concentrations occurred during the observation. In contrast, the concentration of particulate matter in the first period (period Ⅰ) was significantly higher than that in the second period (period Ⅱ). Comparing to HONO sources in the two periods, we found that the direct vehicle emission was an essential source of the ambient HONO during both periods at night, especially in period Ⅱ. The heterogeneous reaction of NO₂ was the dominant source in period Ⅰ, while the homogeneous reaction of NO with OH was more critical source at night in period Ⅱ. In the daytime, the heterogeneous reaction of NO₂ was a significant source and was confirmed by the good correlation coefficients (R²) between the unknown sources (P_unknown) with NO₂, PM_2.5, NO₂ × PM_2.5 in period Ⅰ. Moreover, when solar radiation and OH radicals were considered to explore unknown sources in the daytime, the enhanced correlation of P_unknown with photolysis rate of NO₂ and OH ($J_{{\mathrm{NO}}_2}$ × OH) were 0.93 in period Ⅰ, 0.95 in period Ⅱ. These excellent correlation coefficients suggested that the unknown sources released HONO highly related to the solar radiation and the variation of OH radicals.     

Observations of nitrous acid and its relative humidity dependence in Shanghai

Nitrous acid, HNO2, is an important precursor of OH radicals in the troposphere. Measurements of HNO2 and NO2, using differential optical absorption spectroscopy （DOAS）, were performed in Shanghai, China for a period from October 22, 2004 to January 4, 2005. The mean （and median） hourly concentrations of HNO2 and NO2 during this period were 1.1 （0.7） ppb and 24 （21.4） ppb respectively. A correlation between HNO2/NO2 and PM10 mass concentrations was obtained. This correlation suggests that significant heterogeneous chemical production of HNO2 may occur through NO2 reactions on aerosol surfaces. This hypothesis was further supported by detailed analysis of selected pollution episodes in this study. At the same time, the water dependence of HNO2 formation was studied by analysis of relative humidity （RH）. It showed that the maximum HNO2/NO2 ratio was increased along with RH below 70% and inhibited at RH〉70%.     

Uptake of isoprene, methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate into aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide

Multiphase acid-catalyzed oxidation by hydrogen peroxide has been suggested to be a potential route to secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene and its gas-phase oxidation products, but the lack of kinetics data significantly limited the evaluation of this process in the atmosphere. Here we report the first measurement of the uptake of isoprene, methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate into aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Isoprene cannot readily partition into the solution because of its high volatility and low solubility, which hinders its further liquid-phase oxidation. Both methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate can enter the solutions and be oxidized by hydrogen peroxide, and steady-state uptake was observed with the acidity of solution above 30 wt.% and 70 wt.%, respectively. The steady-state uptake coefficient of methacrylic acid is much larger than that of methyl methacrylate for a solution with same acidity. These observations can be explained by the different reactivity of these two compounds caused by the different electron-withdrawing conjugation between carboxyl and ester groups. The atmospheric lifetimes were estimated based on the calculated steady-state uptake coefficients. These results demonstrate that the multiphase acid-catalyzed oxidation of methacrylic acid plays a role in secondary organic aerosol formation, but for isoprene and methyl methacrylate, this process is not important in the troposphere.     

Performance and mechanism study for low-temperature SCR of NO with propylene in excess oxygen over Pt/TiO2 catalyst

A 0.5 wt.% Pt/TiO2 catalyst was prepared and used for the low-temperature selective catalytic reduction(SCR) of NO with C3 H6 in the presence of excess oxygen.The effects of Pt loading and O2 concentration on Pt/TiO2 catalytic performance for low-temperature SCR were investigated.It was found that optimal Pt loading was 0.5 wt.% and excess O2 favored low-temperature SCR of NOx.The mechanism of low-temperature SCR of NO with C3 H6 was investigated with respect to the behavior of adsorbed species over Pt/TiO2 at 150°C using in situ DRIFTS.The results indicated that surface nitrosyl species(Pt δ+-NO and Ti 3+-NO) and Pt 2+-CO are main reaction intermediates during the interactions of NO,C3 H6 and O2.A simplified NO decomposition mechanism for the low-temperature SCR of NO with C3 H6 was proposed.     

Fulvic acid removal by nanoparticle TiO2 using a submerged membrane photocatalysis reactor

The degradation of fulvic acid（FA） by nanoparticle TiO2 in a submerged membrane photocatalysis（SMPC） reactor was studied. In this reactor, photocatalytic oxidation and membrane separation co-occured. The continuous air supplier provided O2 for the photocatalytical reaction and mixed the solution through an airflow controller. The particle TiO2 could automatically settle due to gravity without particle agglomeration so it could be easily separated by microfiltration（MF） membrane. It was efficient to maintain high flux of membranes. The effects of operational parameters on the photocatalytic oxidation rate of FA were investigated. Results indicated that photocatalyst at 0.5 g/L and airflow at 0.06 m^3/h were the optimum condition for the removal of fulvic acid, the removal efficiency was higher in acid media than that in alkaline media. The effects of different filtration duration on permeate flux rate of MF with P25 powder and with nanoparticle TiO2 were compared. Experimental results indicated that the permeate flux rate of MF was improved and the membrane fouling phenomenon was reduced with the addition of nanoparticle TiO2 catalyst compared with conventional P25 powder. Therefore, this submerged membrane photocatalysis reactor can faciliate potential application of photocatalytic oxidation process in drinking water treatment.     

Body fluid analog chlorination: Application to the determination of disinfection byproduct formation kinetics in swimming pool water

Disinfection by-products(DBPs) are formed in swimming pools by the reactions of bather inputs with the disinfectant.Although a wide range of molecules has been identified within DBPs,only few kinetic rates have been reported.This study investigates the kinetics of chlorine consumption,chloroform formation and dichloroacetonitrile formation caused by human releases.Since the flux and main components of human inputs have been determined and formalized through Body Fluid Analogs(BFAs),it is possible to model the DBPs formation kinetics by studying a limited number of precursor molecules.For each parameter the individual contributions of BFA components have been quantified and kinetic rates have been determined,based on reaction mechanisms proposed in the literature.With a molar consumption of 4 mol Cl_2/mol,urea is confirmed as the major chlorine consumer in the BFA because of its high concentration in human releases.The higher reactivity of ammonia is however highlighted.Citric acid is responsible for most of the chloroform produced during BFA chlorination.Chloroform formation is relatively slow with a limiting rate constant determined at 5.50 × 10~(-3) L/mol/sec.L-histidine is the only precursor for dichloroacetonitrile in the BFA.This DBP is rapidly formed and its degradation by hydrolysis and by reaction with hypochlorite shortens its lifetime in the basin.Reaction rates of dichloroacetonitrile formation by L-histidine chlorination have been established based on the latest chlorination mechanisms proposed.Moreover,this study shows that the reactivity toward chlorine differs whether L-histidine is isolated or mixed with BFA components.