Evaluation of Canisters for Measuring Emissions of Volatile Organic Air Pollutants from Hazardous Waste Incineration

Regulation to control air emissions of toxic organic compounds require the collection and analysis of effluent gas from low level sources such as hazardous waste incinerators. The standard SW- 846 Method specifies the use of Tenax and Tenax/charcoal adsorbent traps for collection of volatile organics from incinerators. This study evaluates passivated stainless steel canisters as an alternative to adsorbent traps to eliminate some of the problems associated with adsorbent sampling. Initially the stability of 18 nonpolar, volatile organic compounds was determined in Summa-treated stainless steel canisters with greater than 100 ppmv HCI and saturated with water vapor. All 18 components were stable for a twoweek period; however, an Interference caused a 10-fold increase In the FID response of trlchloroethylene, toluene, and chlorobenzene. No Interference of the ECD response was found for any of the 11 compounds detected with the ECD including trlchloroethylene. A pilot scale incinerator was sampled using canisters, and the destruction efficiency of 1,1,1-trichloroethane was determined at a concentration of less than 0.5 ppbv while determining 1,1-dichloroethylene, the major product of Incomplete combustion, at a concentration of 8000 ppbv from the same sample.     

A biogenic volatile organic compound emission inventory for Hong Kong

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the atmosphere react to form ozone and secondary organic aerosols, which deteriorate air quality, affect human health, and indirectly influence global climate changes. The present study aims to provide a preliminary assessment of BVOC emissions in Hong Kong (HKSAR). Thriteen local tree species were measured for their isoprene emission potential. Tree distribution was estimated for country park areas based on field survey data. Plant emission data obtained from measurements and the literature, tree distribution estimation data, land use information, and meteorological data were combined to estimate annual BVOC emissions of 8.6×10⁹ g C for Hong Kong. Isoprene, monoterpenes, and other VOCs contributed about 30%, 40%, and 30% of the estimated total annual emissions, respectively. Although hundreds of plant species are found in Hong Kong country parks, the model results indicate that only 10 tree species contribute about 76% of total annual VOC emissions. Prominent seasonal and diurnal variations in emissions were also predicted by the model. The present study lays a solid foundation for future local research, and results can be applied for studying BVOC emissions in nearby southern China and Asian regions that share similar climate and plant distributions.     

Future land use and land cover influences on regional biogenic emissions and air quality in the United States

A regional modeling system was applied with inputs from global climate and chemistry models to quantify the effects of global change on future biogenic emissions and their impacts on ozone and biogenic secondary organic aerosols (BSOA) in the US. Biogenic emissions in the future are influenced by projected changes in global and regional climates and by variations in future land use and land cover (LULC). The modeling system was applied for five summer months for the present-day case (1990–1999, Case 1) and three future cases covering 2045–2054. Individual future cases were: present-day LULC (Case 2); projected-future LULC (Case 3); and future LULC with designated regions of tree planting for carbon sequestration (Case 4). Results showed changing future meteorology with present-day LULC (Case 2) increased average isoprene and monoterpene emission rates by 26% and 20% due to higher temperature and solar insolation. However when LULC was changed together with climate (Case 3), predicted isoprene and monoterpene emissions decreased by 52% and 31%, respectively, due primarily to projected cropland expansion. The reduction was less, at 31% and 14% respectively, when future LULC changes were accompanied by regions of tree planting (Case 4). Despite the large decrease in biogenic emission, future average daily maximum 8-h (DM8H) ozone was found to increase between +8 ppbv and +10 ppbv due to high future anthropogenic emissions and global chemistry conditions. Among the future cases, changing LULC resulted in spatially varying future ozone differences of ?5 ppbv to +5 ppbv when compared with present-day case. Future BSOA changed directly with the estimated monoterpene emissions. BSOA increased by 8% with current LULC (Case 2) but decreased by 45%–28% due to future LULC changes. Overall, the results demonstrated that on a regional basis, changes in LULC can offset temperature driven increases in biogenic emissions, and, thus, LULC projection is an important factor to consider in the study of future regional air quality.     

从法律视角分析三峡库区水环境的保护

随着三峡库区的形成,三峡库区水环境的质量也引起了公众的注意.三峡库区现行的水环境保护法律存在缺陷,即缺乏一部统领性的法律,缺少专门的流域管理机构及协调机制,公众环保意识淡薄,水资源使用制度存在缺陷和污染治理缺乏市场机制.因此,建议采取如下措施:制定三峡库区水污染防治条例,建立库区水环境管理委员会,鼓励公众参与,完善水资源有偿使用制度和排污收费制度.     

Spatial Analysis of Soil Salinity and Soil Structural Stability in a Semiarid Region of New South Wales,Australia

Salt-affected soils are a major threat to agriculture especially in the semiarid regions of the world. The effective management of these soils requires adequate understanding of not only how water and, hence, solutes are transported within the soil, but also how soil salinity and sodicity spatially interact to determine soil structural breakdown. For sustainable agricultural production, information on quantitative soil quality, such as salinity, is required for effective land management and environmental planning. In this study, quantitative methods for mapping indicators of soil structural stability, namely salinity and sodicity, were developed to assess the effect of these primary indicators on soil structural breakdown. The current levels of soil salinity, as measured by electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil/water suspension, soil sodicity, represented by exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and aggregate stability, were assessed. Remote sensing, geographical information system (GIS), and geostatistical techniques-primarily regression-kriging and indicator-kriging-were used to spatially predict the soil sodicity and salinity. The patterns of salinity (EC) and sodicity (ESP > 5%) were identified. The effect of land use on these soil quality indicators was found to be minimal. Co-spatial patterns were elucidated between sodic soils (defined by ESP > 5%) and highly probable mechanically dispersive soils predicted from indicator-kriging of ASWAT scores. It was established that the incorporation of EC with ESP into an objective index, called electrolyte stability index (ESI = ESP/EC), gave a good indication of soil dispersion, although the threshold ESI value below which effective structural breakdown might occur is 0.025, which is twice as small as the expected 0.05. The discrepancies between ESI and ASWAT scores suggest that other soil factors than salinity and sodicity are affecting soil structural breakdown. This calls for further investigation. The study provides valuable information in the form of risk zones of soil structural breakdown for land management. These zones, with a probability of mechanical soil dispersion of >0.70, require immediate management attention with greater monitoring and amelioration techniques, particularly gypsum or lime application and/or altered cultivation techniques.     

Environmental risks of farmed and barren alkaline coal ash landfills in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The disposal of coal combustion residues (CCR) has led to a significant consumption of land in the West Balkan region. In Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina) we studied previously soil-covered (farmed) and barren CCR landfills including management practises, field ageing of CCR and the transfer of trace elements into crops, wild plants and wastewaters. Soil tillage resulted in mixing of cover soil with CCR. Medicago sativa showed very low Cu:Mo ratios (1.25) which may cause hypocuprosis in ruminants. Total loads of inorganic pollutants in the CCR transport water, but not pH ( approximately 12), were below regulatory limits of most EU countries. Arsenic concentrations in CCR transport water were <2microgl(-1) whereas reductive conditions in an abandoned landfill significantly enhanced concentrations in leachates (44microgl(-1)). The opposite pattern was found for Cr likely due to large initial leaching of CrVI. Public use of landfills, including farming, should be based on a prior risk assessment due to the heterogeneity of CCR.     

Probing emissions of military cargo aircraft: description of a joint field measurement Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program

To develop effective air quality control strategies for military air bases, there is a need to accurately quantify these emissions. In support of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program project, the particulate matter (PM) and gaseous emissions from two T56 engines on a parked C-130 aircraft were characterized at the Kentucky Air National Guard base in Louisville, KY. Conventional and research-grade instrumentation and methodology were used in the field campaign during the first week of October 2005. Particulate emissions were sampled at the engine exit plane and at 15 m downstream. In addition, remote sensing of the gaseous species was performed via spectroscopic techniques at 5 and 15 m downstream of the engine exit. It was found that PM mass and number concentrations measured at 15-m downstream locations, after dilution-correction generally agreed well with those measured at the engine exhaust plane; however, higher variations were observed in the far-field after natural dilution of the downstream measurements was accounted for. Using carbon dioxide-normalized data we demonstrated that gas species measurements by extractive and remote sensing techniques agreed reasonably well.     

Waste battery disposal and recycling behavior: a study on the Australian perspective

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Consumer behavior is a critical consideration for the development of sustainable waste management systems, including waste batteries, which pose a...     

Modelling the globalization-CO2 emission nexus in Australia: evidence from quantile-on-quantile approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sustainable development policies for achieving net-zero emissions require understanding the factors that influence carbon emissions. Capitalizing on...