Long-term impact of PM2.5 mass and sulfur reductions on ultrafine particle trends in Boston,MA from 1999 to 2018

ABSTRACT

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) pose a human health risk as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system. The Harvard supersite in Boston, MA provides one of the longest time series of UFP concentrations. This study examined the hypothesis that long-term reductions in PM_2.5 mass and sulfur have influenced UFP trends by limiting the ability of UFPs to coagulate onto the accumulation mode via polydisperse coagulation with larger particles. The study used Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to assess whether changes in PM_2.5 mass and sulfur concentrations resulted in smaller than expected (assuming no change in PM_2.5 mass or sulfur) decreases in daily UFP trends over the 20-year period from 1999 to 2018. The impact of PM_2.5 mass and sulfur changes were represented as UFP penalties. Bootstrapping was applied to calculate standard errors for the different trend and penalty estimates. Results showed that PM_2.5 mass and sulfur concentrations declined significantly over the study period. The analysis found an estimated 7.3% (95% CI: 3.5, 11.1%) UFP penalty due to long-term PM_2.5 mass trends, and a 9.9% (95% CI: 6.2, 13.7%) UFP penalty due to long-term sulfur trends. Findings from this study suggest that future UFP control efforts should account for the role of PM_2.5 mass and sulfur changes.     

Chlorinated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in riverine and estuarine sediments from Pearl River Delta, China

Spatial distribution of chlorinated hydrocarbons [chlorinated pesticides (CPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)] and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured in riverine and estuarine sediment samples from Pearl River Delta, China, collected in 1997. Concentrations of CPs of the riverine sediment samples range from 12 to 158 ng/g, dry weight, while those of PCBs range from 11 to 486 ng/g. The CPs concentrations of the estuarine sediment samples are in the range 6-1658 ng/g, while concentrations of PCBs are in the range 10-339 ng/g. Total PAH concentration ranges from 1168 to 21,329 ng/g in the riverine sediment samples, whereas the PAH concentration ranges from 323 to 14,812 ng/g in the sediment samples of the Estuary. Sediment samples of the Zhujiang River and Macao harbor around the Estuary show the highest concentrations of CPs, PCBs, and PAHs. Possible factors affecting the distribution patterns are also discussed based on the usage history of the chemicals, hydrologic condition, and land erosion due to urbanization processes. The composition of PAHs is investigated and used to assess petrogenic, combustion and naturally derived PAHs of the sediment samples of the Pearl River Delta. In addition, the concentrations of a number of organic compounds of the Pearl River Delta samples indicate that sediments of the Zhujiang river and Macao harbor are most likely to pose biological impairment.     

The styrene purification performance of biotrickling filter with toluene-styrene acclimatization under acidic conditions

The obvious disadvantages of biotrickling filters (BTFs) are the long start-up time and low removal efficiency (RE) when treating refractory hydrophobic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which limits its industrial application. It is worthwhile to investigate how to reduce the start-up period of the BTF for treating hydrophobic VOCs. Here, we present the first study to evaluate the strategy of toluene induction combined with toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization during start-up in a laboratory-scale BTF inoculated with activated sludge for styrene removal, as well as the effects of styrene inlet concentration (0.279 to 2.659 g·m^?3), empty bed residence time (EBRT) (i.e., 136, 90, 68, 45, 34 sec), humidity (7.7% to 88.9%), and pH (i.e., 4, 3, 2.5, 2) on the performance of the BTF system. The experiments were carried out under acidic conditions (pH 4.5) to make fungi dominant in the BTF. The start-up period for styrene in the BTF was shortened to about 28 days. A maximum elimination capacity (EC_max) of 126 g·m^?3·hr^?1 with an RE of 80% was attained when styrene inlet loading rate (ILR) was below 180 g·m^?3·hr^?1. The highest styrene RE(s) [of BTF] that could be achieved were 95% and 93.4%, respectively, for humidity of 7.7% and at pH 2. A single dominant fungal strain was isolated and identified as Candida palmioleophila strain MA-M11 based on the 26S ribosomal RNA gene. Overall, the styrene induction with the toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization could markedly reduce the start-up period and enhance the RE of styrene. The BTF dominated by fungi exhibited good performance under low pH and humidity and great potential in treating styrene with higher inlet concentrations.

Implications: The application of the toluene induction combined with toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization demonstrated to be a promising approach for the highly efficient removal of styrene. The toluene induction can accelerate biofilm formation, and the adaptability of microorganisms to styrene can be improved rapidly by the toluene-styrene synchronous acclimatization. The integrated application of two technologies can shorten the start-up period of biotrickling filters markedly and promote its industrial application.     

Performance and fouling mechanism of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations

In this study,direct contact membrane distillation(DCMD)was used for treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations.DCMD performance characteristics including permeate flux,permeate water quality as well as membrane fouling were investigated systematically.Experimental results showed that,after 12 hr DCMD,the feed wastewater was concentrated by about a factor of 3.7 on a volumetric basis,with the permeate flux decreasing from the initial 8.7 L/m~2/hr to the final 4.3 L/m~2/hr due to membrane fouling;the protein concentration in the feed wastewater was increased by about 3.5 times and achieved a value of 6178 mg/L,which is suitable for reutilization.Although COD and TOC in permeate water increased continuously due to the transfer of volatile components from wastewater,organic rejection of over 95%was achieved in wastewater.GC–MS results suggested that the fermentation wastewater contained 128kinds of organics,in which 14 organics dominated.After 12 hr DCMD,not only volatile organics including trimethyl pyrazine,2-acetyl pyrrole,phenethyl alcohol and phenylacetic acid,but also non-volatile dibutyl phthalate was detected in permeate water due to membrane wetting.FT-IR and SEM–EDS results indicated that the deposits formed on the membrane inner surface mainly consisted of Ca,Mg,and amine,carboxylic acid and aromatic groups.The fouled membrane could be recovered,as most of the deposits could be removed using a HCl/Na OH chemical cleaning method.     

改性无烟煤去除水中内分泌干扰物的性能探究

以KOH为改性剂对无烟煤改性,研究了改性前后无烟煤对3种内分泌干扰物EDCs(17α-乙炔基雌二醇EE2、双酚A BPA、磺胺甲噁唑SMZ)的吸附性能。结果表明,KOH改性对无烟煤的孔结构和表面性质产生影响,提高了无烟煤对3种EDCs的吸附量,其中对EE2的吸附量提高了近2倍。3种EDCs在改性前后2种无烟煤上的吸附过程均可用伪二级动力学描述,吸附等温线更符合Langmuir吸附等温方程,表现为化学吸附。改性前后2种无烟煤对EE2均表现出最高吸附能力,平衡吸附量(qe)分别为0.214 7μg/mg与0.622 9μg/mg;其次是BPA;最差是SMZ,qe仅为0.095 9μg/mg与0.124 2μg/mg。进一步研究表明,目标物的吸附情况与其憎水性质和分子结构有关,无烟煤吸附目标物的能力与其正辛醇/水分配系数正相关。     

复合药剂对不同类型重金属污染土壤的固化修复

为了考察复合药剂对Pb、Hg、Cr、Cd、Zn、Cu和Ni污染土样的固化修复效果,以重污染企业用地、冶炼厂河道底泥和自配土壤为污染土样进行试验,试验中的普适复合药剂主要为含磷酸盐沉淀剂、黏土和水泥,视情况辅以无机还原助剂和有机络合助剂。在普适药剂(相对原土样的质量分数15%)、还原剂(5%)和有机助剂(2%)的组配下,处理后的重金属浸出质量浓度低于GB 18598—2001标准值。普适药剂对Pb、Cd、Zn、Cu、Ni的固化有效,磷酸盐是促成Pb固化的关键成分,黏土和水泥分别起到吸附固定和物理包封的作用。无机助剂中的还原/络合性成分和硫化物分别对Cr(VI)和Hg的固化有明显的促进作用。对于Pb、Cd、Zn、Cu复合污染土壤的修复,分析了重金属浸出质量浓度随普适药剂投加量变化的特征曲线,结果表明,Pb比Cu的曲线斜率更大,表明Pb的固化效率更高;Cd和Zn具有相似的曲线形状,推测二者具有类似的固化机理。     

大连湾口陡坡处的潮流和混合特征

对大连湾湾口断面处3个站的海流和温度盐度剖面进行了周日同步观测,在此基础上,计算并讨论了大连湾口断面处的潮流和混合的分布特征。结果表明,大连湾湾口的潮流类型为非正规半日潮流,M2分潮流为其优势分潮流;大连湾口陡坡处的平均混合率较强,约为10-3m2/s,混合率的最大值约为10-2m2/s,是大洋混合率背景场的1 000倍,主要发生在上层和底层。潮流与地形的相互作用为混合提供了能量来源。     

基于总磷的长湖水环境容量核算

在对长湖流域水资源状况、水质现状、水文条件调查的基础上,根据水质目标的要求,利用纳污水体的概率型水环境容量模型,对基于总磷的长湖水环境容量进行了核算。结果表明：长湖的水环境容量是动态变化的,而模型的选取和参数的取值对概率型水环境容量的计算非常关键。通过计算分析得到长湖磷的概率水环境容量为：19％丰水期：41．9t／a-45．9t／a;49％平水期：31．8t／a～41．9Va;32％枯水期：11．8t／a～31．8t／a。     

Evaluation of the relationship between two different methods for enumeration fecal indicator bacteria： Colony-forming unit and most probable number

Most probable number (MPN) and colony-forming unit (CFU) estimates of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentration are common measures of water quality in aquatic environments. Thus, FIB intensively monitored in Yeongsan Watershed in an attempt to compare two di erent methods and to develop a statistical model to convert from CFU to MPN estimates or vice versa. As a result, the significant di erence was found in the MPN and CFU estimates. The enumerated Escherichia coli concentrations in MPN are greater than those in CFU, except for the measurement in winter. Especially in fall, E. coli concentrations in MPN are one order of magnitude greater than that in CFU. Contrarily, enterococci bacteria in MPN are lower than those in CFU. However, in general, a strongly positive relationship are found between MPN and CFU estimates. Therefore, the statistical models were developed, and showed the reasonable converting FIB concentrations from CFU estimates to MPN estimates. We expect this study will provide preliminary information towards future research on whether di erent analysis methods may result in di erent water quality standard violation frequencies for the same water sample.     

Carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere and precipitation of the Nam Co region, central Tibet

A continuous air and precipitation sampling for carbonaceous particles was conducted in a field observatory beside Nam Co, Central Tibetan Plateau during July of 2006 through January of 2007. Organic carbon (OC) was the dominant composition of the carbonaceous particles both in the atmosphere (1660 ng/m³) and precipitation (476 ng/g) in this area, while the average elemental carbon (BC) concentrations in the atmosphere and precipitation were only 82 ng/m³ and 8 ng/g, respectively. Very high OC/BC ratio suggested local secondary organic carbon could be a dominant contribution to OC over the Nam Co region, while BC could be mainly originated from Southern Asia, as indicated by trajectory analysis and aerosol optical depth. Comparison between the BC concentrations measured in Lhasa, those at “Nepal Climate Observatory at Pyramid (NCO-P)” site on the southern slope of the Himalayas, and Nam Co suggested BC in the Nam Co region reflected a background with weak anthropogenic disturbances and the emissions from Lhasa might have little impact on the atmospheric environment here, while the pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Basin of Southern Asia could be transported to the Nam Co region by both the summer monsoon and the westerly.