The ignored emission of volatile organic compounds from iron ore sinter process

Iron ore sintering is a major source of gaseous and particulate pollutants emission in iron smelt plant. The aim of present study is to characterize the volatile organic compounds(VOCs) emission profiles from iron ore sintering process. Both sinter pot test and sinter simulation experiment were conducted and compared. Out results showed that sinter process produced large quantity of VOCs together with NOxand SO_2. VOCs and NO were produced simultaneously in sinter pot test from 3 to 24 min after ignition, flowed by SO_2 production from 15 min to the end of sintering. Total VOCs(TVOC) concentration in sinter flue gas was affected by the coal and coke ratio in sinter raw material. The maximum TVOC concentration was 34.5 ppm when using 100% coal as fuel. Sinter simulation experiments found that the number of VOCs species and their concentrations were found by sinter temperature. The largest VOCs species varieties were obtained at 500 °C. Benzene, toluene,xylene and ethylbenzene were major VOCs in sinter flue gas based on the results from both simulation test and sinter pot. It thus demonstrated that in addition to NO_x, SO_2 and metal oxide particles, sinter flue gas also contained significant amount of VOCs whose environmental impact cannot be ignored. Based on our work, it is timely needed to establish a new VOC emission standard for sinter flue gas and develop advanced techniques to simultaneously eliminate multi-pollutants in iron ore sinter process.     

Air pollution characteristics and their relationship with emissions and meteorology in the Yangtze River Delta region during 2014–2016

With rapid economic growth and urbanization, the Yangtze River Delta(YRD) region in China has experienced serious air pollution challenges. In this study, we analyzed the air pollution characteristics and their relationship with emissions and meteorology in the YRD region during 2014–2016. In recent years, the concentrations of all air pollutants, except O_3,decreased. Spatially, the PM_(2.5), PM_(10), SO_2, and CO concentrations were higher in the northern YRD region, and NO_2 and O_3 were higher in the central YRD region. Based on the number of non-attainment days(i.e., days with air quality index greater than 100), PM_(2.5) was the largest contributor to air pollution in the YRD region, followed by O_3, PM_(10), and NO_2.However, particulate matter pollution has declined gradually, while O_3 pollution worsened.Meteorological conditions mainly influenced day-to-day variations in pollutant concentrations. PM_(2.5) concentration was inversely related to wind speed, while O_3 concentration was positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with relative humidity.The air quality improvement in recent years was mainly attributed to emission reductions.During 2014–2016, PM_(2.5), PM_(10), SO_2, NO_x, CO, NH_3, and volatile organic compound(VOC)emissions in the YRD region were reduced by 26.3%, 29.2%, 32.4%, 8.1%, 15.9%, 4.5%, and0.3%, respectively. Regional transport also contributed to the air pollution. During regional haze periods, pollutants from North China and East China aggravated the pollution in the YRD region. Our findings suggest that emission reduction and regional joint prevention and control helped to improve the air quality in the YRD region.     

Emission of intermediate volatility organic compounds from a ship main engine burning heavy fuel oil

Intermediate volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) are crucial precursors of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In this study, gaseous IVOCs emitted from a ship main engine burning heavy fuel oil (HFO) were investigated on a test bench, which could simulate the real-world operations and emissions of ocean-going ships. The chemical compositions, emission factors (EFs) and volatility distributions of IVOC emissions were investigated. The results showed that the main engine burning HFO emitted a large amount of IVOCs, with average IVOC EFs of 20.2–201?mg/kg-fuel. The IVOCs were mainly comprised of unspeciated compounds. The chemical compositions of exhaust IVOCs were different from that of HFO fuel, especially for polycyclic aromatic compounds and alkylcyclohexanes. The volatility distributions of IVOCs were also different between HFO exhausts and HFO fuel. The distinctions in IVOC emission characteristics between HFO exhausts and HFO fuel should be considered when assessing the IVOC emission and related SOA formation potentials from ocean-going ships burning HFO, especially when using fuel-surrogate models.     

Application of micrometeorological approaches to measure methane exchange in a dry paddy field in the western coast of Korea

The exchange processes of CH₄ were investigated in a paddy field in the Hari area of Kang Hwa Island over an 8 day period in late April 2002. The quantification of CH₄ fluxes was made under dry field condition of early spring by concurrently measuring its concentrations (at the two heights of 1 and 5 m) and the relevant micrometeorological parameters. To help elucidate the factors determining the mobilization characteristics of CH₄, the results of our measurement data were examined using a number of approaches. The results of the trajectory analysis indicated that its concentration changed very sensitively with the influence of different source types, as seen from the air mass movement patterns. The concentrations and fluxes of methane, when examined over this short-term scale, showed moderately strong patterns across 24 h period in which higher values tend to occur during morning or evening. The overall results of our field measurements suggest that CH₄ exchange processes in the paddy area proceeded in a fairly complicated manner. The study area behaved as a net source of CH₄ to the atmosphere with a net daily emission rate of 3.6 mg m⁻² despite the fact that downward deposition was observed more frequently than upward emission.     

Isoprene emission from tropical trees in Okinawa Island, Japan

This study surveyed isoprene emission from 42 indigenous and exotic tropical trees in subtropic Okinawa, Japan. Of the 42 trees studied, 4 emitted isoprene at a rate in excess of 20 μg g⁻¹ h⁻¹, and 28 showed the rates of 1–10 μg g⁻¹ h⁻¹. The remainder emitted less than 1 μg g⁻¹ h⁻¹. The majority of trees in this study may therefore fall within the lower emitting species. However, species in Moraceae that is indigenous in Okinawa emitted isoprene at relatively higher rates with an average of 14.2 μg g⁻¹ h⁻¹. The highest emission rate of 107.1 μg g⁻¹ h⁻¹ for Ficus virgata yielded the area basis rate of 47.4 nmol m⁻² s⁻¹, which is almost equivalent to the rate of high emitting species. Furthermore, a linear relationship between light intensity and isoprene emission was noted with Ficus virgata up to 1700 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. These findings may show the potential importance of subtropical areas as sources of isoprene to the atmosphere.     

A stochastic-advective transport model for NAPL dissolution and degradation in non-uniform flows in porous media

Remediation schemes for contaminated sites are often evaluated to assess their potential for source zone reduction of mass, or treatment of the contaminant between the source and a control plane (CP) to achieve regulatory limits. In this study, we utilize a stochastic stream tube model to explain the behavior of breakthrough curves (BTCs) across a CP. At the local scale, mass dissolution at the source is combined with an advection model with first-order decay for the dissolved plume. Field-scale averaging is then employed to account for spatial variation in mass within the source zone, and variation in the velocity field. Under the assumption of instantaneous mass transfer from the source to the moving liquid, semi-analytical expressions for the BTC and temporal moments are developed, followed by derivation of expressions for effective velocity, dispersion, and degradation coefficients using the method of moments. It is found that degradation strongly influences the behavior of moments and the effective parameters. While increased heterogeneity in the velocity field results in increased dispersion, degradation causes the center of mass of the plume to shift to earlier times, and reduces the dispersion of the BTC by lowering the concentrations in the tail. Modified definitions of effective parameters are presented for degrading solutes to account for the normalization constant (zeroth moment) that keeps changing with time or distance to the CP. It is shown that anomalous dispersion can result for high degradation rates combined with wide variation in velocity fluctuations. Implications of model results on estimating cleanup times and fulfillment of regulatory limits are discussed. Relating mass removal at the source to flux reductions past a control plane is confounded by many factors. Increased heterogeneity in velocity fields causes mass fluxes past a control plane to persist, however, aggressive remediation between the source and CP can reduce these fluxes.     

Impacts of emissions and meteorological changes on China’s ozone pollution in the warm seasons of 2013 and 2017

O₃ increment is mainly caused by changes in meteorology rather than emissions. Emission reduction is effective to reduce O₃ nationwide, especially in summer. Strengthened NO_x controls are necessary to meet the ambient O₃ standard. We have quantified the impacts of anthropogenic emissions reductions caused by the Air Pollution Control Action Plan and changes in meteorological fields between 2013 and 2017 on the warm-season O₃ concentration in China using a regional 3D chemical transport model. We found that the impact on daily maximum eight-hour (MDA8) O₃ concentration by the meteorological variation that mostly increased O₃ was greater than that from emission reduction, which decreased O₃. Specifically, the control measures implemented since 2013 in China have reduced SO₂, NO_x, PM_2.5, and VOC emissions by 33%, 25%, 30%, and 4% in 2017, while NH₃ emissions have increased by 7%. The changes in anthropogenic emissions lowered MDA8 O₃ by 0.4–3.7 ppb (0.8%–7.6%, varying by region and month), although MDA8 O₃ was increased slightly in some urban areas (i.e. North China) at the beginning/end of warm seasons. Relative to 2013, the average 2 m temperature in 2017 shows increments in North, North-east, East, and South China (0.34℃–0.83℃) and decreases in Central China (0.24℃). The average solar radiation shows increments in North, North-east, and South China (7.0–9.7 w/m²) and decreases in Central, South-west, and North-west China (4.7–10.3 w/m²). The meteorological differences significantly change MDA8 O₃ by -3.5–8.5 ppb (-8.2%–18.8%) with large temporal variations. The average MDA8 O₃ was slightly increased in North, North-east, East, and South China. The response surface model suggests that the O₃ formation regime transfers from NO_x-saturated in April to NO_x-limited in July on average in China.     

Reaction mechanism of arsenic capture by a calcium-based sorbent during the combustion of arsenic-contaminated biomass: A pilot-scale experience

Pilot-scale combustion is required to treat arsenic-enriched biomass in China. CaO addition to arsenic-enriched biomass reduces arsenic emission. CaO captures arsenic via chemical adsorption to form Ca₃(AsO₄)₂. Large quantities of contaminated biomass due to phytoremediation were disposed through combustion in low-income rural regions of China. This process provided a solution to reduce waste volume and disposal cost. Pilot-scale combustion trials were conducted for in site disposal at phytoremediation sites. The reaction mechanism of arsenic capture during pilot-scale combustion should be determined to control the arsenic emission in flue gas. This study investigated three Pteris vittata L. biomass with a disposal capacity of 600 kg/d and different arsenic concentrations from three sites in China. The arsenic concentration in flue gas was greater than that of the national standard in the trial with no emission control, and the arsenic concentration in biomass was 486 mg/kg. CaO addition notably reduced arsenic emission in flue gas, and absorption was efficient when CaO was mixed with biomass at 10% of the total weight. For the trial with 10% CaO addition, arsenic recovery from ash reached 76%, which is an ~8-fold increase compared with the control. Synchrotron radiation analysis confirmed that calcium arsenate is the dominant reaction product.     

Source attribution for mercury deposition with an updated atmospheric mercury emission inventory in the Pearl River Delta Region,China

Estimated anthropogenic Hg emission was 11.9 tons in Pearl River Delta for 2014. Quantifying contributions of emission sources helps to provide control strategies. More attentions should be paid to Hg deposition around the large point sources. Power plant, industrial source and waste incinerator were priorities for control. A coordinated regional Hg emission control was important for controlling pollution. We used CMAQ-Hg to simulate mercury pollution and identify main sources in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) with updated local emission inventory and latest regional and global emissions. The total anthropogenic mercury emissions in the PRD for 2014 were 11,939.6 kg. Power plants and industrial boilers were dominant sectors, responsible for 29.4 and 22.7%. We first compared model predictions and observations and the results showed a good performance. Then five scenarios with power plants (PP), municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI), industrial point sources (IP), natural sources (NAT), and boundary conditions (BCs) zeroed out separately were simulated and compared with the base case. BCs was responsible for over 30% of annual average mercury concentration and total deposition while NAT contributed around 15%. Among the anthropogenic sources, IP (22.9%) was dominant with a contribution over 20.0% and PP (18.9%) and MSWI (11.2%) ranked second and third. Results also showed that power plants were the most important emission sources in the central PRD, where the ultra-low emission for thermal power units need to be strengthened. In the northern and western PRD, cement and metal productions were priorities for mercury control. The fast growth of municipal solid waste incineration were also a key factor in the core areas. In addition, a coordinated regional mercury emission control was important for effectively controlling pollution. In the future, mercury emissions will decrease as control measures are strengthened, more attention should be paid to mercury deposition around the large point sources as high levels of pollution are observed.     

常州市裸露地面风蚀扬尘排放清单及分布特征研究

以2014年为基准年,以常州市行政边界为研究区域,利用卫星遥感解译的土地利用类型和裸土面积信息,并通过国土、气象等部门提供的土壤类型、气象因子等相关资料获取本地化因子和参数,估算常州市行政区域内裸露地面土壤扬尘中颗粒物的年排放量。结果表明:常州市裸露地面主要分布在金坛市、溧阳市和武进区,市中心区域最少,裸露土地利用类型主要为农田、滩涂、裸露山体、荒地及未硬化或未绿化的空地等;2014年常州市行政区域内裸露地面风蚀扬尘中TSP、PM 10、PM 2.5的年排放量分别为62.66 t、5.63 t、0.24 t,其中,金坛市土壤起尘量最大,其次为武进区,再次为新北区、溧阳市,市中心区域土壤扬尘最少。