Characterization of PM2.5 aerosols dominated by local pollution and Asian dust observed at an urban site in Korea during aerosol characterization experiments (ACE)--Asia Project

Daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were collected at Gwangju, Korea, during the Aerosol Characterization Experiments (ACE)-Asia Project to determine the chemical properties of PM2.5 originating from local pollution and Asian dust (AD) storms. During the study period, two significant events occurred on April 10-13 and 24-25, 2001, and a minor event occurred on April 19, 2001. Based on air mass transport pathways identified by back-trajectory calculation, the PM2.5 dataset was classified into three types of aerosol populations: local pollution and two AD aerosol types. The two AD types were transported along different pathways. One originated from Gobi desert area in Mongolia, passing through Hunshandake desert in Northern Inner Mongolia, urban and polluted regions of China (AD1), and the other originated in sandy deserts located in the Northeast Inner Mongolia Plateau and then flowed southward through the Korean peninsula (AD2). During the AD2 event, a smoke plume that originated in North Korea was transported to our study site. Mass balance closures show that crustal materials were the most significant species during both AD events, contributing -48% to the PM2.5 mass; sulfate aerosols (19.1%) and organic matter (OM; 24.6%) were the second greatest contributors during the AD1 and AD2 periods, respectively, indicating that aerosol properties were dependent on the transport pathway. The sulfate concentration constituted only 6.4% (4.5 microg/m3) of the AD2 PM2.5 mass. OM was the major chemical species in the local pollution-dominated PM2.5 aerosols, accounting for 28.7% of the measured PM2.5 mass, followed by sulfate (21.4%), nitrate (15%), ammonium (12.8%), elemental carbon (8.9%), and crustal material (6.5%). Together with substantial enhancement of the crustal elements (Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, Mn, Fe, Sr, Zr, Ba, and Ce), higher concentrations of pollution elements (S, V, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) were observed during AD1 and AD2 than during the local pollution period, indicating that, in addition to crustal material, the AD dust storms also had a significant influence on anthropogenic elements.     

Effective adsorbent for arsenic removal: core/shell structural nano zero-valent iron/manganese oxide

Recently, nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) has emerged as an effective adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from aqueous solutions. However, its use in various applications has suffered from reactivity loss resulting in a decreased efficiency. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop an effective arsenic adsorbent as a core/shell structural nZVI/manganese oxide (or nZVI/Mn oxide) to minimize the reactivity loss of the nZVI. As the major result, the arsenic adsorption capacities of the nZVI/Mn oxide for As(V) and As(III) were approximately two and three times higher than that of the nZVI, respectively. In addition, the As(V) removal efficiency of the nZVI/Mn oxide was maintained through 4 cycles of regeneration whereas that of the nZVI was decreased significantly. The enhanced reactivity and reusability of the nZVI/Mn oxide can be successfully explained by the synergistic interaction of the nZVI core and manganese oxide shell, in which the manganese oxides participate in oxidation reactions with corroded Fe²⁺ and subsequently retard the release of aqueous iron providing additional surface sites for arsenic adsorption. In summary, this study reports the successful fabrication of a core/shell nZVI/Mn oxide as an effective adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from aqueous solutions.     

Benchmarking Optical/Thermal Satellite Imagery for Estimating Evapotranspiration and Soil Moisture in Decision Support Tools

Generally, one expects evapotranspiration (ET) maps derived from optical/thermal Landsat and MODIS satellite imagery to improve decision support tools and lead to superior decisions regarding water resources management. However, there is lack of supportive evidence to accept or reject this expectation. We “benchmark” three existing hydrologic decision support tools with the following benchmarks: annual ET for the ET Toolbox developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, predicted rainfall‐runoff hydrographs for the Gridded Surface/Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis model developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the average annual groundwater recharge for the Distributed Parameter Watershed Model used by Daniel B. Stephens & Associates. The conclusion of this benchmark study is that the use of NASA/USGS optical/thermal satellite imagery can considerably improve hydrologic decision support tools compared to their traditional implementations. The benefits of improved decision making, resulting from more accurate results of hydrologic support systems using optical/thermal satellite imagery, should substantially exceed the costs for acquiring such imagery and implementing the remote sensing algorithms. In fact, the value of reduced error in estimating average annual groundwater recharge in the San Gabriel Mountains, California alone, in terms of value of water, may be as large as $1 billion, more than sufficient to pay for one new Landsat satellite.     

A study on the reaction characteristics of vanadium-impregnated natural manganese oxide in ammonia selective catalytic reduction

This study investigated the effect of adding vanadium (V) to natural manganese oxide (NMO) in ammonia (NH3) selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The addition of V to NMO decreased the catalytic activity at low temperatures by blocking the active site. However, the enhancement of catalytic activity was achieved by controlling NH3 oxidation at high temperatures. From the NH3 temperature programmed desorption and oxygen on/off test, it was confirmed that the amount of Lewis acid site and active lattice oxygen of the catalyst affects the catalytic performance at low temperature.     

Assessment of the clear-sky bias issue using continuous PM10 data from two AERONET sites in Korea

A bias in clear-sky conditions that will be involved in estimating particulate matter(PM)concentration from aerosol optical depth(AOD) was examined using PM_(10) from two Aerosol Robotic Network sites in Korea. The study periods were between 2004 and 2007 at Anmyon and between 2003 and 2011 at Gosan, when both PM_(10) and AOD were available. Mean PM_(10) when AOD was available(PM AOD) was higher than that from all PM_(10)data(PM all) by 5.1 and9.9 μg/m~3 at Anmyon and Gosan, which accounted for 11% and 26% of PM all, respectively.Because of a difference between mean PM_(10) under daytime clear-sky conditions(PM clear)and PM AOD, the variations in ΔPM_(10), the difference of PM all from PM clear rather than from PM AOD, were investigated. Although monthly variations in ΔPM_(10)at the two sites were different, they were positively correlated to those in ΔT, similarly defined as ΔPM_(10)except for temperature, at both sites. ΔPM_(10)at Anmyon decreased to a negative value in January due to an influence of the Siberian continental high-pressure system while ΔPM_(10)at Gosan was high in winter due to an effect of photochemical production at higher temperatures than at Anmyon.     

Direct methanol fuel cell bubble removal mechanism using magnetic actuation

This article develops a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with a magnet-actuated bubble removal mechanism. A micro-DC motor is used to control the bubble removal mechanism. The lower magnetic device is operated to extrude a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) runner to compress the liquid fuel in the anode flow channel, forcing the CO₂ bubbles in the runner to flow toward the outlet end. The bubble retention in the anode flow channel is thereby improved, enhancing the cell performance. The proposed mechanism stability and performance and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) runner are also discussed.     

Isolation of a novel Pseudomonas sp from soil that can efficiently degrade polyethylene succinate

Purpose

Polyethylene succinate (PES) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer and therefore widely used as a base material in plastic industry to circumvent the environmental problems related with the non-biodegradability of other polymers like polyethylene. Till date only few organisms have been reported to have the ability to degrade PES. Therefore for better management of PES-related environmental waste, the present study is targeted towards isolating mesophilic organism(s) capable of more efficient degradation of PES.

Results

Strain AKS2 was isolated from soil based on survival on a selection plate wherein PES was used as sole carbon source. Ribotyping and biochemical tests revealed that AKS2 is a new strain of Pseudomonas. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopic analysis of the PES films obtained after incubation with AKS2 confirmed PES-degradation ability of AKS2, wherein an alteration in surface topology was observed. The kinetics of PES weight loss showed that AKS2 degrades PES maximally during its logarithmic growth phase at a rate of 1.65?mg/day. This degradation is mediated by esterase activity and may also involve cell-surface hydrophobicity. It has also been observed that AKS2 is able to degrade PES considerably even in the presence of glucose, which is likely to increase the bioremediation potential of this isolate.

Conclusion

A new strain of Pseudomonas has been isolated from soil that is able to adhere to PES and degrade this polymer efficiently. This organism has the potential to be implemented as a useful tool for bioremediation of PES-derived materials.     

Natural and anthropogenic influences on heavy metals in airborne particles over the Korean Peninsula

Six monitoring stations were selected to characterize the variations in airborne concentrations of heavy metals in South Korea between 1999 and 2012. Three stations represented higher concentrations, and three represented lower concentrations. The heavy metals monitored at these stations include cadmium, chromium, copper, iron (Fe), lead, manganese (Mn), and nickel. During the study period, concentrations of heavy metals at many stations, including those around the Seoul metropolitan area, showed a decreasing trend. However, concentrations of Mn and Fe that are primarily of crustal origin increased at four of the six stations. Some stations were significantly affected by emissions from the local industrial complex (IC), and heavy metal concentrations at those stations were relatively high even in summer. Many heavy metal concentrations were higher in spring than in winter, but wintertime concentrations of Cr and Pb were higher at the stations representing lower concentrations due to the dominant influence of combustion emissions. At stations less affected by emissions from the IC, concentrations of Fe and Mn that are predominantly crustal in origin were higher in spring, when Asian dust (AD) events are most frequent. Although Mn concentrations were also high at stations within the steelmaking IC during AD periods, they were much higher during non-AD periods due to local emissions. Variations in heavy metal concentrations, which are heavily influenced by emissions from the IC, warrant individual analysis because their emission characteristics differ from those of typical cases.     

Low-density polyethylene degradation by Pseudomonas sp. AKS2 biofilm

Polyethylene materials are a serious environmental concern as their nondegradable nature allows them to persist in the environment. Recent studies have shown that polyethylene can be degraded by microbes at a very slow rate, whereby detectable changes are evident after several years. In the present study, we report the degradation of low-density polyethylene by Pseudomonas sp. AKS2. Unlike the previous reports, degradation by Pseudomonas sp. AKS2 is relatively fast as it can degrade 5?±?1 % of the starting material in 45 days without prior oxidation. This degradation can be altered by agents that modulate hydrophobic interaction between polythene and the microbe. As mineral oil promotes hydrophobic interactions, it enhances bacterial attachment to the polymer surface. This enhanced attachment results in increased biofilm formation and enhanced polymer degradation. In contrast, Tween 80 reduces bacterial attachment to the polymer surface by lowering hydrophobic interactions and thereby reduces polymer degradation. Thus, this study establishes a correlation between hydrophobic interaction and polymer degradation and also relates the biofilm formation ability of bacteria to polymer degrading potential.     

Combustion Characteristics of Spent Catalyst and Paper Sludge in an Internally Circulating Fluidized-Bed Combustor

Abstract

Combustion of spent vacuum residue hydrodesulfurization catalyst and incineration of paper sludge were carried out in thermo-gravimetric analyzer and an internally circulating fluidized-bed (ICFB) reactor. From the thermogravimetric analyzer-differential thermo-gravimetric curves, the pre-exponential factors and activation energies are determined at the divided temperature regions, and the thermo-gravimetric analysis patterns can be predicted by the kinetic equations. The effects of bed temperature, gas velocity in the draft tube and annulus, solid circulation rate, and waste feed rate on combustion efficiency of the wastes have been determined in an ICFB from the experiments and the model studies. The ICFB combustor exhibits uniform temperature distribution along the bed height with high combustion efficiency (>90%). The combustion efficiency increases with increasing reaction temperature, gas velocity in the annulus region, and solid circulation rate and decreases with increasing waste feed rate and gas velocity in the draft tube. The simulated data from the kinetic equation and the hydrodynamic models predict the experimental data reasonably well.