Global energy and emissions scenarios for effective climate change mitigation—Deterministic and stochastic scenarios with the TIAM model

The achievement possibilities of the EU 2 °C climate target have been assessed with the ETSAP TIAM global energy systems model. Cost-effective global and regional mitigation scenarios of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and F-gases were calculated with alternative assumptions on emissions trading. In the mitigation scenarios, an 85% reduction in CO₂ emissions is needed from the baseline, and very significant changes in the energy system towards emission-free sources take place during this century. The largest new technology groups are carbon-capture and storage (CCS), nuclear power, wind power, advanced bioenergy technologies and energy efficiency measures. CCS technologies contributed a 5.5-Pg CO₂ annual emission reduction by 2050 and 12 Pg CO₂ reduction by 2100. Also large-scale forestation measures were found cost-efficient. Forestation measures reached their maximum impact of 7.7 Pg CO₂ annual emission reduction in 2080. The effects of uncertainties in the climate sensitivity have been analysed with stochastic scenarios.     

A zero-valent iron and organic matter mixture enhances herbicide and herbicide degradation product removal in subsurface waters

The pesticide atrazine,its degradation products,and 2,6-dichlorobenzamide(BAM) are persistent in groundwater environment.We studied whether their dissipation can be enhanced with a mixture of a complex carbon source and zero-valent iron(ZVI) called EHC.The application rates were 1.0% and 2.0%(by weight) in subsurface sediments slurries(atrazine 30 mg/L),and 2.0% in 1.5 m pilot-scale sediment columns with groundwater flowing through(atrazine 0.08,desethylatrazine DEA 0.03,BAM 0.02 μg/L).In the slurries under aerobic conditions,atrazine of 0.88 ± 0.14 mg/g of EHC was dissipated chemically,as concentrations did not differ significantly between the slurries and their sterilized controls.No degradation occurred in the slurries under anaerobic conditions.In the pilot-scale columns under water-saturated conditions,atrazine,DEA and BAM were not detected in effluents during 33,64 and 64 days from the beginning of the water flow through EHC columns,respectively,but thereafter traces of compounds could be detected.No atrazine or degradation products(BAM,DEA,deisopropylatrazine,desethyldeisopropylatrazine) could be extracted from the column sediments at the end of the experiment.As a result,the sum of dissipated pesticides was about7.6 μg/g of EHC in columns under water-saturated conditions,and 0.88 mg/g of EHC in slurries under aerobic conditions.EHC can be used to enhance the dissipation of studied pesticides in small quantities,preferentially under aerobic conditions.     

Comparison of pressurized fluid extraction, Soxhlet extraction and sonication for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban air and diesel exhaust particulate matter

In order to characterize and compare the chemical composition of diesel particulate matter and ambient air samples collected on filters, different extraction procedures were tested and their extraction efficiencies and recoveries determined. This study is an evaluation of extraction methods using the standard 16 EPA PAHs with HPLC fluorescence analysis. Including LC analysis also GC and MS methods for the determination of PAHs can be used. Soxhlet extraction was compared with ultrasonic agitation and pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) using three solvents to extract PAHs from diesel exhaust and urban air particulates. The selected PAH compounds of soluble organic fractions were analyzed by HPLC with a multiple wavelength shift fluorescence detector. The EPA standard mixture of 16 PAH compounds was used as a standard to identify and quantify diesel exhaust-derived PAHs. The most effective extraction method of those tested was pressurized fluid extraction using dichloromethane as a solvent.     

Exposure of garbage truck drivers and maintenance personnel at a waste handling centre to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons derived from diesel exhaust

Exposure to diesel exhaust was evaluated in summer and winter by measuring vapour and particle phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fifteen PAHs were simultaneously determined from the air samples obtained from truck drivers collecting household waste and maintenance personnel at a waste handling centre. The major compounds analysed from the personal air samples of exposed workers were naphthalene, phenanthrene and fluorene. The total PAH exposure (sum of 15 PAHs) of garbage truck drivers ranged from 71 to 2,660 ng m(-3) and from 68 to 900 ng m-3 in the maintenance work. The exposure of garbage truck drivers to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) ranged from the mean of 0.03 to 0.3 ng m(-3) whereas no B[a]P in control samples or in those collected from maintenance workers was detected. A statistically significant difference in diesel-derived PAH exposure between the garbage truck drivers and the control group in both seasons (in summer p = 0.0022, degrees of freedom (df) 70.5; and in winter p < 0.0001, df = 80.4) was observed. Also, a significant difference in PAH exposure between the garbage truck drivers and the maintenance workers (in summer p < 0.0001, df = 50.1; and in winter p < 0.0001, df = 44.2) was obtained.