Ambient levels of carbonyl compounds and their sources in Guangzhou,China

Ambient levels of carbonyl compounds and their possible sources, vehicular exhaust and cooking exhaust, were studied at seven places in Guangzhou, including five districts (a residential area, an industrial area, a botanical garden, a downtown area and a semi-rural area), a bus station and a restaurant during the period of June–September 2003. Nineteen carbonyl compounds were identified in the ambient air, of which acetone was the most abundant carbonyl, followed by formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Only little changes were found in carbonyl concentration levels in the five different districts because of their dispersion and mixture in the atmosphere in summer. The lower correlations between the carbonyls’ concentrations might result from the mixture of carbonyls derived from different sources, including strong photochemical reactions at noon in summer. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the main carbonyls in bus station, while straight-chain carbonyls were comparatively abundant in cooking exhaust. Besides vehicular exhaust, cooking might be another major source of carbonyl compounds in Guangzhou City, especially for high molecular weight carbonyls.     

Indoor and outdoor carbonyl compounds in the hotel ballrooms in Guangzhou,China

Twenty-one carbonyl compounds were measured simultaneously at four hotel ballrooms in urban Guangzhou during the autumn, 2002. In each ballroom, measurements were carried out in business hours in the evening (20:30–24:00) on 7 consecutive days without any disturbance of the ballroom's normal operation. Nineteen out of the 21 target carbonyl compounds were identified in indoor and outdoor air. In the outdoor environment, formaldehyde was the most abundant carbonyl, followed by acetaldehyde, and there existed a strong correlation between formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. In the indoor air, however, acetaldehyde was the most abundant carbonyl, its concentrations seemed to be affected significantly by smoking. The indoor concentrations of carbonyls were found higher than their outdoor counterparts with only a few exceptions. Further studies concerning the indoor/outdoor ratios and mutual correlation of the carbonyls indicated that apart from direct emission from indoor materials and infiltration of outdoor air, other anthropogenic sources, e.g. tobacco smoke, also significantly contributed to carbonyl compounds. The possible sources of some high molecular weight carbonyls, e.g. nonanaldehyde, were also discussed briefly. Preliminary estimate of the exposures and risks due to carbonyls in the ballrooms was made, which indicated that long-term exposure in such places might cause increased chance of developing cancers.     

包头市儿童卧室内醛酮类化合物污染调研

为研究包头市儿童卧室的空气中醛酮类化合物的污染水平及影响因素,2014—2015年在包头市四大城区随机选取了100户家庭,对采集的室内空气进行了12种醛酮类化合物的高效液相色谱检测和分析。本次调研是全国性计划"中国室内环境与儿童健康（CCHH）"的第二阶段。调研结果表明,包头市儿童卧室内主要的醛酮类化合物为甲醛、乙醛、丙醛,采暖季平均值分别为227.04、87.73和53.65 μg·m-3,非采暖季分别为189.17、60.43和40.85 μg·m-3,采暖季浓度高于非采暖季,其中甲醛在采暖季和非采暖季超标率分别为100%和87.5%。采暖季和非采暖季中甲醛和乙醛浓度均与换气次数呈负相关。采暖季和非采暖季中室内较高的相对湿度是甲醛、乙醛和丙醛暴露的危险因素。     

Cancer risk from gaseous carbonyl compounds in indoor environment generated from household coal combustion in Xuanwei,China

Airborne carbonyls were characterized from emitted indoor coal combustion. Samples were collected in Xuanwei (Yunnan Province), a region in China with a high rate of lung cancer. Eleven of 19 types of samples (58%) demonstrated formaldehyde concentrations higher than the World Health Organization exposure limit (a 30-min average of 100 μg m^?3). Different positive significant correlations between glyoxal/methylglyoxal and formaldehyde/acetaldehyde concentrations were observed, suggesting possible different characteristics in emissions between two pairs of carbonyl compounds. A sample in the highest inhalation risk shows 29.2 times higher risk than the lowest sample, suggesting different coal sampling locations could contribute to the variation of inhalation risk. Inhabitants in Xuanwei also tend to spend more time cooking and more days per year indoors than the national average. The calculated cancer risk ranged from 2.2–63 × 10^?5, which shows 13 types of samples at high-risk level. Cumulative effect in combination with different carbonyls could have contributed to the additive actual inhalation cancer risk. There is a need to explicitly address the health effects of environmentally relevant doses, considering life-long exposure in indoor dwellings.     

几种室内植物去除低分子羰基化合物

为了寻求治理室内挥发性有机污染物的措施,以豆瓣绿、鹅掌柴、富贵竹和袖珍椰子等4种常见室内植物为供试材料,采用五氟苯肼/气相色谱/质谱法(PFPH/GC/MSD)分析方法和动态熏气法开展了相关植物去除4种羰基化合物(乙醛、丙酮、丙醛和丁醛)的实验研究。结果表明,在有光照(3 000 lx)下,豆瓣绿、鹅掌柴、富贵竹和袖珍椰子4种植物对污染物的去除速率(μmol/(m2·h))范围分别为:0.24 (丁醛)~1.36 (丙酮)、0.25(丁醛)~0.69(乙醛)、0.07(丁醛)~0.30(乙醛)及0.57(丙醛)~0.75(乙醛),而在无光照下,相应的植物去除速率(μmol/(m2·h))分别为:0.07(丁醛)~0.27(丙酮)、0.09(丁醛)~0.29(乙醛)、0.02(丁醛) ~0.22(乙醛)、0.13(乙醛)~0.45(丙酮),通过对比可以看出4种植物对C2~C4羰基化合物在光照下的去除效果明显优于在无光照的情况下。此外,4种供试植物对4种羰基化合物总的去除速率由大到小依次为:豆瓣绿 (169.26 μg/(m2·h))>袖珍椰子(149.23 μg/(m2·h)) > 鹅掌柴(94.44 μg/(m2·h))>富贵竹(29.85 μg /(m2·h))。     

Investigation of carbonyl compounds in air from various industrial emission sources

The emission concentrations of carbonyl compounds in air were quantified from a total of 195 man-made source units within 77 individual companies at a large industrial complex in Korea. The measurement data were evaluated both by absolute magnitude of concentration and by their relative contribution to malodor formation such as malodor degree (MD) derived from empirical formula. It was found that formaldehyde exhibited the highest mean concentration of 323ppb with a median value of 28.2ppb, while butyraldehyde recorded the highest contribution to odor formation with an MD value of 3.5 (186 (mean) and 9.8ppb (median)). The relative intensity of carbonyl emission, when compared by the sum of MD, showed the highest source strength from the food and beverage (industry sector) and scrubber (source unit). A comprehensive evaluation of the carbonyl data from diverse industrial facilities thus allowed us to describe the fundamental patterns of their emission.     

广州东站室内停车场空气中羰基化合物调查

汽车尾气是大气中羰基化合物的主要来源之一.利用实验室已经建立起来的羰基化合物的检测方法,对广州东站室内停车场内空气进行了检测,结果表明,汽车尾气中检测出21种目标化合物,浓度最高的羰基化合物分别是甲醛、乙醛和丙酮,占总的羰基化合物的76.2%(质量分数).     

A study of photochemical and physical processes affecting carbonyl compounds in the Arctic atmospheric boundary layer

Experiments were conducted during the ALERT 2000 field campaign aimed at understanding the role of air–snow interactions in carbonyl compound chemistry and the associated ozone depletion in the atmospheric boundary layer. Under sunlit conditions, we find that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetone exhibit a significant diel cycle with average ambient air concentrations of 166, 53 and 385 ppt, respectively. A box model of Arctic surface layer chemistry was used to understand the diel behavior of carbonyl compound concentrations at Alert, Nunavut, Canada, with a focus on the chemical and physical processes that affect carbonyl compounds. Results of the study showed that the measured carbonyl compound concentrations can only be simulated when a radiation-dependent snowpack source term (possibly photochemistry) and a temperature-dependent sink (physical uptake on snow grains) of carbonyl compounds were added to the model. We are able to simulate the concentration and amplitude of the observed diel cycle, but not the phase of the cycle. These results help confirm the importance of snowpack chemistry and physical processes with respect to carbonyl compound concentrations in the Arctic surface boundary layer, and reveal weakness in the details of our understanding.     

Trends of ambient carbonyl compounds in the urban environment of Hong Kong

The concentrations of C₁–C₈ carbonyl compounds were measured at two urban sites in Hong Kong from October 1997 to September 2000. The daily total carbonyl concentrations were found to range from 2.4 to 37 μg m⁻³. Formaldehyde was the most abundant species, which comprised from 36 to 43% of the total detected carbonyls, followed by acetaldehyde (18–21%) and acetone (8–20%). The highest 24-hour average concentrations measured were 10 and 7.7 μg m⁻³ for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, respectively. Seasonal and temporal variations in the concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were not obvious, but lowest concentrations often occurred from June to August. The mean formaldehyde/acetaldehyde molar ratios at the two sites in summer (2.8±1.1 and 2.5±1.2) were significantly higher (p⩽0.01) than those in winter periods (1.9±0.6 and 2.0±0.6). The phenomena were explained by influences of both photochemical reactions and local meteorological conditions. Better correlations between formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, and between NO_x and each of the two major carbonyls were obtained in winter periods indicating direct vehicular emissions were the principal sources. The ambient formaldehyde and acetaldehyde concentrations in the urban atmosphere of Hong Kong were within the normal ranges reported in the literature for other urban sites world-wide.     

Exposure to carbonyl compounds in charcoal production plants in Bahia, Brazil

Studies have investigated the exposure levels of carbonyl compounds (CC) in the indoor and outdoor air of homes, vehicles, workplaces, urban and industrial areas, and rural sites. However, an investigation of these emissions and occupational exposure to CC in charcoal production facilities has not been previously conducted. The objective of this study was to measure the atmospheric concentrations of several CC to assess the exposure of workers of two charcoal plants located north of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Stationary and personal samples were collected using Sep-Pak® C18 cartridges that were coated with a 0.2 % acidic solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. The quantification of the resulting 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives was conducted using a high-performance liquid chromatography system with UV detection. In the personal samples, the concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanone, furfural, and C4 isomers (n-butanal-isobutanal-butanone) ranged from 12 to 139, 38 to 165, 136 to 483, 39 to 114, and 63 to 132 μg?m^?3, respectively. In the stationary samples, the concentrations of these CC ranged from 20 to 160, 111 to 284, 328 to 644, 70 to 163, and 100 to 176 μg?m^?3, respectively. When compared to the occupational exposure limits for 8 h, the concentrations of formaldehyde were often greater than the levels recommended by the American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which indicates a health risk for charcoal workers. These results are the first reported concerning the occupational exposure to CC in charcoal plants.     

类水滑石衍生复合氧化物催化水解羰基硫的研究

采用共沉淀法制备了一系列的类水滑石衍生复合氧化物催化剂,利用正交实验设计对催化剂的制备条件进行了优化,研究了金属组合、合成pH、M2+/M3+、二价金属比、焙烧温度和晶化温度等6个因素对羰基硫催化水解过程中催化剂硫容的影响。结果表明,金属组合、二价金属比和焙烧温度的影响极其显著(p=99%),晶化温度的影响显著(p=95%),合成pH与M2+/M3+对催化剂活性影响不显著(p=90%)。在设定实验条件下,金属组合取Co-Ni-Al、合成pH为9,M2+/M3+为3,二价金属比1,焙烧温度取350℃,晶化温度50℃时制得的催化剂具有最高的催化活性。对最佳制备条件下得到的催化剂进行了重复性实验以及XRD表征,结果表明制备的催化剂的硫容为7.10 g硫/g催化剂,Co3O4可能是其活性中心。     

Real-world emission factors of fifteen carbonyl compounds measured in a Hong Kong tunnel

Real-world vehicle emissions of carbonyls were determined in summer and winter of 2003 at the Shing Mun Tunnel, Hong Kong. Fifteen carbonyl species have been analyzed in this study. The total measured carbonyls emission factors ranged from 21.7 to 68.9 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹ among different measurement periods, with an average of 35.8±11.9 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹. Higher carbonyl emissions were found to be associated with a high proportion of diesel-fueled vehicles. Total measured carbonyl emissions from Diesel-fueled Vehicle (DV, 71.5 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹) were about 7 times higher than those from Non-Diesel-fueled Vehicle (NDV, 10 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹). The five carbonyls with the largest DV emission factor were, in decreasing order, formaldehyde (38.3 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹), acetaldehyde (11.4 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹), acetone (5.3 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹), crotonaldehyde (5.2 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹) and benzaldehyde (2.0 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹). These five carbonyl compounds together accounted for 87% of the sum of all DV carbonyl emission factors. For NDV, the five most abundant carbonyls in NDV emission at the tunnel were, in decreasing order, formaldehyde (3.5 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹), acetone (1.8 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹), methyl ethyl ketone (1.6 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹), m,p-tolualdehyde (1.0 mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹) and acetaldehyde (mg veh⁻¹ km⁻¹). They accounted for 85% of the sum of all NDV carbonyl emission factors.     

Concentrations and source characteristics of airborne carbonyl compounds measured outside urban residences

This paper presents the analysis of ambient air concentrations of 10 carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and ketones) measured in the yards of 87 residences in the city of Elizabeth, NJ, throughout 1999-2001. Most of these residences were measured twice in different seasons; the sampling duration was 48 hr each time. The authors observed higher concentrations for most of the measured carbonyl compounds on warmer days, reflecting larger contributions of photochemical reactions on warmer days. The estimated contributions of photochemical production varied substantially across the measured carbonyl compounds and could be as high as 60%. Photochemical activity, however, resulted in a net loss for formaldehyde. The authors used stepwise multiple linear regression models to evaluate the impact of traffic sources and meteorological conditions on carbonyl concentrations using the data collected on colder days (with lower photochemical activities). They found that the concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, propionaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, benzaldehyde, glyoxal, and methylglyoxal significantly decreased with increasing distance between a measured residence and one or more major roadways. They also found significant negative associations between concentrations for most of the measured carbonyl compounds and each of the following meteorological parameters: mixing height, wind speed, and precipitation.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbonyl compounds in urban atmosphere of Hong Kong

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbonyls compounds are becoming a major component of atmospheric toxic air pollutants (TAPs) in Hong Kong. Many studies in Hong Kong show that traffic emission is one of the most significant contributors in urban area of Hong Kong. A twelve months monitoring program for PAHs and carbonyl compounds started on 10 April 1999 including a two weeks intensive sampling in winter had been performed at a roadside urban station at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in order to determine the monthly and seasonal variations of PAHs and carbonyl concentrations. The objective of this study is to characterize the roadside concentrations of selected TAPs (PAHs and carbonyl compounds) and to compare with the long-term compliance monitoring data acquired by Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (EPD). Monthly variations, seasonal variations and winter/summer ratios at the monitoring station are discussed.     

Comparison of carbonyl compounds emissions from diesel engine fueled with biodiesel and diesel

The characteristics of carbonyl compounds emissions were investigated on a direct injection, turbocharged diesel engine fueled with pure biodiesel derived from soybean oil. The gas-phase carbonyls were collected by 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH)-coated silica cartridges from diluted exhaust and analyzed by HPLC with UV detector. A commercial standard mixture including 14 carbonyl compounds was used for quantitative analysis. The experimental results indicate that biodiesel-fueled engine almost has triple carbonyls emissions of diesel-fueled engine. The weighted carbonyls emission of 8-mode test cycle of biodiesel is 90.8 mg (kW h)^?1 and that of diesel is 30.7 mg (kW h)^?1. The formaldehyde is the most abundant compound of carbonyls for both biodiesel and diesel, taking part for 46.2% and 62.7% respectively. The next most significant compounds are acetaldehyde, acrolein and acetone for both fuels. The engine fueled with biodiesel emits a comparatively high content of propionaldehyde and methacrolein. Biodiesel, as an alternative fuel, has lower specific reactivity (SR) caused by carbonyls compared with diesel. When fueled with biodiesel, carbonyl compounds make more contribution to total hydrocarbon emission.     

A new moss biomonitoring method for detecting sources of small scale pollution

A new simple method is proposed for identifying sources of small scale pollution, by determining the tissue concentrations of pollutants in terrestrial mosses. The method is based on spatial characterization of the processes that generate accumulation of pollutants in these organisms. The steps involved in implementing and applying the method are: (i) obtaining data on pollutants in moss samples collected at least at 35 pairs of sampling sites (SS) separated by 1 km distance; (ii) study of the distribution of the differences in concentration between the pairs of SS, eliminating pairs affected by foci that generate small scale processes; (iii) characterization of the resulting normal distributions and calculation, for different levels of significance, of the probability of a value lying within these distributions, and (iv) application of the calculated quantiles to data corresponding to the differences in concentrations between pairs of SS in the vicinities of foci of small scale pollution, to determine which elements can be considered as pollutants. Given the small number of data required once the distribution of the differences has been established, the method is an inexpensive, efficient way of establishing the probability that a pollutant is being emitted from a particular source. The method is very useful for verifying the results of pollution inventories, evaluating new technologies and improving the design of regional networks for biomonitoring of air quality with terrestrial mosses.     

Emissions of isoprene,monoterpene and short-chained carbonyl compounds from Eucalyptus spp. in southern Australia

Eucalypts are among the highest emitters of biogenic volatile organic compounds, yet there is relatively little data available from field studies of this genus. Emissions of isoprene, monoterpenes and the short-chained carbonyls formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetone were determined from four species (Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus grandis, and Eucalytpus viminalis) in Australia. A smaller comparative study was conducted on E. camaldulensis in south-eastern Australia. Carbonyl emissions, reported here for the first time from eucalypts, were generally comparable with rates reported for other species, with diurnal emissions peaking at about 4, 75 and 34 nmol m^?2 min^?1 for acetone, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde respectively. There was wide variation in diurnal isoprene and monoterpene emissions between species, but under standard conditions, isoprene emissions were much lower than previous reports. Conversely, standard emission rates of monoterpenes were as much as six times greater than previous reports for some species. Emission of each carbonyl was correlated with its ambient concentration across different species, but more weakly related to temperature. Acetaldehyde emission in particular was significantly correlated with transpiration, but not with sap flow or with ethanol concentrations in xylem sap, suggesting fermentation within the leaf and stomatal conductance are primary controlling processes. Differences in acetaldehyde exchange velocities between sites, in addition to transpiration differences, suggest stomata may indeed exert long term emission regulation, in contrast to compounds for which no biological sink exists.     

Characterization of trace metal particles deposited on some deciduous tree leaves in an urban area

In 1996 and 1997 horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) and Turkish hazel (Corulys colurna L.) leaves were sampled at 2 m height in the Belgrade Botanic Garden, located in an urban area with heavy traffic. Using a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDAX), the size, size distribution, morphology and chemical composition of individual particles were examined on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaf discs of both species. The majority of particles observed on leaves belonged to a class of fine particles (D < 2 microm). Morphological and chemical composition indicated that the most abundant particles were soot and dust with minor constituents such as Pb, Zn, Ni, V, Cd, Ti, As and Cu. Using an electrochemical technique (DPASV), it was possible to measure trace metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Zn) in a water-soluble fraction of deposits on each single leaf. Trace metal contents in the leaf deposits, increased during the vegetation period for both species and were considerably higher in A. hippocastanum due to different epidermal characteristics. The higher trace metal concentrations in deposits in 1997 reflected greater atmospheric pollution in the Belgrade urban area.     

PAHs associated with the leaves of three deciduous tree species. I--Concentrations and profiles

Results for the concentrations of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Sigma PAH) and the PAH profile in leaves from three deciduous tree species from the same woodland are presented, and discussed with reference to environmental and leaf-related variables. There were significant differences between oak, ash and hazel leaves in their Sigma PAH concentrations (sum of 23 PAHs), and in the relative contribution of individual PAHs to the sum. Leaves exhibiting pubescence (hairiness) were found to have significantly higher Sigma PAH concentrations than hairless leaves, regardless of their position in the vegetation strata of the wood. Hazel leaves from the understorey had a PAH profile consisting of a greater proportion of the 4-, 5- and 6-ring PAHs than oak or ash from the canopy. This was concluded to be the result of the filtering effect of the main canopy on the air passing over and through it, with subsequent transfer of particles and attendant PAHs to the understorey below. The proportion of Sigma PAH contributed by the 6-ring PAH in hazel leaves was negatively correlated with distance from the southern edge of the canopy. It is proposed that the predominantly windward edges of the woodland, where atmospheric turbulence is likely to be greatest, favoured the deposition of particle-bound PAHs to leaves.