The assessment of personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide in epidemiological studies

Personal and indoor exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂ were studied in a population of housewives and children. Personal exposure, indoor concentrations and peak exposures were measured using Palmes' diffusion tubes during three measurement periods of 1 week within 1 year. Very high peak concentrations were found in the kitchens (up to 2000 μg m⁻³).Three different estimates of personal exposure were constructed using indoor concentrations and time budget data. All three were found to be closely associated with measured personal exposure.The variability over time of personal and indoor concentrations, and of the three exposure estimates was investigated in a one-way analysis of variance. The within-location or within-subject variances of indoor concentrations and estimated personal exposures were found to be smaller, relative to the between-location or between-subject variances, than the within-subject variance of measured personal concentrations. The close association between measured indoor concentrations (or exposure estimates based on indoor concentrations) and measured personal exposure suggests that measuring indoor concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the home is sufficient to estimate personal exposure accurately.Short term peak concentrations were found to be only weakly associated with indoor NO₂ sources and weekly average indoor NO₂ concentrations. Repeated exposure to short term peak concentrations has been suggested that diffusion type measurements of personal and indoor exposure to NO₂, which are widely used suggests that diffusion type measurements of personal and indoor exposure to NO₂, which are widely used in epidemiologic studies, may not adequately reflect the most biologically relevant exposure.     

High NO2/NOx emissions downstream of the catalytic diesel particulate filter: An influencing factor study

Diesel vehicles are responsible for most of the traffic-related nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions, including nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). The use of after-treatment devices increases the risk of high NO₂/NO_x emissions from diesel engines. In order to investigate the factors influencing NO₂/NO_x emissions, an emission experiment was carried out on a high pressure common-rail, turbocharged diesel engine with a catalytic diesel particulate filter (CDPF). NO₂ was measured by a non-dispersive ultraviolet analyzer with raw exhaust sampling. The experimental results show that the NO₂/NO_x ratios downstream of the CDPF range around 20%–83%, which are significantly higher than those upstream of the CDPF. The exhaust temperature is a decisive factor influencing the NO₂/NO_x emissions. The maximum NO₂/NO_x emission appears at the exhaust temperature of 350°C. The space velocity, engine-out PM/NO_x ratio (mass based) and CO conversion ratio are secondary factors. At a constant exhaust temperature, the NO₂/NO_x emissions decreased with increasing space velocity and engine-out PM/NO_x ratio. When the CO conversion ratios range from 80% to 90%, the NO₂/NO_x emissions remain at a high level.     

Classification of residential exposure to nitrogen dioxide

In epidemiological studies of indoor nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) reported to date, only a limited number of measurements were made to estimate personal exposures. The accuracy of exposure estimates depends on the measurement error inherent in the samplers and in the sampling scheme. If categorical measures of exposure are used, the consequences of measurement error vary with classification rules. The effects of alternative measurement strategies on exposure classification were evaluated using NO₂ diffusion sampler measurements from 653 residences with gas cooking ranges. A time-series of consecutive 2-week integrated measurements was obtained for each home. During the winter season, the standard deviation was 26% of the mean. The probability of misclassification, a function of the mean and the standard deviation per home, was examined for three concentration classes (<25, 25–50, ⩾50 ppb). The average probability of misclassification was 10% for three 2-week integrated measurements across the winter and decreased to under 5% for continuous sampling (i.e. 13 consecutive 2-week samples). The sensitivity and predictive value were improved by increasing the number of samples obtained. The misclassification is determined by the number of concentration classes and by the relationship of class boundaries to the distribution of true means.     

广州PM2.5化学组分特征及其与气象因子的关系

于2012年12月—2013年12月在广州城区(市站)和东部郊区(九龙)开展为期一年的PM2.5样品采集,并同步收集气象因子和气态污染物质量浓度等数据.结果表明,PM2.5中主要化学组分为有机质(OM)和硫酸盐(SO2-4),分别占市站和九龙PM2.5质量浓度的49.4%和15.2%及57.0%和17.3%.碳质气溶胶(OM和EC)贡献接近50%,二次无机气溶胶(SO2-4、NO-3和NH+4总和,SIA)贡献超过30%.由于以机动车尾气为代表的移动污染源在城市区域贡献较大,市站[NO-3]/[SO2-4]比值显著高于九龙.两个站点[NH+4]/[SO2-4]摩尔质量比均高于1.5,表明观测期间广州市干季大气处于富铵状态.市站和九龙站硫氧化率(SOR)和氮氧化率(NOR)的时空变化趋势与O3类似,表明大气光化学过程是影响广州市SOR和NOR的重要因素.相对湿度低于65%时,SOR和NOR均较高;温度对SOR和NOR的影响有显著的城郊差异.降雨对PM2.5及各化学组分浓度有显著去除作用.     

Transverse approach between real world concentrations of SO2, NO2, BTEX, aldehyde emissions and corrosion in the Grand Mare tunnel

With regard to automotive traffic, a tunnel-type semi enclosed atmosphere is characterized by a higher concentration of gaseous pollutants than on urban traffic roads and highlights the gaseous effluent species having an impact on material degradation. Therefore, a transverse approach between air quality and its consequences upon the longevity of materials is necessary, implying better knowledge of tunnel atmosphere and a better understanding of material degradation inside a tunnel for operating administration. Gaseous pollutant measurements carried out in a road tunnel in Rouen (Normandy) give the real world traffic concentrations of experimental exposure conditions. The sampling campaigns, achieved in summer and winter include SO₂, NO₂, BTEX and aldehyde analyses. Effluent profiles in the upward and downward tubes have been established. The current work shows that SO₂, NO₂, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal and butanal must be considered in the degradation process of materials in a stuffy environment. As regards NO₂, its concentration depends on the modification of the automotive fleet. The total aldehyde concentrations indicate no particular trend between the two bores. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal and acrolein species are the most abundant species emitted by vehicles and represent 90% to 95% of the total aldehyde emissions.     

A land use regression model incorporating data on industrial point source pollution

Advancing the understanding of the spatial aspects of air pollution in the city regional environment is an area where improved methods can be of great benefit to exposure assessment and policy support. We created land use regression (LUR) models for SO₂, NO₂ and PM₁₀ for Tianjin, China. Traffic volumes, road networks, land use data, population density, meteorological conditions, physical conditions and satellite-derived greenness, brightness and wetness were used for predicting SO₂, NO₂ and PM₁₀ concentrations. We incorporated data on industrial point sources to improve LUR model performance. In order to consider the impact of different sources, we calculated the PSIndex, LSIndex and area of different land use types (agricultural land, industrial land, commercial land, residential land, green space and water area) within different buffer radii (1 to 20 km). This method makes up for the lack of consideration of source impact based on the LUR model. Remote sensing-derived variables were significantly correlated with gaseous pollutant concentrations such as SO₂ and NO₂. R² values of the multiple linear regression equations for SO₂, NO₂ and PM₁₀ were 0.78, 0.89 and 0.84, respectively, and the RMSE values were 0.32, 0.18 and 0.21, respectively. Model predictions at validation monitoring sites went well with predictions generally within 15% of measured values. Compared to the relationship between dependent variables and simple variables (such as traffic variables or meteorological condition variables), the relationship between dependent variables and integrated variables was more consistent with a linear relationship. Such integration has a discernable influence on both the overall model prediction and health effects assessment on the spatial distribution of air pollution in the city region.     

NOx photocatalytic degradation on active concrete road surface — from experiment to real-scale application

The use of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as a photocatalyst in concrete pavements has received considerable attention in recent years due to its ability to decontaminate via photocatalytic processes. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of activated concrete road in the degradation of nitrogen oxides (NO_x). We have used a TiO₂ and activated carbon (AC) permeable spray solution to coat concrete to assess its NO_x purifying ability. A number of experiments were undertaken to ascertain the conditions that affect NO_x purification. Indoor simulation experiments with active concrete road at optimum conditions show that it has good purification ability, self-regeneration and repetition ability, with a minimum decontamination rate for NO and NO₂ of 37.4% and 25.84%, respectively. Outdoor experiments show that the photodegradation of NO_x is related to light intensity and temperature. As the light intensity increases the reaction rate increases, and conversely as temperature increases the reaction rate decreases.     

低成本高分辨电化学传感技术探测大气NO2的研究

为有序疏解大气NO_2监测环境日益复杂及成本高昂的光学探测仪器缺乏灵活性的困扰,研制了基于低成本电化学传感技术的测量系统,以四电极电化学传感器为NO_2浓度传感载体,基于差分算法补偿痕量浓度下零点电流漂移的干扰,实现了对大气NO_2的定量.结果表明,系统在摆脱有线数传束缚的基础上可稳定探测NO_2,对100 ppbv的NO_2标气响应时间T9034 s,标定探得其灵敏度为0.242 m V·ppbv-1,时间分辨率为10 s时探测限为1.5 ppbv(3σ).为验证准确性,将系统置于合肥西北郊科学岛进行了连续2个昼夜的大气NO_2测量,并与参考设备CRDS系统对比,探讨了测量结果,发现除去该系统因环境湿度贴近极限工作湿度时测量结果奇异部分,二者表现出良好的一致性,R2达到0.940,线性拟合斜率为1.047±0.006,接着分析了温湿度和其他痕量气体等干扰源.研究表明,本技术可为大气NO_2高分辨在线监测提供一种低成本便携途径.     

Heterogeneous uptake of NO2 on soils under variable temperature and relative humidity conditions

Heterogeneous reactions of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) on soils collected from Dalian (S1) and Changsha (S2) were investigated over the relative humidity (RH) range of 5%-80% and temperature range of 278-328 K using a horizontal coated-wall flow tube. The initial uptake coefficients of NO₂ on S2 exhibited a decreasing trend from (10 ± 1.3) × 10^-8 to (3.1 ± 0.5) × 10^-8 with the relative humidity increasing from 5% to 80%. In the temperature effect studies, the initial uptake coefficients of S1 and S2 decreased from (10 ± 1.2) × 10^-8 to (3.8 ± 0.5) × 10^-8 and from (16 ± 2.2) × 10^-8 to (3.8 ± 0.4) × 10^-8 when temperature increased from 278 to 288 K for S1 and from 278 to 308 K for S2, respectively. As the temperature continued to increase, the initial uptake coefficients of S1 and S2 returned to (7.9 ± 1.1) × 10^-8 and (20 ± 3.1) × 10^-8 at 313 and 328 K, respectively. This study shows that relative humidity could influence the uptake kinetics of NO₂ on soil and temperature would impact the heterogeneous chemistry of NO₂.     

Short-term impacts of air pollution on the platelet-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio among urban adults in China

The short-term impacts of urban air pollution on the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) remain obscure.In this study,we included 3487 urban adults from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort.Individual inhalation exposure to air pollutants was estimated by combining participants’daily breath volume and ambient concentrations of six air pollutants (includingfine particulate matter (PM_2.5),inhalable particulate matter(PM₁₀),nitrogen dioxide (NO₂...     

Field study investigations of the impact of shape,size and orientation on dry deposition induced corrosion of galvanized steel

A controlled field study was conducted at Research Triangle Park, NC, to determine how shape, size and orientation of galvanized steel structures affect (1) dry deposition of SO_x and NO_x compounds and (2) dissolution of Zn corrosion products resulting from such deposition. Thirteen structures of various shapes, sizes and orientations were exposed to dry deposition only for 100 weeks, during which they were rinsed with deionized water every 2 weeks and the rinses were analysed for Zn, Ca, and their ionic contents. The rinse data are consistent with size, orientation and exposure history affecting dry deposition of SO²⁻₄ precursors such as SO₂. Dry deposition of precursors of surface NO⁻₃, including HNO₃, is affected by structure size. A model regression equation is presented that shows that Zn dissolution can be explained in terms of the SO⁻²₄ and NO⁻₃ rinse concentrations. The experimental results suggest that there is likely to be some error associated with extrapolating galvanized steel test panel results to actual structures.     

天然气-汽油双燃料车实际道路排放特性研究

为研究使用天然气对轻型汽车排放的影响,利用便携式排放测试系统（PEMS）,对25辆压缩天然气-汽油双燃料出租车在实际道路上分别使用汽油和天然气时的CO2、CO、NOx和THC排放进行了对比测试.研究结果表明：实际道路上,原装车使用天然气相比汽油时,CO2、CO的排放平均分别降低22%和24%,NOx和THC的排放平均分...     

基质比对ABR厌氧氨氧化工艺脱氮性能的影响

为解决厌氧氨氧化底物去除不彻底导致总氮去除偏低的问题,通过控制不同的进水基质比,对厌氧折流板反应器(ABR)的厌氧氨氧化脱氮性能进行了研究.结果表明,ABR厌氧氨氧化系统最佳进水N_2~O--N/NH+4-N为1.34,此时NH+4-N和N_2~O--N的去除率同时达到99.99%左右,总氮去除率达到峰值为87%,当进水N_2~O--N/NH+4-N从1逐渐降低至0.49和从1.34逐渐提高至1.62时,反应器对NH+4-N和N_2~O--N的绝对去除量较为稳定,NH+4-N或N_2~O--N过量对ABR厌氧氨氧化系统没有产生明显抑制;此外,不同基质比条件下,NH+4-N和N_2~O--N的去除基本在第1隔室完成,基质比变化对ABR各隔室的脱氮效果没有产生显著影响,ABR厌氧氨氧化系统对基质浓度的变化具有较好的稳定性.     

Effects of nitrogen dioxide and its acid mist on reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant enzyme activity in Arabidopsis plants

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is one of the most common and harmful air pollutants. To analyze the response of plants to NO₂ stress, we investigated the morphological change, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant enzyme activity in Arabidopsis thaliana (Col-0) exposed to 1.7, 4, 8.5, and 18.8 mg/m³ NO₂. The results indicate that NO₂ exposure affected plant growth and chlorophyll (Chl) content, and increased oxygen free radical (O₂⁻) production rate in Arabidopsis shoots. Furthermore, NO₂ elevated the levels of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation, accompanied by the induction of antioxidant enzyme activities and change of ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) contents. Following this, we mimicked nitric acid mist under experimental conditions, and confirmed the antioxidant mechanism of the plant to the stress. Our results imply that NO₂ and its acid mist caused pollution risk to plant systems. During the process, increased ROS acted as a signal to induce a defense response, and antioxidant status played an important role in plant protection against NO₂/nitric acid mist-caused oxidative damage.     

烟气深度余热回收技术对燃气锅炉NOx排放扩散迁移规律的影响研究

运用Fluent计算软件对北京市丰台区某燃气锅炉排放烟气中NOx的转化和扩散过程进行了数值模拟,定量地研究了烟气深度余热回收技术对燃气锅炉排放NOx在大气中的迁移规律产生的影响,并与Screen 3模型模拟的结果进行了对比.研究发现:烟气深度余热回收技术的应用使NOx的最大落地浓度与烟气直排时相比增加了2.5倍,NOx对本地地表的影响面积增大了15750 m2,增加了本地环境污染的风险.结合燃气锅炉的NOx控制技术提出了缓解局部环境风险的解决方案.结果表明,烟气深度余热回收技术与低氮燃烧技术联用,NOx的控制效率达到70%以上时,在有效提升锅炉热效率的同时,可以缓解由于烟温大幅下降造成的本地环境污染恶化的风险.     

稻田气溶胶NH3和气体NOx排放在线测定研究

气溶胶NH3和气体NOx是大气颗粒物和降水的主要成分,是形成气溶胶的关键物种.田间集约化氮肥施用是气溶胶NH3和气体NOx的一个重要来源,目前该领域的研究鲜有报道.2010年5月～2010年10月,在线监测了稻田施用尿素后气溶胶NH3和气体NOx的排放情况.监测系统的时间分辨率设置为1 h.在4次稻田施肥试验中,施肥后对气溶胶NH3排放和相应的气象因子连续采样20 d.在第4次施肥试验中,施肥后连续采样47 d,进而研究气体NOx的排放规律及其与气象因子的关系.结果表明,气溶胶NH3的排放因子分别为2.6%、5.5%、4.0%和1.6%,相应的排放通量分别为3.97、2.08、1.52和1.22 kg·hm-2.温度(空气温度和土壤温度)是影响稻田施肥气溶胶NH3排放的主要因子,而空气湿度和土壤水分对其排放的影响却不明确.通过分析监测数据可知,稻田施肥后NO2-N排放量与NO-N排放量的比值为9/4,气体NOx的排放因子和排放通量分别为0.14%和0.30 kg·hm-2.气象因子与气体NOx排放通量的关系也进行了初步探讨.     

Toluene decomposition performance and NOx by-product formation during a DBD-catalyst process

Characteristics of toluene decomposition and formation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) by-products were investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with/without catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Four kinds of metal oxides, i.e., manganese oxide (MnOx), iron oxide (FeOx), cobalt oxide (CoOx) and copper oxide (CuO), supported on Al₂O₃/nickel foam, were used as catalysts. It was found that introducing catalysts could improve toluene removal efficiency, promote decomposition of by-product ozone and enhance CO₂ selectivity. In addition, NOx was suppressed with the decrease of specific energy density (SED) and the increase of humidity, gas flow rate and toluene concentration, or catalyst introduction. Among the four kinds of catalysts, the CuO catalyst showed the best performance in NOx suppression. The MnOx catalyst exhibited the lowest concentration of O₃ and highest CO₂ selectivity but the highest concentration of NOx. A possible pathway for NOx production in DBD was discussed. The contributions of oxygen active species and hydroxyl radicals are dominant in NOx suppression.     

Toluene decomposition performance and NOx by-product formation during a DBD-catalyst process

Characteristics of toluene decomposition and formation of nitrogen oxide (NO_x) by-products were investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with/without catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Four kinds of metal oxides, i.e., manganese oxide (MnOx), iron oxide (FeOx), cobalt oxide (CoOx) and copper oxide (CuO), supported on Al₂O₃/nickel foam, were used as catalysts. It was found that introducing catalysts could improve toluene removal efficiency, promote decomposition of by-product ozone and enhance CO₂ selectivity. In addition,NO_xwas suppressedwith the decrease of specific energy density (SED) and the increase of humidity, gas flow rate and toluene concentration, or catalyst introduction. Among the four kinds of catalysts, the CuO catalyst showed the best performance in NO_x suppression. The MnOx catalyst exhibited the lowest concentration of O₃ and highest CO₂ selectivity but the highest concentration of NOx. A possible pathway for NOx production in DBD was discussed. The contributions of oxygen active species and hydroxyl radicals are dominant in NOx suppression.     

利用多元线性回归方法评估气象条件和控制措施对APEC期间北京空气质量的影响

气象条件对大气污染物的扩散和传输有重要影响,准确分离和定量气象因素对空气质量的影响是评估大气污染控制政策有效性的前提.本研究利用APEC会议期间及前后(2014-10-15～2014-11-30)北京城区朝阳观测站点SO_2、NO、NO_2、NO_x、CO、PM_(2.5)、PM_1和PM_(10)以及气象因素的观测数据,采用多元线性回归分析方法,定量评估了气象条件和空气污染控制措施对APEC期间北京空气质量的影响.在假定排放条件不变的情况下,基于气象因素参数建立的预测污染物浓度的多元线性回归模型模拟效果较为理想,决定系数R~2在0. 494～0. 783之间.控制措施使得APEC控制期SO_2、NO、NO_2、NO_x、CO、PM_(2.5)、PM_1和PM_(10)浓度分别降低48. 3%、53. 5%、18. 7%、40. 6%、3. 6%、34. 8%、28. 8%和40. 6%,气象因素使得APEC控制期SO_2、NO、NO_2、NO_x、CO、PM_(2.5)、PM_1和PM_(10)浓度分别降低1. 7%、-2. 8%、18. 7%、4. 5%、18. 6%、27. 5%、30. 6%和35. 6%.气象因素和控制措施共同作用使得APEC控制期北京空气质量得到了明显改善.控制措施对SO_2和氮氧化物浓度的下降起主导作用,气象因素对CO浓度的下降起主导作用,气象因素和控制措施对颗粒物浓度降低的贡献相当.本研究还利用相对权重方法研究了气象因素对污染物浓度影响的贡献,结果表明影响不同污染物浓度的决定性气象因素不同.     

Abatement of SO2–NOx binary gas mixtures using a ferruginous active absorbent: Part I. Synergistic effects and mechanism

A novel ferruginous active absorbent, prepared by fly ash, industrial lime and the additive Fe(VI), was introduced for synchronous abatement of binary mixtures of SO₂–NOx from simulated coal-fired flue gas. The synergistic action of various factors on the absorption of SO₂ and NOx was investigated. The results show that a strong synergistic effect exists between Fe(VI) dose and reaction temperature for the desulfurization. It was observed that in the denitration process, the synergy of Fe(VI) dose and Ca/(S + N) had the most significant impact on the removal of NO, followed by the synergy of Fe(VI) and reaction temperature, and then the synergy of reaction temperature and flue gas humidity. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an accessory X-ray energy spectrometer (EDS) were used to observe the surface characteristics of the raw and spent absorbent as well as fly ash. A reaction mechanism was proposed based on chemical analysis of sulfur and nitrogen species concentrations in the spent absorbent. The Gibbs free energy, equilibrium constants and partial pressures of the SO₂–NOx binary system were determined by thermodynamics.