Developing China's roadmap for air quality improvement: A review on technology development and future prospects

Air pollution control policies in China have been experiencing profound changes, highlighting a strategic transformation from total pollutant emission control to air quality improvement, along with the shifting targets starting from acid rain and NO_x emissions to PM_2.5 pollution, and then the emerging O₃ challenges. The marvelous achievements have been made with the dramatic decrease of SO₂ emission and fundamental improvement of PM_2.5 concentration. Despite these achievements, China has proposed Beautiful China target through 2035 and the goal of 2030 carbon peak and 2060 carbon neutrality, which impose stricter requirements on air quality and synergistic mitigation with Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Against this background, an integrated multi-objective and multi-benefit roadmap is required to provide decision support for China's long-term air quality improvement strategy. This paper systematically reviews the technical system for developing the air quality improvement roadmap, which was integrated from the research output of China's National Key R&D Program for Research on Atmospheric Pollution Factors and Control Technologies (hereafter Special NKP), covering mid- and long-term air quality target setting techniques, quantitative analysis techniques for emission reduction targets corresponding to air quality targets, and pathway optimization techniques for realizing reduction targets. The experience and lessons derived from the reviews have implications for the reformation of China's air quality improvement roadmap in facing challenges of synergistic mitigation of PM_2.5 and O₃, and the coupling with climate change mitigation.     

国内外环境空气质量标准对比分析

2012年2月,国务院发布新修订GB 3095-2012《环境空气质量标准》,该标准突显较大的进步,对比美国、欧盟、日本、中国香港等国家、地区和组织现行的环境空气质量标准,结果表明,SO2、CO、NO2、O3、PM10和Pb等仍是各国的重点控制污染项目,PM2.5也已经成为各国重点控制项目;中国新标准中一级标准的污染物浓度限值已接近世界大多数发达国家的控制标准,但二级标准还有很大的空间进行更加严格的修订;中国的环境空气质量标准目前采用分级制度进行管理,阻碍了地区控制污染物的均衡发展,建议逐步取消质量标准分级制度。     

A review on China's constructed wetlands in recent three decades: Application and practice

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been introduced to and developed in China for environmental engineering over the most prosperous three decades (1990–2020). To study the origin, development process, and future trend of CWs, this review summarized a wide range of literatures between 1990 and 2020 by Chinese authors. Firstly, the publication number over years, research highlights, and the author contributions with the most published papers in this field were conducted through bibliometric analysis. Secondly, the most principal components of CWs, substrates and macrophytes were summarized and analyzed. Thirdly, the typical application cases from traditional CWs, pond systems to combined pond-wetland systems were presented. In China, CWs were predominately distributed in the east of the so-called 'Hu Huanyong Line'. Therefore CWs were limited by the socio-economic level and climatic conditions. It is unquestionable that the overall level of China's CWs has improved significantly, and one of the most prominent features has started towards the plural pattern development. There has been a trend of large-scale or low-cost CW application in the recent years. However, lifecycle research and management are required for better strategies in the future.     

An optimized approach for estimating benzene in ambient air within an air quality monitoring network

Benzene is a carcinogenic air pollutant for which European legislation has set an annual limit and criteria for the number of fixed monitoring sites within air quality networks（AQMN）. However, due to the limited number of fixed sites for benzene measurement, exposure data are lacking. Considering the relationship between benzene levels and other variables monitored within an AQMN, such as NO₂, O₃, temperature, solar radiation, and accumulated precipitation, this study propo...     

Assessing outdoor air quality vertically in an urban street canyon and its response to microclimatic factors

The vertical distribution of air pollutants in urban street canyons is closely related to residents’ health. However, the vertical air quality in urban street canyons has rarely been assessed using field observations obtained throughout the year. Therefore, this study investigated the seasonal and annual concentrations of particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), CO, NO₂, SO₂, O₃, air quality index, and their responses to microclimatic factors at three height levels (1.5, 27, and 69 m above street level) in an urban street canyon. The PM concentration was higher at 27 m than at 1.5 m in winter, whereas the situation was reversed in other seasons. It was found that photochemical pollutants such as NO₂ and O₃ were the primary pollutants in the urban street canyon. The days on which O₃ was the primary pollutant at the height of 1.5 m accounted for 81.07% of the entire year. The days on which NO₂ was the primary pollutant at the height of 27 and 69 m accounted for 82.49% and 72.33% of the entire year, respectively. Substantially higher concentrations of NO₂ and O₃ were found at the height of 27 m than at 69 m. In-canyon concentrations of NO₂ and O₃ were strongly correlated with air temperature, wind speed, and wind direction, which played important roles in photochemical reactions and pollutant dispersion.     

Studies on relationships between air pollutants and allergenicity of Humulus Scandens pollen collected from different areas of Shanghai

Pollen pollution and allergy are becoming prominent issues in China.However,few studies on pollinosis have been reported.As an allergen in the atmosphere,allergenic Humulus scandens pollen was collected from four districts of Shanghai,including Wusong(WS),Jiading(KD),Xujiahui(XJH) and Songjiang(SJ).The mass concentrations of SO₂,NO₂,O₃,PM₁₀,and PM_2.5(particulate matter with air dynamic diameter less than 10 and 2.5 um,respectively) near the ...     

Distribution and source of microplastics in China's second largest reservoir - Danjiangkou Reservoir

Fresh water microplastic pollution is of pressing concern globally, but its distribution and sources in reservoirs are poorly documented. Danjiangkou Reservoir is the second largest reservoir in China and is divided into the Han Reservoir and Dan Reservoir. In this work, microplastic abundances and morphological characteristics of the reservoir were investigated. The microplastic abundance of 15 main tributaries of the reservoir was also measured. The vertical distribution (in water column and sediment), horizontal distribution (in Han Reservoir and Dan Reservoir) and source of microplastics were analyzed. Microplastics accumulated in the middle layer of the reservoir, and the size and color of the microplastic particles changed from the surface to the bottom, which implies that surveys of surface water are not enough to determine the microplastic contamination for deep water reservoirs. In the surface water, the microplastic abundance in the Han Reservoir was lower than that in the Dan Reservoir (p < 0.05), but microplastic abundance did not differ significantly in the intermediate and bottom water. Tributaries were one of the main sources of microplastics for Han Reservoir but not for Dan Reservoir. Agricultural cultivation in the hydro-fluctuation belt might be an important source of microplastics in the Dan Reservoir, which should be given additional attention. The results of this study can provide valuable information for developing microplastic sampling strategies in deep water reservoirs. Further studies are recommended to investigate the process through which microplastics in the hydro-fluctuation belt enter the reservoir and the sinking behavior of microplastics in the reservoir.     

Evaluation of ambient air quality in Guangzhou, China

On the basis of the reported air quality index （API） and air pollutant monitoring data provided by the Guangzhou Environment Monitoring Stations over the last twenty-five years, the characteristics of air quality, prominent pollutants, and variation of the average annual concentrations of SOE, NOE, total suspended particulate （TSP）, fine particulates （PM10）, CO and dustfall in Guangzhou City were analyzed. Results showed that TSP was the prominent pollutant in the ambient air environment of Guangzhou City. Of the prominent pollutants, TSP accounted for nearly 62%, SOE 12.3%, and NOx 6.4%, respectively. The average API of Guangzhou over 6 years was higher than that of Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai, and lower than that of Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou. Concentrations of air pollutants have shown a downward trend in recent years, but they are generally worse than ambient air quality standards for USA, Hong Kong and EU. SOE and NOx pollution were still serious, impling that waste gas pollution from all kinds of vehicles had become a significant problem for environmental protection in Guangzhou. The possible causes of worsening air quality were also discussed in this paper.     

Advances in the treatment of multi-pollutant flue gas in China's building materials industry

In most of the world's building material industries, the control of flue gas pollutants mainly focuses on a single pollutant. However, given the large capacity and high contribution of China's building materials industry to global air pollution, the need to develop multi-pollutant emission reduction technology is urgent. Recently, China has focused on reducing the emissions of flue gas pollutants in the building materials industry, established many key research and development projects, and gradually implemented more stringent pollutant emission limits. This project focuses on the most recent advances in flue gas emission control technology in China's building materials industry, including denitration, dust removal, desulfurization, synergistic multi-pollutant emission reduction, and the construction of pilot research and demonstration projects for pollutant removal in several building material industries. On this basis, revised pollutant limits in flue gas emitted in China's building material industry are proposed.     

基于百分位数法的中国空气质量改善效果评估分析

为更好地说清楚《大气污染防治行动计划》实施以来,我国环境空气质量状况、变化趋势及存在可能的风险,基于百分位数法和算术平均值法,分别对全国及重点区域空气质量改善效果开展评估分析.结果表明,我国目前业务上广泛应用的算术平均值法对空气质量评价与管理起到了积极推动作用,促进了空气质量持续改善.随着治污减排措施的持续推进,区域空气质量改善进程呈现显著的时空差异特征,现行评价技术方法局限性逐渐凸显出来.百分位数法可以在算术平均值法的基础上,补充评价时段内高、低浓度的分布规律和变化特征,有助于全面、客观、准确描述空气质量状况.本文提出的研究方法,对于完善我国空气质量评价方法具有重要意义.     

Impact of meteorological condition changes on air quality and particulate chemical composition during the COVID-19 lockdown

Stringent quarantine measures during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown period (January 23, 2020 to March 15, 2020) have resulted in a distinct decrease in anthropogenic source emissions in North China Plain compared to the paralleled period of 2019. Particularly, 22.7% decrease in NO₂ and 3.0% increase of O₃ was observed in Tianjin, nonlinear relationship between O₃ generation and NO₂ implied that synergetic control of NO_x and VOCs is needed. Deteriorating meteorological condition during the COVID-19 lockdown obscured the actual PM_2.5 reduction. Fireworks transport in 2020 Spring Festival (SF) triggered regional haze pollution. PM_2.5 during the COVID-19 lockdown only reduced by 5.6% in Tianjin. Here we used the dispersion coefficient to normalize the measured PM_2.5 (DN-PM_2.5), aiming to eliminate the adverse meteorological impact and roughly estimate the actual PM_2.5 reduction, which reduced by 17.7% during the COVID-19 lockdown. In terms of PM_2.5 chemical composition, significant NO₃^? increase was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, as a tracer of atmospheric oxidation capacity, odd oxygen (O_x = NO₂ + O₃) was observed to reduce during the COVID-19 lockdown, whereas relative humidity (RH), specific humidity and aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) were observed with noticeable enhancement. Nitrogen oxidation rate (NOR) was observed to increase at higher specific humidity and ALWC, especially in the haze episode occurred during 2020SF, high air humidity and obvious nitrate generation was observed. Anomalously enhanced air humidity may response for the nitrate increase during the COVID-19 lockdown period.     

Progress in quantitative research on the relationship between atmospheric oxidation and air quality

Atmospheric oxidizing capacity (AOC) is an essential driving force of troposphere chemistry and self-cleaning, but the definition of AOC and its quantitative representation remain uncertain. Driven by national demand for air pollution control in recent years, Chinese scholars have carried out studies on theories of atmospheric chemistry and have made considerable progress in AOC research. This paper will give a brief review of these developments. First, AOC indexes were established that represent apparent atmospheric oxidizing ability (AOIe) and potential atmospheric oxidizing ability (AOIp) based on aspects of macrothermodynamics and microdynamics, respectively. A closed study refined the quantitative contributions of heterogeneous chemistry to AOC in Beijing, and these AOC methods were further applied in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and key areas across the country. In addition, the detection of ground or vertical profiles for atmospheric OH·, HO₂·, NO₃· radicals and reservoir molecules can now be obtained with domestic instruments in diverse environments. Moreover, laboratory smoke chamber simulations revealed heterogeneous processes involving reactions of O₃ and NO₂, which are typical oxidants in the surface/interface atmosphere, and the evolutionary and budgetary implications of atmospheric oxidants reacting under multispecies, multiphase and multi-interface conditions were obtained. Finally, based on the GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model improved by Chinese scholars, simulations of key substances affecting atmospheric oxidation and secondary organic and inorganic aerosol formation have been optimized. Normalized numerical simulations of AOIe and AOIp were performed, and regional coordination of AOC was adjusted. An optimized plan for controlling O₃ and PM_2.5 was analyzed by scenario simulation.     

基于灰色关联度法对青浦区环境空气质量状况的评价

本文采用灰色系统理论中的灰色关联度法与灰色加权关联度法,对上海市青浦区2010年度的环境空气质量进行了评价。结果表明,采用灰色关联度法与灰色加权关联度法对监测数据进行计算后,所得到的评价结论比直接参照标准进行评价更加客观,所丢失的信息较少。尤其是采用灰色加权关联度法进一步考虑了不同污染因子的超标程度,将各污染因子对环境的综合影响考虑在内,可以得到更为客观的评价结果。     

Multilevel air quality evolution in Shenyang: Impact of elevated point emission reduction

Visibility observed at different altitudes is favorable to understand the causes of air pollution. We conducted 4-years of observations of visibility at 2.8 and 60 m and particulate matter(PM) concentrations from 2015 to 2018 in Shenyang, a provincial city in Northeast China. The results indicated that visibility increased with the increasing height in winter(especially at night), and decreased with height in summer(especially at the daytime). PM concentration exhibited opposite vertical variati...     

乌鲁木齐市空气污染时空分布特征及其与气象因素相关分析

基于乌鲁木齐市7个检测站点实测数据(参照《环境空气质量标准》规定的6项常规监测污染物(PM_2.5、PM_10、SO_2、NO_2、CO、O_3)的24小时/8小时国家二级标准和AQI分级标准),对乌鲁木齐市2016年空气质量做变化趋势分析。结合乌鲁木齐市气象要素和城市发展数据对乌鲁木齐市空气质量影响因素做相关分析,然后利用层次分析法(AHP)对乌鲁木齐市环境空气污染时空分布特征的影响因素做评价分析。研究结果有:(1)乌鲁木齐市2016年1月,轻度污染天气占整月的3%、中度污染天气占26%、严重污染天气占32%、重度污染天气占39%;工业园区集中的米东区是乌鲁木齐市空气污染最严重的城区。(2)乌鲁木齐市的城区空气污染物因子和同期气象因素相关性显著;(3)重要污染物企业的空间分布对乌鲁木齐市空气污染空间分布起到绝对的影响作用。     

Use of catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) for pretreatment of high-salinity high-organic wastewater

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) coupled desalination technology provides a possibility for the effective and economic degradation of high salinity and high organic wastewater. Chloride widely occurs in natural and wastewaters, and its high content jeopardizes the efficacy of Advanced oxidation process (AOPs). Thus, a novel chlorine ion resistant catalyst B-site Ru doped LaFe_1-xRu_xO_3-δ in CWAO treatment of chlorine ion wastewater was examined. Especially, LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ was 45.5% better than that of the 6%RuO₂@TiO₂ (commercial carrier) on total organic carbon (TOC) removal. Also, doped catalysts LaFe_1-xRu_xO_3-δ showed better activity than supported catalysts RuO₂@LaFeO₃ and RuO₂@TiO₂ with the same Ru content. Moreover, LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ has novel chlorine ion resistance no matter the concentration of Cl⁻ and no Ru dissolves after the reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) refinement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements verified the structure of LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ. Kinetic data and density functional theory (DFT) proved that Fe is the site of acetic acid oxidation and adsorption of chloride ions. The existence of Fe in LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ could adsorb chlorine ion (catalytic activity inhibitor), which can protect the Ru site and other active oxygen species to exert catalytic activity. This work is essential for the development of chloride-resistant catalyst in CWAO.

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Modeling study on the roles of the deposition and transport of PM2.5 in air quality changes over central-eastern China

The role of PM_2.5 (particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 µm) deposition in air quality changes over China remains unclear. By using the three-year (2013, 2015, and 2017) simulation results of the WRF/CUACE v1.0 model from a previous work (Zhang et al., 2021), a non-linear relationship between the deposition of PM_2.5 and anthropogenic emissions over central-eastern China in cold seasons as well as in different life stages of haze events was unraveled. PM_2.5 deposition is spatially distributed differently from PM_2.5 concentrations and anthropogenic emissions over China. The North China Plain (NCP) is typically characterized by higher anthropogenic emissions compared to southern China, such as the middle-low reaches of Yangtze River (MLYR), which includes parts of the Yangtze River Delta and the Midwest. However, PM_2.5 deposition in the NCP is significantly lower than that in the MLYR region, suggesting that in addition to meteorology and emissions, lower deposition is another important factor in the increase in haze levels. Regional transport of pollution in central-eastern China acts as a moderator of pollution levels in different regions, for example by bringing pollution from the NCP to the MLYR region in cold seasons. It was found that in typical haze events the deposition flux of PM_2.5 during the removal stages is substantially higher than that in accumulation stages, with most of the PM_2.5 being transported southward and deposited to the MLYR and Sichuan Basin region, corresponding to a latitude range of about 24°N-31°N.     

VOC emission caps constrained by air quality targets based on response surface model: A case study in the Pearl River Delta Region, China

Because of the recent growth in ground-level ozone and increased emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), VOC emission control has become a major concern in China. In response, emission caps to control VOC have been stipulated in recent policies, but few of them were constrained by the co-control target of PM_2.5 and ozone, and discussed the factor that influence the emission cap formulation. Herein, we proposed a framework for quantification of VOC emission caps constrained by targets for PM_2.5 and ozone via a new response surface modeling (RSM) technique, achieving 50% computational cost savings of the quantification. In the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the VOC emission caps constrained by air quality targets varied greatly with the NO_x emission reduction level. If control measures in the surrounding areas of the PRD region were not considered, there could be two feasible strategies for VOC emission caps to meet air quality targets (160 µg/m³ for the maximum 8-hr-average 90th-percentile (MDA8-90%) ozone and 25 µg/m³ for the annual average of PM_2.5): a moderate VOC emission cap with <20% NOx emission reductions or a notable VOC emission cap with >60% NO_x emission reductions. If the ozone concentration target were reduced to 155 µg/m³, deep NO_x emission reductions is the only feasible ozone control measure in PRD. Optimization of seasonal VOC emission caps based on the Monte Carlo simulation could allow us to gain higher ozone benefits or greater VOC emission reductions. If VOC emissions were further reduced in autumn, MDA8-90% ozone could be lowered by 0.3-1.5 µg/m³, equaling the ozone benefits of 10% VOC emission reduction measures. The method for VOC emission cap quantification and optimization proposed in this study could provide scientific guidance for coordinated control of regional PM_2.5 and O₃ pollution in China.     

利用灰色Verhulst模型对烟台市空气质量综合评价研究

确定空气中的污染物,预测发展趋势,对改善空气质量状况有着积极的意义.以烟台市2009年-2013年的空气质量为历史数据,利用灰色Verhulst模型预测出未来几年的空气质量数据,其结果显示烟台的空气质量状况在逐年改善,几年后可达到国家一级环境标准.为了确定影响烟台空气质量的主要因素,利用灰色关联分析法得到工厂生活中排放的、烟(粉)尘是最主要的影响因素,私人汽车拥有量和绿化面积是相对重要的影响因素.     

美国环境空气质量标准制修订历程

研究了美国国家环境空气质量标准的要素构成及浓度限值演变过程,结果表明,美国国家环境空气质量标准按照保护对象分为两级,由污染物、平均时间、浓度限值和达标统计要求构成;1971年首次制定以来共修订11次,污染物最初为二氧化硫(SO₂)、总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)、光化学氧化剂(以O₃计)、碳氢化合物(HC)、二氧化氮(NO₂)和一氧化碳(CO)6种,期间废除了TSP和HC,增加了颗粒物PM₁₀、PM_2.5和Pb,当前为7种污染物;PM_2.5年和24 h平均浓度限值分别收紧20%和46%,O₃ 8 h和Pb三个月平均浓度限值分别收紧6%和90%;达标统计要求由最初的超标次数,调整为浓度百分位数和年高值。