Evaluation of thermal optical analysis method of elemental carbon for marine fuel exhaust

The awareness of black carbon (BC) as the second largest anthropogenic contributor in global warming and an ice melting enhancer has increased. Due to prospected increase in shipping especially in the Arctic reliability of BC emissions and their invented amounts from ships is gaining more attention. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is actively working toward estimation of quantities and effects of BC especially in the Arctic. IMO has launched work toward constituting a definition for BC and agreeing appropriate methods for its determination from shipping emission sources. In our study we evaluated the suitability of elemental carbon (EC) analysis by a thermal-optical transmittance (TOT) method to marine exhausts and possible measures to overcome the analysis interferences related to the chemically complex emissions. The measures included drying with CaSO_4, evaporation at 40–180ºC, H₂O treatment, and variation of the sampling method (in-stack and diluted) and its parameters (e.g., dilution ratio, Dr). A reevaluation of the nominal organic carbon (OC)/EC split point was made. Measurement of residual carbon after solvent extraction (TC-C_SOF) was used as a reference, and later also filter smoke number (FSN) measurement, which is dealt with in a forthcoming paper by the authors. Exhaust sources used for collecting the particle sample were mainly four-stroke marine engines operated with variable loads and marine fuels ranging from light to heavy fuel oils (LFO and HFO) with a sulfur content range of <0.1–2.4% S. The results were found to be dependent on many factors, namely, sampling, preparation and analysis method, and fuel quality. It was found that the condensed H₂SO₄ + H₂O on the particulate matter (PM) filter had an effect on the measured EC content, and also promoted the formation of pyrolytic carbon (PyC) from OC, affecting the accuracy of EC determination. Thus, uncertainty remained regarding the EC results from HFO fuels.

Implications: The work supports one part of the decision making in black carbon (BC) determination methodology. If regulations regarding BC emissions from marine engines will be implemented in the future, a well-defined and at best unequivocal method of BC determination is required for coherent and comparable emission inventories and estimating BC effects. As the aerosol from marine emission sources may be very heterogeneous and low in BC, special attention to the effects of sampling conditions and sample pretreatments on the validity of the results was paid in developing the thermal-optical analysis methodology (TOT).     

大型城市客车加速模拟工况排放特性的实验研究

通过对258辆大型城市客车进行加速模拟工况排放测试,研究了城市客车的排放特性,比较了压缩天然气(CNG)车辆与汽油车辆的排放特性,分析了车辆车龄与排放的关系、发动机燃油供给方式与排放的关系,以及车辆总质量与排放的关系。研究结果表明：燃用CNG的车辆其CO、NOx排放较汽油低许多,尤其是CO,但HC排放较汽油高;电喷车辆的CO、NOx排放比化油器车低,但HC排放值高于化油器车;车龄增长,车辆的CO、NOx排放值增大,但HC变化不明显;车辆总质量增加,排放呈下降趋势。     

加油站埋地油罐呼吸排放因子法的本地化应用

加油站汽油挥发是挥发性有机物(VOCs)的重要来源之一。加油站VOCs排放包括卸油排放、加油排放、呼吸排放、加油枪滴油和胶管渗透排放等5个环节。针对加油站各环节排放因子已开展了诸多统计研究,但并未考虑加油站工艺及设备配置、日均加油规模等因素对排放因子的影响。参考美国CARB认证规程,采用自主研发的加油站呼吸排放测试系统,以北京某年销汽油量约9 000 t且未安装油气处理装置的加油站为测试站点,开展埋地油罐呼吸排放因子的本地化研究。通过对呼吸排放量的连续监测,采用实验检测与数据统计相结合的方法,研究呼吸排放因子与加油量的相关性。结果表明：加油站的埋地油罐呼吸排放因子与日均加油量显著相关;对于标准化加油站,日均加油量小于15 920 L时,呼吸排放因子为0;随着日均加油量的升高,呼吸排放因子逐步升高,且符合多项式方程;超过28 800 L后,呼吸排放因子变化趋于稳定在约30 mg·L⁻¹。综合考虑后处理装置安装成本和产生的环境效益,年汽油销售规模超过4 500 t的加油站应安装后处理装置,以降低呼吸排放的油气量。本研究结果可为不同规模加油站的VOCs排放分级管理提供参考。     

Carbonaceous aerosol in jet engine exhaust: emission characteristics and implications for heterogeneous chemical reactions

Characteristic parameters of black carbon aerosol (BC) emitted from jet engine were measured during ground tests and in-flight behind the same aircraft. Size distribution features were a primary BC mode at a modal diameter D≈0.045 μm, and a BC agglomeration mode at D<0.2 μm. The total BC number concentration at the engine exit was 2.9×10⁷ cm^-3 with good agreement between model results and in-flight measured number concentrations of non-volatile particles with D⩾0.014 μm. A comparison between total number concentration of BC particles and the non-volatile fraction of the total aerosol at the exit plane suggests that the non-volatile fraction of jet engine exhaust aerosol consists almost completely of BC. In-flight BC mass emission indices ranged from 0.11 to 0.15 g BC (kg fuel)^-1. The measured in-flight particle emission value was 1.75±0.15×10¹⁵ kg^-1 with corresponding ground test values of 1.0–8.7×10¹⁴ kg^-1. Both size distribution properties and mass emission indices can be scaled from ground test to in-flight conditions. Implications for atmospheric BC loading, BC and cirrus interaction and the potential of BC for perturbation of atmospheric chemistry are briefly outlined.     

Effect of fuel properties on mutagenic activity in extracts of heavy-duty diesel exhaust particulate.

The effect of varying fuel properties on the emission of mutagenic materials was studied in diesel exhaust particles from a heavy duty engine run under transient speed and load conditions while using nine fuels varying in aromatics, sulfur and boiling point. Mutagenic activity of the soluble organic fraction (SOF) of the particulate was determined using the Ames Salmonella test system with strain TA98 with and without S9 activation. Increasing mutagenic activity relative to fuel consumed (mutants/lb fuel) or to engine work output (mutants/hp-h) was correlated with increasing fuel aromatics (p less than 0.05), but not with fuel sulfur. Increased fuel sulfur levels were correlated with increased amounts of SOF but with decreasing mutagenic activity of the SOF (mutants/microgram SOF) (p less than 0.05). As a result, mutants/hp-h were essentially the same for high- and low-sulfur fuels with high aromatics. No association was found between the fuels' boiling points and the mutagenic activity of the SOF. Mutagenic activity with S9 was generally lower than without, but the correlations were not changed.     

Performance and exhaust emission characteristics investigation of compression ignition engine fuelled with microalgae biodiesel and its diesel blends

Biofuels extracted from plant biomass can be used as fuel in CI engines to lower a hazardous atmospheric pollutant and mitigate climate risks. Furthermore, its implementation is hampered by inevitable obstacles such as feedstocks and the crop area required for their cultivation, leading to a lack of agricultural land for the expansion of food yields. Despite this, microalgae have been discovered to be the most competent and unwavering source of biodiesel due to their distinguishing characteristics of being non-eatable and requiring no cropland for cultivation. The objectives of this paper was to look into the potential of a novel, formerly underappreciated biodiesel from microalgae species which could be used as a fuel substitute. Transesterification is being used to extract the biodiesel. Microalgae are blended with petroleum diesel in percentage to create microalgae blends (MAB) as needed for experimentation. The impact of biodiesel on performance as well as exhaust emission attributes of a 1-cylinder diesel engine was experimentally studied. Compared to petroleum diesel, different blend of microalgae biodiesel showed a decline in torque and hence brake power, resulting in an average fall of 7.14 % in brake thermal efficiency and 11.54 % increase in brake-specific fuel consumption. There were wide differences in exhaust emission characteristics, including carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon, as the blend ratio in diesel increased. Moreover, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxides increase in all algae biodiesel blends, but they are still within the acceptable range of petroleum diesel.

     

人工湿地植物无损监测方法的建立与应用

人工湿地植物生物量的测定是研究人工湿地植物生长特性和去污性能的重要基础。目前常用的人工湿地植物生物量的测定方法繁琐,难以实现无损检测。以湿地植物梭鱼草和香蒲为例,结合自主设计的人工湿地植物生长信息提取软件,快捷、无损地测定湿地植物投影面积和质量,提出人工湿地植物无损监测方法。结果表明:湿地植物梭鱼草、香蒲的植株投影面积与植株株高呈极显著的线性相关关系,相关系数R分别为0.834~0.940 和0.707~0.904(P<0.01);梭鱼草的平均植株投影面积与其所在人工湿地池的TN、TP累积量具有显著相关性(P<0.05),香蒲的平均植株投影面积与其所在人工湿地池的TN、TP累积量相关性显著性系数分别为P=0.002和P=0.056。     

Spectroscopic measurement of horizontal atmospheric extinction and its practical application

At a suburban location in southern Korea, the optical properties of the atmosphere were characterized over a horizontal light path of 1.5 km (in two ways) from 22 October to 19 November 2002. This was achieved by measuring light extinction with a long path differential optical absorption spectrometer system in the ultraviolet and visible wavelength region. The extinction coefficients were obtained relatively as a ratio of a target air spectrum to a defined reference spectrum measured over the same light path (290–760 nm). To assess the measured extinction coefficients, the extinction coefficients at 550 nm were compared to those measured with a commercial long-path transmissometer.To avoid the absorption of known gases (H₂O, NO₂, and O₃), extinction coefficients at the spectral bands of 325, 394, 472, 550, 580, 680, and 753 nm, with 3 nm window widths, were selected and analyzed for the purpose of the study of the aerosol properties. Importantly, the atmospheric physical properties during the episodes (such as a biomass burning or a dust storm) were investigated by means of the Angstrom parameters and the mass ratio of fine-to-coarse particles. In addition, it was found that the Angstrom exponents decrease monotonously for relative humidity above 50%.     

不锈钢纤维毡改性材料的制备及在微生物燃料电池中的应用

为制备一种导电性高、生物相容性良好且耐腐蚀的阳极材料,提高微生物燃料电池(MFC)的产电性能,以不锈钢纤维毡(SSFF)为基底,采用水热反应法制备了还原氧化石墨烯/不锈钢纤维毡(RGO/SSFF),并进一步采用粉体烧结法将纳米二氧化钛(TiO₂)负载至RGO/SSFF,制备了二氧化钛/还原氧化石墨烯/不锈钢纤维毡(TiO₂/RGO/SSFF),将SSFF(对照)、RGO/SSFF和TiO₂/RGO/SSFF分别作为MFC的阳极(对应的MFC分别命名为MFC-CK、MFC-RG和MFC-TRG)以探究改性材料对MFC去除水体中耗氧有机物和产电性能的影响。结果表明：与SSFF相比,RGO/SSFF和TiO₂/RGO/SSFF具有更大的电容(Q为413.9 mF和446.9 mF),更小的界面转移电阻(R_ct为19.65 Ω和18.16 Ω),更高的交换电流密度(i₀为1.56×10⁻⁵ mA和2.07×10⁻⁴ mA);MFC-TRG对水体COD去除速率最高可达929.62 mg·(L·d)⁻¹;MFC-RG和MFC-TRG稳定输出电压分别为245 mV和280 mV,比MFC-CK提高了88.5%和115.4%;MFC-RG和MFC-TRG的功率密度输出分别为 337.50 mW·m⁻²和472.03 mW·m⁻²,比MFC-CK提高了163.9%和233.9%。由此可知,改性后的RGO/SSFF和TiO₂/RGO/SSFF阳极成功提高了MFC的产电性能。该研究结果可为后续MFC阳极改性研究提供参考。     

Real-world fuel use and gaseous emission rates for flex fuel vehicles operated on E85 versus gasoline

Flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) typically operate on gasoline or E85, an 85%/15% volume blend of ethanol and gasoline. Differences in FFV fuel use and tailpipe emission rates are quantified for E85 versus gasoline based on real-world measurements of five FFVs with a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS), supplemented chassis dynamometer data, and estimates from the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model. Because of inter-vehicle variability, an individual FFV may have higher nitrogen oxide (NO_x) or carbon monoxide (CO) emission rates on E85 versus gasoline, even though average rates are lower. Based on PEMS data, the comparison of tailpipe emission rates for E85 versus gasoline is sensitive to vehicle-specific power (VSP). For example, although CO emission rates are lower for all VSP modes, they are proportionally lowest at higher VSP. Driving cycles with high power demand are more advantageous with respect to CO emissions, but less advantageous for NO_x. Chassis dynamometer data are available for 121 FFVs at 50,000 useful life miles. Based on the dynamometer data, the average difference in tailpipe emissions for E85 versus gasoline is ?23% for NO_x, ?30% for CO, and no significant difference for hydrocarbons (HC). To account for both the fuel cycle and tailpipe emissions from the vehicle, a life cycle inventory was conducted. Although tailpipe NO_x emissions are lower for E85 versus gasoline for FFVs and thus benefit areas where the vehicles operate, the life cycle NO_x emissions are higher because the NO_x emissions generated during fuel production are higher. The fuel production emissions take place typically in rural areas. Although there are not significant differences in the total HC emissions, there are differences in HC speciation. The net effect of lower tailpipe NO_x emissions and differences in HC speciation on ozone formation should be further evaluated.

Implications: Reported comparisons of flex fuel vehicle (FFV) tailpipe emission rates for E85 versus gasoline have been inconsistent. To date, this is the most comprehensive evaluation of available and new data. The large range of inter-vehicle variability illustrates why prior studies based on small sample sizes led to apparently contradictory findings. E85 leads to significant reductions in tailpipe nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and carbon monoxide (CO) emission rates compared with gasoline, indicating a potential benefit for ozone air quality management in NO_x-limited areas. The comparison of FFV tailpipe emissions between E85 and gasoline is sensitive to power demand and driving cycles.     

Numerical model for static chamber measurement of multi-component landfill gas emissions and its application

The quantitative assessment of landfill gas emissions is essential to assess the performance of the landfill cover and gas collection system. The relative error of the measured surface emission of landfill gas may be induced by the static flux chamber technique. This study aims to quantify effects of the size of the chamber, the insertion depth, pressure differential on the relative errors by using an integrated approach of in situ tests, and numerical modeling. A field experiment study of landfill gas emission is conducted by using a static chamber at one landfill site in Xi’an, Northwest China. Additionally, a two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model for multi-component gas transport in the soil and the static chamber is developed based on the dusty-gas model (DGM). The proposed model is validated by the field data obtained in this study and a set of experimental data in the literature. The results show that DGM model has a better capacity to predict gas transport under a wider range of permeability compared to Blanc’s method. This is due to the fact that DGM model can explain the interaction among gases (e.g., CH₄, CO₂, O₂, and N₂) and the Knudsen diffusion process while these mechanisms are not included in Blanc’s model. Increasing the size and the insertion depth of static chambers can reduce the relative error for the flux of CH₄ and CO₂. For example, increasing the height of chambers from 0.55 to 1.1 m can decrease relative errors of CH₄ and CO₂ flux by 17% and 18%, respectively. Moreover, we find that gas emission fluxes for the case with positive pressure differential (?P_in-out) are greater than that of the case without considering pressure fluctuations. The Monte Carlo method was adopted to carry out the statistical analysis for quantifying the range of relative errors. The agreement of the measured field data and predicted results demonstrated that the proposed model has the capacity to quantify the emission of landfill gas from the landfill cover systems.

     

Monitoring and identification of airborne asbestos in unorganized sectors, India

Rajasthan state in India is credited to cater more than 90% of total production of asbestos in this country, of which around 60% is processed there in unorganized sectors including milling and manufacturing of asbestos-based products. Unorganized asbestos units particularly mills showed unhealthy occupational conditions, therefore industrial hygiene study was carried out focusing on the prevalence of asbestos fibres in air at work zone area of asbestos milling units. Fibre levels were in the range of 2.00-5.09f/cm(3) and 4.07-15.60f/cm(3) in unorganized asbestos mills of Rajasthan located at Beawer and Deogarh districts, respectively. Like asbestos concentration, fibre type and length are also vital factors in the health risk assessment of industrial workers. Phase contrast and polarized light microscopic study of asbestos fibres showed their amphibole nature registering about 90% as tremolite and rest as anthophyllite. Fibre length measured micrometrically were sub-grouped in <10microm, 11-20microm, 21-30microm and >30microm. About 30-40% fibres belonged to sub-group <10microm. It is concluded that unorganized asbestos mills bear poor industrial unhygienic conditions reflected specifically from their manyfold higher fibre concentrations than the Indian and International standards. Poor industrial unhygienic conditions are attributable to obsolete milling technology, lack of pollution control devices and escape from regulatory control.     

Spectroscopic identification and measurement of gaseous nitrous acid in dilute auto exhaust

We report here the direct spectroscopic detection of gaseous nitrous acid (HONO) in exhaust emissions from certain light duty motor vehicles (LDMV). Co-pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), formaldehyde (HCHO), benzaldehyde (C₆H₅CHO) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) were also readily determined. Nitric oxide (NO) was measured too, but with reduced accuracy. To avoid possible artifactual formation of HONO on the surfaces of conventional dilution and sampling systems (e.g. Federal and California constant volume sampling systems), an instrument was developed consisting of a multiple reflection cell without walls coupled to a u.v. differential optical absorption spectrometer (DOAS), the entire system being placed in the open air ~ 2 m from the tailpipe of the LDMV. At an optical path of 31.2 m, detection limits (in parts per 10⁹, ppb) were: HONO-12; HCHO-78; C₆H₅CHO-13; NO₂-57; and SO₂-11. With this instrument, HONO levels observed in diluted exhaust ranged from nondetectable (< 12 ppb) for a 1982 California car with an effective 3-way catalyst (and associated low NO_x emissions), to ~ 300 ppb for a heavily used 1974 station wagon having high NO_x emissions and run on leaded gasoline. While the number of LDMV tested was too small for statistical treatment, our results show that the older portion of the total LDMV population (i.e. without current emission control devices) may be a significant primary source of gaseous HONO, a key precursor to photochemical air pollution and an inhalable nitrite.     

双波长紫外吸收法有机废水COD测量技术与仪器设计

紫外吸收法直接测定有机废水COD是一种无需化学试剂、无样品前处理、无二次污染的绿色无损检测技术,但在实际应用中发现,有机废水中的悬浮物对测量结果产生较大影响.以实际废水水样为例,详细阐述了双波长紫外吸收法测量有机废水COD的操作方法及其消除悬浮物干扰的原理,并介绍了运用该技术设计开发的COD在线测量仪器.该仪器采用嵌入式计算机系统实时采集和处理数据,根据实际废水在双波长测量条件下的有效紫外吸光度快速推算出其COD值,具有快速、准确、无污染的特点.     

Spodoptera exigua: mating disruption, measurement of airborne concentration of pheromone, and use of specialist receptor cell responses for comparison to female pheromone emission

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate Shin-Etsu Yoto-con-S 'rope' pheromone dispensers applied at different site densities in cotton to determine efficacy in disrupting sexual communication and mating of beet armyworm moths, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner); obtain atmospheric measurements of the disruptant pheromone components in and away from treated areas; and relate this information to estimates of the concentration of pheromone in the near vicinity of a calling virgin female moth. The number of pheromone-dispensing sites/ha ranged from 25 with 20 ropes/site up to a total of 247 sites with 2 ropes each. A total of 112 g pheromone of a 70:30 blend of (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadien-l- ol acetate (ZETA) and (Z)-tetradecen-1-ol (Z9-14:OH) was applied/ha. As few as 25 sites/ha effectively disrupted sexual communication by 91%, as measured by reductions of moth captures in traps baited with pheromone lures, and mating by beet armyworm females by 94% for at least 10 weeks post-treatment. The results compared favorably to an earlier large-scale field experiment in which beet armyworm larval populations were reduced 95% using 500 pheromone-dispensing sites/ha (two ropes/site) and 160 g total pheromone/ha. The airborne concentration of ZETA and Z9-14:OH measured within the pheromone-treated plots that disrupted mating was 1.5 x 10(-13) M and 1.2 x 10(-13) M, respectively. The airborne concentration of ZETA and Z9-14:OH in the vicinity of a female was estimated (by excision and electrophysiological methods) to range between 2.1 x 10(-11) M and 2.4 x 10(-12) M, respectively, in a 1.6 km/h (1 mph) wind speed. Thus, the average ZETA concentration in the treated plots was about 140 times less than that expected from a single female; the average Z9-14:OH in the treated plots was about 20 times less. The data support an argument that disruption of mating by beet armyworm resulted from an imbalance in sensory input because mating was almost completely disrupted in all of the plots for at least 10 weeks with a mixture of ZETA:Z9-14:OH that differed significantly with that from excised female sex pheromone glands. Estimates of these parameters provide a benchmark for the requisite pheromone concentration in the atmosphere to achieve a high level of mating disruption for beet armyworm and possibly other insect pest species.     

微生物燃料电池-零价铁耦合工艺的构建及除砷性能

为了更为有效地利用微生物燃料电池(MFC)所产电能并提高零价铁(ZVI)去除污染物工艺的效率,构建了微生物燃料电池-零价铁(MFC-ZVI)耦合工艺,并将其应用在三价砷水溶液的处理中。实验结果表明,在该耦合系统中,ZVI直接利用了MFC所产生的低压电能,铁腐蚀速率和除砷效率因此得到显著提高。实验所用MFC的最高稳定产电电压为0.52 V,电解过程中MFC的库伦效率为4.59%,以二价铁离子计算的电流效率为72.74%。反应结束后,溶液的pH值由反应前的8.0升高到8.5。两体系中铁氧化物产生量的差异以及铁氧化物形态分布的不同可能是导致其除砷效果不同的主要原因。     

Black carbon emissions in gasoline vehicle exhaust: A measurement and instrument comparison

A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the performance and agreement of several commercially available black carbon (BC) measurement instruments, when applied to the quantification of BC in light-duty vehicle (LDV) exhaust. Samples from six vehicles, three fuels, and three driving cycles were used. The pilot study included determinations of the method detection limit (MDL) and repeatability. With respect to the MDL, the real-time instruments outperformed the time-integrated instruments, with MDL = 0.12 mg/mi for the AE51 Aethalometer, and 0.15 mg/mi for the Micro Soot Sensor (MSS), versus 0.38 mg/mi for the IMPROVE_A thermal/optical method, and 0.35 mg/mi for the OT21_T Optical Transmissometer. The real-time instruments had repeatability values ranging from 30% to 35%, which are somewhat better than those of the time-integrated instruments (40–41%). These results suggest that, despite being less resource intensive, real-time methods can be equivalent or superior to time-integrated methods in terms of sensitivity and repeatability. BC mass data, from the photoacoustic and light attenuation instruments, were compared against same-test EC data, determined using the IMPROVE_A method. The MSS BC data was well correlated with EC, with R ² = 0.85 for the composite results and R² = 0.86 for the phase-by-phase (PBP) results. The correlation of BC, by the AE51, AE22, and OT21_T, with EC was moderate to weak. The weaker correlation was driven by the inclusion of US06 test data in the linear regression analysis. We hypothesize that test-cycle-dependent BC:EC ratios are due to the different physicochemical properties of particulate matter (PM) in US06 and Federal Test Procedure (FTP) tests. Correlation amongst the real-time MSS, PASS-1, AE51, and AE22 instruments was excellent (R² = 0.83–0.95), below 1 mg/mi levels. In the process of investigating these BC instruments, we learned that BC emissions at sub-1 mg/mi levels can be measured and are achievable by current-generation gasoline engines.

Implications: Most comparison studies of black carbon (BC) measurement methods were carried out in the ambient air. This study assesses the agreement among various BC measurement instrument in emissions from light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) on standard test cycles, and evaluates applicability of these methods under various fuel types, driving cycles, and engine combustion technologies. This research helps to fill in the knowledge gap of BC method standardization as stated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2011 Report to Congress on Black Carbon, and these results demonstrate the feasibility of quantification of BC at the 1 mg/mi PM standard in California Low Emission Vehicle III regulations.     

An analytical method for the measurement of nonviable bioaerosols.

Exposures from indoor environments are a major issue for evaluating total long-term personal exposures to the fine fraction (<2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter) of particulate matter (PM). It is widely accepted in the indoor air quality (IAQ) research community that biocontamination is one of the important indoor air pollutants. Major indoor air biocontaminants include mold, bacteria, dust mites, and other antigens. Once the biocontaminants or their metabolites become airborne, IAQ could be significantly deteriorated. The airborne biocontaminants or their metabolites can induce irritational, allergic, infectious, and chemical responses in exposed individuals. Biocontaminants, such as some mold spores or pollen grains, because of their size and mass, settle rapidly within the indoor environment. Over time they may become nonviable and fragmented by the process of desiccation. Desiccated nonviable fragments of organisms are common and can be toxic or allergenic, depending upon the specific organism or organism component. Once these smaller and lighter fragments of biological PM become suspended in air, they have a greater tendency to stay suspended. Although some bioaerosols have been identified, few have been quantitatively studied for their prevalence within the total indoor PM with time, or for their affinity to penetrate indoors. This paper describes a preliminary research effort to develop a methodology for the measurement of nonviable biologically based PM, analyzing for mold and ragweed antigens and endotoxins. The research objectives include the development of a set of analytical methods and the comparison of impactor media and sample size, and the quantification of the relationship between outdoor and indoor levels of bioaerosols. Indoor and outdoor air samples were passed through an Andersen nonviable cascade impactor in which particles from 0.2 to 9.0 microm were collected and analyzed. The presence of mold, ragweed, and endotoxin was found in all eight size ranges. The presence of respirable particles of mold and pollen found in the fine particle size range from 0.2 to 5.25 microm is evidence of fragmentation of larger source particles that are known allergens.