UV Spectroscopic Monitoring of Vaporized Monoaromatic Hydrocarbons from Petroleum-Contaminated Soils

Fast and simple systems using ultraviolet (UV) absorbance were examined for on-line monitoring of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum-contaminated soils in this research. Since soil particles hinder the UV light transmittance, the absorbance measurement of vaporized monoaromatic hydrocarbons in soil gas extracted from petroleum-contaminated soils was proposed. In the fixed system that exhibited higher sensitivity than the portable one, the absorbance intensity of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene increased in proportion to the concentration of the contaminants. The portable system, however, was suitable for screening purpose, while it exhibited faster response. There was no interference from water, which helps the applicability of the proposed systems to the actual fields.     

The Metallic Composition of Aerosols at Three Monitoring Sites in Korea During Winter 2002

In the present study, the distribution patterns of various metals were analyzed and compared using PM samples collected concurrently from three monitoring sites located in Korea (Seoul, Busan, and Jeju island) in December 2002. As these sites can represent metal pollution with different degrees of anthropogenic activities, their concentration levels were distinguished in a systematic manner in the order of Jeju, Busan, and Seoul. By comparing the present data sets with those measured previously from other locations in Korea and around the world, we attempted to diagnose the general status of elemental pollution on the Korean peninsula. Through an application of different statistical approaches, the major processes controlling elemental levels were assessed for each of the three study sites. The results indicated the importance of both crustal and anthropogenic sources in all sites with their relative roles varying significantly from each other. The results of the metal analysis data, when examined in relation to back trajectory analysis, confirmed that their concentration changes are affected quite sensitively with air mass movement patterns. The overall results of this study consistently indicated the contribution of a strong anthropogenic source area (e.g., China) to the observed metal concentration levels in the study area, but the strengths of such signals vary considerably across the Korean peninsula.     

Supervisor expediency to employee expediency: The moderating role of leader–member exchange and the mediating role of employee unethical tolerance

We utilize social learning theory to test the role‐modeling effect of supervisor expediency (i.e., a supervisor's use of unethical practices to expedite work for self‐serving purposes). In particular, we examine the relationship between supervisor expediency and employee expediency, as moderated by leader–member exchange (LMX) and mediated by employee unethical tolerance. We predict that employees are more likely to model their supervisors' expedient behaviors when their relationship is characterized by high‐LMX (a high‐quality exchange relationship that is rich in socioemotional support). Furthermore, we argue that supervisor expediency, especially when LMX is high, influences employees' attitudes of unethical tolerance, which then affects employees' expedient behaviors. Across 2 multisource field studies and a third time‐lagged field study, we found general support for our theoretical predictions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The use of nanoparticles in polymeric and ceramic membrane structures: Review of manufacturing procedures and performance improvement for water treatment

Membrane separations are powerful tools for various applications, including wastewater treatment and the removal of contaminants from drinking water. The performance of membranes is mainly limited by material properties. Recently, successful attempts have been made to add nanoparticles or nanotubes to polymers in membrane synthesis, with particle sizes ranging from 4 nm up to 100 nm. Ceramic membranes have been fabricated with catalytic nanoparticles for synergistic effects on the membrane performance. Breakthrough effects that have been reported in the field of water and wastewater treatment include fouling mitigation, improvement of permeate quality and flux enhancement. Nanomaterials that have been used include titania, alumina, silica, silver and many others. This paper reviews the role of engineered nanomaterials in (pressure driven) membrane technology for water treatment, to be applied in drinking water production and wastewater recycling. Benefits and drawbacks are described, which should be taken into account in further studies on potential risks related to release of nanoparticles into the environment.     

Land use in Korean tidal wetlands: impacts and management strategies

The coastal landscapes in southwestern Korea include a diverse array of tidal wetlands and salt marshes. These coastal zones link the ecological functions of marine tidal wetlands and freshwater ecosystems with terrestrial ecosystems. They are rich in biological diversity and play important roles in sustaining ecological health and processing environmental pollutants. Korean tidal wetlands are particularly important as nurseries for economically important fishes and habitats for migratory birds. Diking, draining, tourism, and conversion to agricultural and urban uses have adversely affected Korean tidal wetlands. Recent large development projects have contributed to further losses. Environmental impact assessments conducted for projects affecting tidal wetlands and their surrounding landscapes should be customized for application to these special settings. Adequate environmental impact assessments will include classification of hydrogeomorphic units and consideration of their responses to biological and environmental stressors. As is true worldwide, Korean laws and regulations are changing to be more favorable to the conservation and protection of tidal wetlands. More public education needs to be done at the local level to build support for tidal wetland conservation. Some key public education points include the role of tidal wetlands in maintaining healthy fish populations and reducing impacts of nonpoint source pollution. There is also a need to develop procedures for integrating economic and environmental objectives within the overall context of sustainable management and land uses.     

CCS scenarios optimization by spatial multi-criteria analysis: Application to multiple source sink matching in Hebei province

A method, based on spatial analysis of the different criteria to be taken into consideration for building scenarios of CO₂ capture and storage (CCS), has been developed and applied to real case studies in the Hebei province. Totally 88 point sources (42 from power sector, 9 from iron and steel, 18 from cement, 16 from ammonia, and 3 from oil refinery) are estimated and their total emission amounts to 231.7 MtCO₂/year with power, iron and steel, cement, ammonia and oil refinery sharing 59.13%, 25.03%, 11.44%, 3.5%, and 0.91%, respectively. Storage opportunities can be found in Hebei province, characterised by a strong tectonic subsidence during the Tertiary, with several kilometres of accumulated clastic sediments. Carbon storage potential for 25 hydrocarbon fields selected from the Huabei complex is estimated as 215 MtCO₂ with optimistic assumption that all recovered hydrocarbon could be replaced by an equivalent volume of CO₂ at reservoir conditions. Storage potential for aquifers in the Miocene Guantao formation is estimated as 747 MtCO₂ if closed aquifer assumed or 371 MtCO₂ if open aquifer and single highly permeable horizon assumed. Due to poor knowledge on deep hydrogeology and to pressure increase in aquifer, injecting very high rates requested by the major CO₂ sources (>10 MtCO₂/year) is the main challenge, therefore piezometry and discharge must be carefully controlled. A source sink matching model using ArcGIS software is designed to find the least-cost pathway and to estimate transport route and cost accounting for the additional costs of pipeline construction due to landform and land use. Source sink matching results show that only 15–25% of the emissions estimated for the 88 sources can be sequestrated into the hydrocarbon fields and the aquifers if assuming sinks should be able to accommodate at least 15 years of the emissions of a given source.     

Properties of alkali-activated systems with stone powder sludge

This article investigates the effects of stone powder sludge on the microstructure and strength development of alkali-activated fly ash and blast furnace slag mixes. Stone powder sludge produced from a crushed aggregate factory was used to replace fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag at replacement ratios of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by mass. The unit weight and compressive strength of the samples were measured, and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed. The test results indicated that the compressive strength of alkali-activated blast furnace slag mixes using stone powder sludge was higher than that of the alkali-activated blast furnace slag control mix, but the compressive strength of alkali-activated fly ash mixes decreased with increasing replacement ratio of stone powder sludge. Microscopy results indicated that for alkaliactivated blast furnace slag samples, broken surfaces were more evident than for the alkali-activated fly ash samples. For all XRD diagrams, broad and diffuse peaks were observed around 2θ = 35° (d = 2.96–3.03 Å), implying amorphous or short-ordering structure phases.     

A contribution of brown carbon aerosol to the aerosol light absorption and its radiative forcing in East Asia

Brown carbon aerosols were recently found to be ubiquitous and effectively absorb solar radiation. We use a 3-D global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) together with aircraft and ground based observations from the TRACE-P and the ACE-Asia campaigns to examine the contribution of brown carbon aerosol to the aerosol light absorption and its climatic implication over East Asia in spring 2001. We estimated brown carbon aerosol concentrations in the model using the mass ratio of brown carbon to black carbon (BC) aerosols based on measurements in China and Europe. The comparison of simulated versus observed aerosol light absorption showed that the model accounting for brown carbon aerosol resulted in a better agreement with the observations in East Asian-Pacific outflow. We then used the model results to compute the radiative forcing of brown carbon, which amounts up to ?2.4 W m^?2 and 0.24 W m^?2 at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), respectively, over East Asia. Mean radiative forcing of brown carbon aerosol is ?0.43 W m^?2 and 0.05 W m^?2 at the surface and at the TOA, accounting for about 15% of total radiative forcing (?2.2 W m^?2 and 0.33 W m^?2) by absorbing aerosols (BC + brown carbon aerosol), having a significant climatic implication in East Asia.     

Transport and retention of fullerene nanoparticles in natural soils

Commercial production and use of fullerene (C60) nanomaterials will inevitably lead to their release into the environment, where knowledge of C60 fate and transport is limited. In this study, a series of one-dimensional column experiments was conducted to assess the transport and retention of nanoscale fullerene aggregates (nC60) in water-saturated soils. Under the experimental conditions, complete retention of nC60 was observed in columns (2.5 cm inside diameter x 11 cm length) packed with Appling or Webster soil, which contain 0.75 and 3.33% organic carbon by weight, respectively. When the volume of aqueous nC60 suspension (approximately 4.5 mg L(-1)) applied to Appling soil was increased from 5 to 65 pore volumes, the travel distance increased from 3 to 8 cm, and the retention capacity approached a limiting value of 130 microg g(-1), although nC60 was not detected in the column effluent. The addition of 20 mg C L(-1) Suwannee River humic acid to the influent suspension increased the nC60 transport in Appling soil but did not resul in breakthrough. Attempts to simulate the experimental data using clean-bed filtration theory were not satisfactory, yielding retention profiles that failed to match observed data. Subsequent incorporation of a limiting retention capacity expression into the mathematical model resulted in accurate predictions of the measured nC60 retention profiles and transport behavior. The sizable retention capacities observed in this study suggest that transport of nC60 is limited in relatively fine-textured soils containing appreciable amounts of clay minerals and organic matter, with substantial accumulation of nC60 aggregates near the point of release.     

Building the role of local government authorities towards the achievement of the human right to water in rural Tanzania

In recent decades, many changes have occurred in the approach to financing and operating water services in developing countries. The demand‐responsive approach is now adopted in many countries in a context of donor‐supported decentralization processes, which gives more responsibility to end users. However, the government's responsibility at different levels is enforced by the international recognition of the human right to water. This paper examines specific actions that build the role of local government authorities in this scenario. A collaboration between an international NGO and a rural district in Tanzania from 2006 to 2009 is used as an action research case study that is representative of local capacity‐building needs in decentralized contexts and rural areas. Three main challenges were detected: i) lack of reliable information; ii) poor allocation of resources in terms of equity; and iii) lack of long‐term community management support from the district. Two mechanisms were established: i) water point mapping as a tool for information and planning; and ii) a District Water and Sanitation Unit Support (DWUS) for community management. The results show how the framework provided by the goal of human right to water helps to define useful strategies for equity‐oriented planning and post‐project support at the local level.