Woodstove emission measurement methods: Comparison and emission factors update

On February 26, 1988, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promulgated Standards of Performance for residential wood heaters, or woodstoves. Over the past several years, a number of field studies have been undertaken to determine the actual level of emission reduction achieved by new technology woodstoves in everyday use. These studies have required the development and use of particulate and gaseous emission sampling equipment compatible with operation in private houses. Since woodstoves are tested for certification in the laboratory using EPA Methods 5G and 5H, it is of substantial interest to determine the correlation between these regulatory methods and the in-house equipment. Two in-house sampling systems have been used most widely. One is an intermittent, pump-driven particulate sampler which collects particulate and condensable organics on a filter and organic adsorbent resin. Oxygen concentration is measured by a sensor in the sample line. The sampler is controlled by a data logger which also records other parameters of interest. The second system uses an evacuated cylinder as the motive force. Particulate and condensable organics are collected in a condenser and dual filter. The sampler operates continuously whenever the stack temperature is above the set point. Average stack gas concentrations are measured from the evacuated cylinder at the conclusion of the sampling period. Both samplers were designed to operate unattended for 1-week periods. A large number of tests have been run comparing Methods 5G and 5H to both of the field samplers. This paper presents these comparison data and determines the relationships between laboratory certification sampling methods and field samplers.     

Cumulative impact assessment in environmental planning: A coastal wetland watershed example

Several theoretical, analytical, and institutional difficulties have impeded the development and application of the assessment of cumulative environmental impacts. Watershed development on coastal wetlands offers an ideal context for evaluating the land disturbance target approach to cumulative impact assessment. A model land use planning system involving a time series approach was developed for Elkhorn Slough in California. The approach included four major components: evaluation of erosion susceptibility, measurement of land disturbance, establishment of a land disturbance target, and a comparison of existing and target land disturbance values. Further research is needed to test the transferability of the approach in a wide range of coastal watersheds and to verify the applicability of the methods to other cumulative impact problems.     

Analysing the sensitivity behaviour of two hydrology models

Recently, the New Morris Method has been presented as an effective sensitivity analysis tool for mathematical models. The New Morris Method estimates the sensitivity of an output parameter to a given set of input parameters (first-order effects) and the extent these parameters interact with each other (second-order effects). This method requires the specification of two parameters (runs and resolution) that control the sampling of the output parameter to determine its sensitivity to various inputs. The criteria for these parameters have been set on the analysis of a well-behaved analytical function (see Cropp and Braddock, Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf. 78:77–83, 2002), which may not be applicable to other physical models that describe complex processes. This paper will investigate the appropriateness of the criteria from (Cropp and Braddock, 2002) and hence the effectiveness of the New Morris Method to determine the sensitivity behaviour of two hydrologic models: the Soil Erosion and Deposition System and Griffith University Representation of Urban Hydrology. In the first case, this paper will separately analyse the sensitivity of an output parameter on a set of input parameters (first- and second-order effects) for each model and discuss the physical meaning of these sensitivities. This will be followed by an investigation into the sampling criteria by exploring the convergence of the sensitivity behaviour for each model as the sampling of the parameter space is increased. By comparing these trends to the convergence behaviour from Cropp and Braddock (2002), we will determine how well the New Morris Method estimates the sensitivity for each model and whether the sampling criteria are appropriate for these models. It will be shown that the New Morris Method can provide additional insight into the functioning of these models, and that, under a different metric, the sensitivity behaviour of these models does converge confirming the sampling criteria set by Cropp and Braddock.     

The effect of filter material on bioaerosol collection of Bacillus subtilis spores used as a Bacillus anthracis simulant

The objective of this study was to determine filter materials and extraction methods that are appropriate to use for environmental sampling of B. anthracis. Four types of filters were tested: mixed cellulose ester (MCE) with a pore size of 3 microm, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with pore sizes of 1 and 3 microm, and gelatin with a pore size of 3 microm. Bacillus subtilis var. niger endospores (also known as Bacillus globigii[BG]) were used as a surrogate for B. anthracis. Endospores were collected into Button Inhalable Aerosol Samplers with sampling times of 15 minutes, 1 hour, and 4 hours. Physical collection efficiency was determined by measuring upstream and downstream B. subtilis concentrations with an optical particle counter. Vortexing with ultrasonic agitation and vortexing with shaker agitation extraction methods were evaluated. The MCE, 1 microm PTFE, and gelatin filters provided physical collection efficiencies of 94% or greater. The 3 microm PTFE filter showed inconsistent physical efficiency characteristics between filters. Epifluorescence microscopic analysis of the gelatin filter extraction fluid revealed the presence of contamination by non-culturable bacteria. Mean differences for microbial culturability were not statistically significant for filter materials and extraction methods. However, the vortexing with shaker agitation extraction method resulted in higher total microbial counts in the extraction fluids for MCE and 1 microm PTFE filters when compared to vortexing with ultrasonic agitation. In summary, the MCE and 1 microm PTFE filters in combination with vortexing and shaker extraction demonstrated the best performance for the filter collection and extraction of BG spores.     

Analysis of pollutant levels in central Hong Kong applying neural network method with particle swarm optimization

Air pollution has emerged as an imminent issue in modernsociety. Prediction of pollutant levels is an importantresearch topic in atmospheric environment today. For fulfillingsuch prediction, the use of neural network (NN), and inparticular the multi-layer perceptrons, has presented to be acost-effective technique superior to traditional statisticalmethods. But their training, usually with back-propagation (BP)algorithm or other gradient algorithms, is often with certaindrawbacks, such as: 1) very slow convergence, and 2) easilygetting stuck in a local minimum. In this paper, a newlydeveloped method, particle swarm optimization (PSO) model, isadopted to train perceptrons, to predict pollutant levels, andas a result, a PSO-based neural network approach is presented. The approach is demonstrated to be feasible and effective bypredicting some real air-quality problems.     

Application of cryofocusing hydride generation and atomic fluorescence detection for dissolved mercury species determination in natural water samples

The concentration levels of mercury (Hg) species in natural water samples are usually low. Consequently, accurate analysis with low detection limits is still a major problem. In this work, a method was applied for the simultaneous direct determination of dissolved mercury species in water samples by on-line hydride generation (HG), cryogenic trapping (CT), gas chromatography (GC) and detection by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The suitability of the method for real samples with different organic matter and chloride contents was evaluated by recovery experiments in synthetic and natural spiked water samples. The HG method was compared with other current available methods for mercury analysis with respect to the different fraction of mercury analysed, i.e. 'reactive', 'reducible' or total. HG derivatization and SnCl2 reduction (with and without previous oxidation with BrCl) were applied to synthetic and natural (spiked and non-spiked) water samples. The influence of chloride and dissolved organic matter concentrations was studied. The results suggest that the HG procedure is suitable for the simultaneous determination of Hg2+ and MeHg+ in surface water samples. Inorganic mercury analysed by HG (i.e. reducible) is close to the total inorganic mercury.     

Design of National Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network in Egypt

In the Nile Valley and Delta the protection of groundwater resources is high priority environmental concern. Many groundwater quality problems are already dispersed and may be widespread and frequent in occurrence. Examples include problems associated with the extensive application of chemical fertilizers in agricultural specially in the new reclaimed areas, leaks in sewers, septic tanks, the aggregate effects of many different points source pollution in urban areas and natural, geologically related water quality problems. A national groundwater quality monitoring has been designed and implemented based on the stepwise procedure. The national groundwater quality monitoring network is used to quantify the quality changes in long run, either caused by pollution activities or by salt water intrusion and to describe the overall current groundwater quality status on a national scale of the main aquifers. The monitoring tools and methodologies developed in this research can be used to assure protection of public health and determine the sustainability of groundwater in various purposes. This national monitoring network plays important roles for decision makers in developing the groundwater resources management plans in different aquifers systems in Egypt.     

超临界二氧化碳萃取－GC／MS测定土壤中的多环芳烃

本文开发了一种采用超临界二氧化碳萃取土壤中多环芳烃、不须经过纯化步骤，直接可用于ＧＣ／ＭＳ分析的简便、高效的方法。本实验中超临界革取的流体是二氧化碳，改善剂是５％的二氯甲烷／甲醇，萃取温度为１２０℃、压力为３４ＭＰａ。ＧＣ／ＭＳ分析时除了采用外标外，还加入了６种同位素ＰＡＨｓ内标以校正各段ＰＡＨｓ的响应因子。采用本方法成功地测定了我国未开垦森林土壤中的ＰＡＨｓ。     

有关有限边界岸边排放稳态二维混合模式的几个问题的探讨

针对目前我国环境影响评价领域普遍采用的有限边界岸边排放稳态二维混合模式的局限性和不精确性，本文对由河流二维稳态水质模型的基本方程推求出的有限边界岸边排放的二维稳态混合模式的解析解的各项进行分析比较。同时针对费休的混合长度公式进行了计算比较。     

Tree species in relation to soil moisture regime in northwestern Ontario,Canada

Selected data on site, vegetation cover, and soil, including soil moisture regime (SMR), were collected from 2 167 field plots in northwestern Ontario, Canada. SMR provides an estimate of an averaged, annualized soil moisture supply throughout a complete vegetation cycle. SMR is based upon a relative scale that subjectively ranks sites from , 0, and 1 through 9 along a soil moisture continuum which relates to a dry to wet gradient. SMR may be generally correlated to tree growth, stand composition, degree of competition, nutrient availability and overall site quality.This paper reports on relationships between SMR and major tree species. Results highlight relationships between SMR class and the broad ecological ranges of several tree species. In northwestern Ontario, the determination of SMR can help resource managers to better understand the ecology of boreal sites.