Chemical speciation,transport and contribution of biomass burning smoke to ambient aerosol in Guangzhou,a mega city of China

Intensive measurements of aerosol (PM₁₀) and associated water-soluble ionic and carbonaceous species were conducted in Guangzhou, a mega city of China, during summer 2006. Elevated levels of most chemical species were observed especially at nighttime during two episodes, characterized by dramatic build-up of the biomass burning tracers levoglucosan and non-sea-salt potassium, when the prevailing wind direction had changed due to two approaching tropical cyclones. High-resolution air mass back trajectories based on the MM5 model revealed that air masses with high concentrations of levoglucosan (43–473 ng m^?3) and non-sea-salt potassium (0.83–3.2 μg m^?3) had passed over rural regions of the Pearl River Delta and Guangdong Province, where agricultural activities and field burning of crop residues are common practices. The relative contributions of biomass burning smoke to organic carbon in PM₁₀ were estimated from levoglucosan data to be on average 7.0 and 14% at daytime and nighttime, respectively, with maxima of 9.7 and 32% during the episodic transport events, indicating that biomass and biofuel burning activities in the rural parts of the Pearl River Delta and neighboring regions could have a significant impact on ambient urban aerosol levels.     

Multi-objective, decision-based assessment of a water quality monitoring network in a river system

Water quality monitoring network design has historically tended to use experience, intuition and subjective judgement in locating monitoring stations. Better design procedures to optimize monitoring systems need to simultaneously identify significant planning objectives and consider a number of social, economic and environmental constraints. The consideration of multiple objectives may require further decision analysis to determine the preference weights associated with the objectives to aid in the decision-making process. This may require the application of an optimization study to extract such information from decision makers or experts and to evaluate the overall effectiveness of locating strategies. This paper assesses the optimal expansion and relocation strategies of a water quality monitoring network using a two-stage analysis. The first stage focuses on the information retrieval of preference weights with respect to the designated planning objectives. With the aid of a pre-emptive goal programming model, data analysis is applied to obtain the essential information from the questionnaire outputs. The second stage then utilizes a weighted multi-objective optimization approach to search for the optimal locating strategies of the monitoring stations in the river basin. Practical implementation is illustrated by a case study in the Kao-Ping River Basin, south Taiwan.     

Impacts of emissions and meteorological changes on China’s ozone pollution in the warm seasons of 2013 and 2017

O₃ increment is mainly caused by changes in meteorology rather than emissions. Emission reduction is effective to reduce O₃ nationwide, especially in summer. Strengthened NO_x controls are necessary to meet the ambient O₃ standard. We have quantified the impacts of anthropogenic emissions reductions caused by the Air Pollution Control Action Plan and changes in meteorological fields between 2013 and 2017 on the warm-season O₃ concentration in China using a regional 3D chemical transport model. We found that the impact on daily maximum eight-hour (MDA8) O₃ concentration by the meteorological variation that mostly increased O₃ was greater than that from emission reduction, which decreased O₃. Specifically, the control measures implemented since 2013 in China have reduced SO₂, NO_x, PM_2.5, and VOC emissions by 33%, 25%, 30%, and 4% in 2017, while NH₃ emissions have increased by 7%. The changes in anthropogenic emissions lowered MDA8 O₃ by 0.4–3.7 ppb (0.8%–7.6%, varying by region and month), although MDA8 O₃ was increased slightly in some urban areas (i.e. North China) at the beginning/end of warm seasons. Relative to 2013, the average 2 m temperature in 2017 shows increments in North, North-east, East, and South China (0.34℃–0.83℃) and decreases in Central China (0.24℃). The average solar radiation shows increments in North, North-east, and South China (7.0–9.7 w/m²) and decreases in Central, South-west, and North-west China (4.7–10.3 w/m²). The meteorological differences significantly change MDA8 O₃ by -3.5–8.5 ppb (-8.2%–18.8%) with large temporal variations. The average MDA8 O₃ was slightly increased in North, North-east, East, and South China. The response surface model suggests that the O₃ formation regime transfers from NO_x-saturated in April to NO_x-limited in July on average in China.     

The Nonlinearity and Related Band Strength of Carbon Monoxide When Applied in Ambient Air Measurement Using Open Long-Path Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry

ABSTRACT

The accuracy of CO concentration determination by open-path Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry has been re-evaluated in detail. The evaluation focuses on the correction of the calibration curve—the integrated intensity of a standard spectrum—that is used as a comparison spectrum when doing quantitative analysis of CO. Results show that the calibration curve (with 0.5 cm^-1 or 1 cm^-1 resolution) is apparently inclined to be nonlinear under standard conditions, and that the threshold point of nonlinearity is ~0.1 atm-cm. Two commercial FTIR field monitoring systems have been used to investigate the nonlinearity trend. The experimental method consists of using open-path FTIR systems in combination with nondispersive infrared (NDIR) monitors to establish the calibration curve in a semi-closed corridor. The results have been double-checked using closed-cell dynamic equilibrium systems.

When the optical density is larger than a certain value, the curves begin to bend, and when the optical density approaches zero, the band strength is around 178 ± 3 atm^-1 cm^-2 and 173 ± 2 atm^-1 cm^-2, respectively, for 0.5 and 1 cm^-1 resolution at standard temperature and pressure (STP). These values are quite different from other published data that have been acquired by the pressurized method or by high-resolution     

Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Measurement Methods for One-Hour Exposures to O3, PM25, and CO

ABSTRACT

While researchers have linked acute (less than 12-hr) ambient O₃, PM₂₅, and CO concentrations to a variety of adverse health effects, few studies have characterized short-term exposures to these air pollutants, in part due to the lack of sensitive, accurate, and precise sampling technologies. In this paper, we present results from the laboratory and field evaluation of several new (or modified) samplers used in the “roll-around” system (RAS), which was developed to measure 1-hr O₃, PM₂₅, and CO exposures simultaneously. All the field evaluation data were collected during two sampling seasons: the summer of 1998 and the winter of 1999.

To measure 1-hr O₃ exposures, a new active O₃ sampler was developed that uses two nitrite-coated filters to measure O₃ concentrations. Laboratory chamber tests found that the active O₃ sampler performed extremely well, with a collection efficiency of 0.96 that did not vary with temperature or relative humidity (RH). In field collocation comparisons with a reference UV photometric monitor, the active O₃ sampler had an effective collection efficiency ranging between 0.92 and 0.96 and a precision for 1-hr measurements ranging between 4 and 6 parts per billion (ppb). The limits of detection (LOD) of this method were 9 ppb-hr for the chamber tests and ~16 ppb-hr for the field comparison tests.

PM_2.5 and CO concentrations were measured using modified continuous monitors—the DustTrak and the Langan, respectively. A size-selective inlet and a Nafion dryer were placed upstream of the DustTrak inlet to remove particles with aerodynamic diameters greater than 2.5 um and to dry particles prior to the measurements, respectively. During the field validation tests, the DustTrak consistently reported higher PM_2.5 concentrations than those obtained by the collocated 12-hr PM_{2 5} PEM samples, by approximately a factor of 2. After the DustTrak response was corrected (correction factor of 2.07 in the summer and 2.02 in the winter), measurements obtained using these methods agreed well with R² values of 0.87 in the summer and 0.81 in the winter. The results showed that the DustTrak can be used along with integrated measurements to measure the temporal and spatial variation in PM_{2 5} exposures. Finally, during the field validation tests, CO concentrations measured using the Langan were strongly correlated with those obtained using the reference method when the CO levels were above the LOD of the instrument [~1 part per million (ppm)].     

Microwave Process for Volatile Organic Compound Abatement

ABSTRACT

The CHA Corporation has completed the U.S. Air Force Phase II Small Business Innovation Research program to investigate the feasibility of using a novel microwave-based process for the removal and destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in effluents from noncombustion sources, such as paint booth ventilation streams. Removal of solvents by adsorption, followed by the regeneration of saturated granular activated carbon (GAC) by microwave energy, was achieved in a single fixed-bed reactor. Microwave regeneration of the fixed-bed-saturated carbon restored the original GAC adsorption capacity. After 20 adsorption/regeneration cycles, the adsorption capacity dropped from 13.5 g methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)/100 g GAC to 12.5 g MEK/100 g GAC. During microwave regeneration of the GAC fixed bed, the concentrated desorbed paint solvent was oxidized by passing the solvent mixture through a fixed bed of an oxidation catalyst mixed with silicon carbide in a microwave reactor. A 98% oxidation efficiency was consistently achieved from the oxidation of VOCs in the microwave catalytic reactor.     

Numerical Evaluation of the Effect of Traffic Pollution on Indoor Air Quality of a Naturally Ventilated Building

Abstract

A computational fluid dynamics technique was used to evaluate the effect of traffic pollution on indoor air quality of a naturally ventilated building for various ventilation control strategies. The transport of street-level nonreactive pollutants emitted from motor vehicles through the indoor environment was simulated using the large eddy simulation (LES) of the turbulent flows and the pollutant transport equations. The numerical model developed herein was verified by available wind-tunnel measurements. Good agreement with the measured velocity and concentration data was found. Twelve sets of numerical scenario simulations for various roof- and side-vent openness and outdoor wind speeds were carried out. The effects of the air change rate, the indoor airflow pattern, and the external pollutant dispersion on indoor air quality were investigated. The control strategies of ventilation rates and paths for reducing incoming vehicle pollutants and maintaining a desirable air change rate are proposed to reduce the impact of outdoor traffic pollution during traffic rush hours. It was concluded that the windward side vent is a significant factor contributing to air change rate and indoor air quality. Air intakes on the leeward side of the building can effectively reduce the peak and average indoor concentration of traffic pollutants, but the corresponding air change rate is relatively low. Using the leeward cross-flow ventilation with the windward roof vent can effectively lower incoming vehicle pollutants and maintain a desirable air change rate during traffic rush hours.     

Decomposition of Gas Phase 1,3-Butadiene by Ultraviolet/Ozone Process

Abstract

A pilot-scale plug-flow reactor was built to investigate its performance in treating airborne 1,3-butadiene (BD) via ozonation (O₃) and ultraviolet (UV)/O₃ technologies. Governing factors, such as the initial molar ratio of ozone to BD, UV volumetric electric input power, and moisture content in the influent airstream, were investigated. Experiments were conducted at an influent BD concentration of ～50 ppm, an ambient temperature of 26 °C, and a gas retention time of 85 sec. Results show that an initial molar ratio of ozone to BD of 3.5 and 2 sufficed to obtain BD decompositions of >90% for ozonation and UV/O₃, respectively. The UV irradiance did not directly promote the decomposition of BD, rather, it played a role in promoting the production of secondary oxidants, such as hydroxyl radicals. Kinetic analyses indicate that both types of BD decomposition are peudo–first-order with respect to BD concentrations. Moisture content (relative humidity = 40–99%) and UV volumetric electric input power (0.147 and 0.294 W/L) are both factors that weakly affect the rate of BD decomposition. Economic evaluation factors, including both energy of ozone production and UV electric input power, were also estimated.     

Remediation of Soil Contaminated with Pyrene Using Ground Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron

Abstract

The sites contaminated with recalcitrant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are serious environmental problems ubiquitously. Some PAHs have proven to be carcinogenic and hazardous. Therefore, the innovative PAH in situ remediation technologies have to be developed instantaneously. Recently, the nanoscale zero-va-lent iron (ZVI) particles have been successfully applied for dechlorination of organic pollutants in water, yet little research has investigated for the soil remediation so far. The objective in this work was to take advantage of nanoscale ZVI particles to remove PAHs in soil. The experimental factors such as reaction time, particle diameter and iron dosage and surface area were considered and optimized. From the results, both microscale and nanoscale ZVI were capable to remove the target compound. The higher removal efficiencies of nanoscale ZVI particles were obtained because the specific surface areas were about several dozens larger than that of commercially microscale ZVI particles. The optimal parameters were observed as 0.2 g iron/2 mL water in 60 min and 150 rpm by nanoscale ZVI. Additionally, the results proved that nanoscale ZVI particles are a promising technology for soil remediation and are encouraged in the near future environmental applications. Additionally, the empirical equation developed for pyrene removal efficiency provided the good explanation of reaction behavior. Ultimately, the calculated values by this equation were in a good agreement with the experimental data.