Spatial distribution and seasonal variation of char-EC and soot-EC in the atmosphere over China

A previous study on PM_2.5 carbonaceous aerosols measured with the thermal optical reflectance (TOR) method in fourteen Chinese cities is extended by subdividing total EC into char-EC and soot-EC. Average char-EC concentrations show great differences between the fourteen cities and between winter and summer periods, with concentrations of 8.67 and 2.41 μg m^?3 in winter and summer, respectively. Meanwhile spatial and seasonal soot-EC variations are small, with average concentrations of 1.26 and 1.21 μg m^?3 in winter and summer, respectively. Spatial and temporal distributions of char-EC, similar to EC, are mainly influenced by local fuel consumption, as well as the East Asian monsoon and some meteorological factors such as the mixing height and wet precipitation. The small spatial and seasonal variation of soot-EC is consistent with its regional-to-global dispersion, which may suggest that soot carbon is not local carbon, but regional carbon. Char-EC/soot-EC ratios show summer minimum and winter maximum in all cities, which is in good agreement with the difference in source contributions between the two periods. As OC/EC ratio is affected by the formation of the secondary organic aerosol (SOA), char-EC/soot-EC ratio is a more effective indicator for source identification of carbonaceous aerosol than previously used OC/EC ratio.     

Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Contamination from Uranium-Bearing Black Shale in Goesan–Boeun Areas, Korea

This study was initiated to identify the impact of metals and uranium enriched soil and black shale in groundwater quality and contamination. From a Piper diagram, groundwater was classified into four types as (Ca+Mg)–HCO₃ type, (Ca+Mg)–SO₄ type, the mixed type of these two and Na–HCO₃ type, reflecting the complicated nature of geology of the study area. Silicate weathering appeared to be the major water–rock interaction. In groundwater, metals including Cr, Pb, Cu and V, previously identified as being enriched in soils and black shale, were much lower in concentrations than Korean and US EPA drinking water guidelines. Instead, Fe and Mn caused major water-quality problems. In the artesian groundwater from an abandoned uranium mine, the uranium concentration was 21.3 µg L^–1, slightly higher than EPA guidelines of 20 µg L^–1. Heavy metals in groundwater appeared to be controlled mostly by sorptions on to Fe- and Mn-oxyhydroxides. They could be remobilised in groundwater with changes of pH and Eh conditions due to acid mine drainage from black shale or the recharge of fresh water. Uranium would be associated with carbonate and sulphate complexes in groundwater. Because of the remaining water-quality problems in the study area, we suggested containment of identified mine wastes, considering remedial measures for local problems with Fe and Mn, continuous monitoring of groundwater and developing groundwater from deep aquifers.     

Development of EMC-based empirical model for estimating spatial distribution of pollutant loads and its application in rural areas of Korea

An integrated approach to easily calculate pollutant loads from agricultural watersheds is suggested and verified in this research. The basic concepts of this empirical tool were based on the assumption that variations in event mean concentrations (EMCs) of pollutants from a given agricultural watershed during rainstorms were only attributable to the rainfall pattern. Fifty one sets of EMC values were obtained from nine different watersheds located in the rural areas of Korea, and these data were used to develop predictive tools for the EMCs in rainfall runoff. The results of statistical tests of these formulas show that they are fairly good in predicting actual EMC values of some parameters, and useful in terms of calculating pollutant loads for any rainfall event time span such as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. This model was further checked in for its field applicability in a reservoir receiving stormwater after a cleanup of the sediments, covering 17 consecutive rainfall events from 1 July to 15 August in 2007. Overall the predicted values matched the observed values, indicating the feasibility of this empirical tool as a simple and useful solution in evaluating timely distribution of nonpoint source pollution loads from small rural watersheds of Korea.     

Temperature dependence of hydroxyl radical formation in the hv/Fe3+/H2O2 and Fe3+/H2O2 systems

The thermal enhancement of the formation of *OH by the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system (including the Fe(III)/H2O2 system) was quantitatively investigated with reaction temperatures ranging from 25 to 50 degrees C. A temperature dependent kinetic model for the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system, incorporating 12 major reactions with no fitted rate constants or activation energies, was developed, and successfully explained the experimental measurements. Particularly, the thermal enhancement of Fe(OH)2+ photolysis which is the most significant step in the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system was effectively explained by two factors; (1) the variation of the Fe(OH)2+ concentration with temperature, and (2) the temperature dependence of the quantum yield for Fe(OH)2+ photolysis (measured activation energy=11.4 kJ mol(-1)). Although in both the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 and Fe(III)/H2O2 systems, elevated temperatures enhanced the formation of *OH, the thermal enhancement was much higher in the dark Fe(III)/H2O2 system than the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system. Furthermore, it was found that the relative thermal enhancement of the formation of *OH in the presence of *OH scavengers (tert-butyl alcohol) was magnified in the Fe(III)/H2O2 system but was not in the hv/Fe(III)/H2O2 system.     

Control of petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater by intrinsic and enhanced bioremediation

In the first phase of this study, the e ectiveness of intrinsic bioremediation on the containment of petroleum hydrocarbons was evaluated at a gasoline spill site. Evidences of the occurrence of intrinsic bioremediation within the BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) plume included (1) decreased BTEX concentrations; (2) depletion of dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, and sulfate; (3) production of dissolved ferrous iron, methane, and CO2; (4) deceased pH and redox potential; and (5) increased methanogens, total heterotrophs, and total anaerobes, especially within the highly contaminated areas. In the second phase of this study, enhanced aerobic bioremediation process was applied at site to enhance the BTEX decay rates. Air was injected into the subsurface near the mid-plume area to biostimulate the naturally occurring microorganisms for BTEX biodegradation. Field results showed that enhanced bioremediation process caused the change of BTEX removal mechanisms from anaerobic biodegradation inside the plume to aerobic biodegradation. This variation could be confirmed by the following field observations inside the plume due to the enhanced aerobic bioremediation process: (1) increased in DO, CO2, redox potential, nitrate, and sulfate, (2) decreased in dissolved ferrous iron, sulfide, and methane, (3) increased total heterotrophs and decreased total anaerobes. Field results also showed that the percentage of total BTEX removal increased from 92% to 99%, and the calculated total BTEX first-order natural attenuation rates increased from 0.0092% to 0.0188% per day, respectively, after the application of enhanced bioremediation system from the spill area to the downgradient area (located approximately 300 m from the source area).     

Evaluation of PCDD/Fs patterns emitted from incinerator via direct ambient sampling and indirect serum levels assessment of Taiwanese

The aim of this study was to evaluate the PCDD/Fs patterns in ambient air based on data information emitted from incinerator generated from ambient air measurements and those in serum. Four circular zones, namely A, B, C, and D, were identified based on simulated ambient annual average PCDD/Fs concentrations, from a selected municipal waste incinerator. Sixteen ambient samples were taken from the 4 circular zones across 4-seasons. Eighty-nine volunteers were recruited according to the demographic distribution within each zone. PCDD/Fs profiles were documented both for air and serum samples collected. Comparing to the congener patterns from ambient air and serum samples, we found that OCDD, OCDF, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF were the predominant groups among 17 congeners from both the ambient air and serum sample. And, factor analysis showed the distribution patterns of PCDD/Fs from ambient air and serum samples are almost identical across different zones, except for congener patterns of serum samples from residents in zone C. In addition, the average PCDD/Fs level significantly reduced for about 10 folds than those of the other three seasons when the incinerator was shut down in one of sampling periods. We might conclude that ambient air exposure was the most important contributor to PCDD/Fs levels in ambient air but not the single in serum. Therefore, another or more powerful source, such as occupational exposure, dietary intake or the consumption of local food, should be further investigated at the same time.     

Arsenic mobility in the amended mine tailings and its impact on soil enzyme activity

The objectives of this study were to elucidate the effects of soil amendments [Ferrous sulfate (Fe^II), red mud, Fe^II with calcium carbonate (Fe^II/L) or red mud (RM/F), zero-valent iron (ZVI), furnace slag, spent mushroom waste and by-product fertilizer] on arsenic (As) stabilization and to establish relationships between soil properties, As fractions and soil enzyme activities in amended As-rich gold mine tailings (Kangwon and Keumkey). Following the application of amendments, a sequential extraction test and evaluation of the soil enzyme activities (dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase) were conducted. Weak and negative relationships were observed between water-soluble As fractions (As_WS) and oxalate extractable iron, while As_WS was mainly affected by dissolved organic carbon in alkaline tailings sample (Kangwon) and by soil pH in acidic tailings sample (Keumkey). The soil enzyme activities in both tailings were mainly associated with As_WS. Principal component and multiple regression analyses confirmed that As_WS was the most important factor to soil enzyme activities. However, with some of the treatments in Keumkey, contrary results were observed due to increased water-soluble heavy metals and carbon sources. In conclusion, our results suggest that to simultaneously achieve decreased As_WS and increased soil enzyme activities, Kangwon tailings should be amended with Fe^II, Fe^II/L or ZVI, while only ZVI or RM/F would be suitable for Keumkey tailings. Despite the limitations of specific soil samples, this result can be expected to provide useful information on developing a successful remediation strategy of As-contaminated soils.     

Mercury removal from incineration flue gas by organic and inorganic adsorbents

Experiments were performed to investigate various adsorbents for their mercury removal capabilities from incineration flue gases. Four different materials were tested; Zeolite, Bentonite, activated carbon (AC), and wood char. Real incineration off-gas and in-lab simulated combustion flue gases (N2 + Hg) were used. Three cylindrical-shaped sorbent columns with 5 cm in diameter and 20 cm in length were used. The gas flow rate was fixed at 660 l/h at all times. Concentrations of NO, CO, O2, CO2, SO2, H2O, HCl, and mercury were continuously monitored. Mercury removal efficiencies of natural Zeolite and Bentonite were found to be much lower than those of the referenced AC. Amount of Hg removed were 9.2 and 7.4 microg/g of Zeolite and Bentonite, respectively. Removal efficiencies of each layer consisted of inorganic adsorbents were no higher than 7%. No significant improvement was observed with sulfur impregnation onto the inorganic adsorbents. Organic adsorbents (wood char and AC) showed much higher mercury removal efficiencies than those of inorganic ones (Zeolite and Bentonite). Mercury removal efficiency of wood char reached over 95% in the first layer, showing almost same effectiveness as AC which currently may be the most effective adsorbents for mercury. Amount of mercury captured by wood char was approximately 0.6 mg/g of wood char, close to the amount captured by AC tested in this study. Hence, wood char, made from the waste woods through a gasification process, should be considered as a possible alternative to relatively expensive AC.