Energy rating methodology for light-duty vehicles: geographical impact

The aim of this paper was to describe a new energy dependency score methodology and its consequent application to cars sold in twelve regions: Europe (EU-28) and eleven specific countries worldwide (Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and USA). This methodology was developed as a potential tool to inform consumers of their choice impact on the country’s economy. This methodology is based on primary energy assessments and origins for each energy pathway associated with a gasoline-, diesel-, natural gas (used for H₂ production)- or electricity (balanced with country electricity mix)-powered vehicle. An energy dependency index was attributed to the best-case (100 % endogenous production) and worst-case (0 % endogenous production) scenarios and consequently weighted with vehicle fuel consumption. This enabled obtaining an energy dependency index (10–0). This index could be assigned to an environmental and social index to provide a sustainability index and therefore complement a road vehicle environmental rating system, providing a combined index rating. Internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrid vehicles (that have oil products as energy source) rate the lowest for almost all locations, with the exception of regions that are energy independent (Norway, Saudi Arabia or Russia). Electric vehicles rank higher when comparing to the other technologies analyzed for all locations in this study. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle shows generally a rank in an intermediate place, except for Japan where it scores lower than all other technologies.     

Indoor pollutant exposure among children with and without asthma in Porto,Portugal, during the cold season

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Considering the time spent in enclosed spaces, indoor air pollutants are of major interest because of its possible impact on health. However, to date,...     

Environmentally friendly system for the degradation of multipesticide residues in aqueous media by the Fenton’s reaction

A Fenton oxidation system employing zero-valent iron (whose source was swarf, a residue of metallurgical industries, in powder form) and hydrogen peroxide for the treatment of an aqueous solution with six pesticides was developed, and the effect of the iron metal content, pH, and hydrogen peroxide concentration was evaluated. The characterization of the aqueous solution resulted in: pH 5.6, 105 mg L^?1 of dissolved organic carbon, and 44.6 NTU turbidity. In addition, the characterization of the swarf by FAAS and ICP-MS showed 98.43?±?7.40 % of zero-valent iron. The removal was strongly affected by the content of iron metal, pH, and hydrogen peroxide concentration. The best degradation conditions were 2.0 g swarf, pH 2.0, and 5 mmol L^?1 H₂O₂. At the end of the treatment, the pesticide degradation ranged from 60 to 100 %, leading to 55 % mineralization. Besides, all hydrogen peroxide was consumed and the determination of total dissolved iron resulted in 2 mg L^?1. Thus, the advantages of this system are rapid degradation (up to 20 min), high-degradation rates, simple handling, and low cost.

A step forward using QuEChERS (Quick,Easy, Cheap,Effective, Rugged,and Safe) based extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry—levels of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wild and commercial mussels

A new and fully validated QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) extraction and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methodology was developed and subsequently implemented for the quantification of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in wild (from Matosinhos Beach, Portugal) and commercial (from Ria de Arousa, Spain) mussels. The method proved to be robust, precise, and accurate, with recoveries ranging from 89.2 to 111.8 %. Total sums of 16 PAHs were 52.91 and 37.58 ng/g of wet weight for wild and commercial specimens, respectively. The three- to four-ring PAHs were the most abundant, and a mixture of petrogenic and pyrolytic sources were suspected to occur in both origin areas. Although the contamination levels were below the European regulated limits, specifically for commercial mussels (this despite wild specimens are also consumed), care should be taken in terms of human health, since we are still not aware of the low-dose versus long-term effects, even more in high-risk population groups.     

Modeling the dynamics of DDT in a remote tropical floodplain: indications of post-ban use?

Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in tropical environments. In Brazil, indoor residual spraying with DDT to combat malaria and leishmaniasis began in the 1950s and was banned in 1998. Nonetheless, high concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were recently detected in human breast milk in the community of Lake Puruzinho in the Brazilian Amazon. In this work, we couple analysis of soils and sediments from 2005 to 2014 at Puruzinho with a novel dynamic floodplain model to investigate the movement and distribution of DDT and its transformation products (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD)) and implications for human exposure. The model results are in good agreement with the accumulation pattern observed in the measurements, in which DDT, DDE, and DDD (collectively, DDX) accumulate primarily in upland soils and sediments. However, a significant increase was observed in DDX concentrations in soil samples from 2005 to 2014, coupled with a decrease of DDT/DDE ratios, which do not agree with model results assuming a post-ban regime. These observations strongly suggest recent use. We used the model to investigate possible re-emissions after the ban through two scenarios: one assuming DDT use for IRS and the other assuming use against termites and leishmaniasis. Median DDX concentrations and p,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDE ratios from both of these scenarios agreed with measurements in soils, suggesting that the soil parameterization in our model was appropriate. Measured DDX concentrations in sediments were between the two re-emission scenarios. Therefore, both soil and sediment comparisons suggest re-emissions indeed occurred between 2005 and 2014, but additional measurements would be needed to better understand the actual re-emission patterns. Monte Carlo analysis revealed model predictions for sediments were very sensitive to highly uncertain parameters associated with DDT degradation and partitioning. With this model as a tool for understanding inter-media cycling, additional research to refine these parameters would improve our understanding of DDX fate and transport in tropical sediments.     

The size distribution of organic carbon in headwater streams in the Amazon basin

Despite the strong representativeness of streams in the Amazon basin, their role in the accumulation of coarse particulate organic carbon (CPOC), fine particulate organic carbon (FPOC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in transport, an important energy source in these environments, is poorly known. It is known that the arboreal vegetation in the Amazon basin is influenced by soil fertility and rainfall gradients, but would these gradients promote local differences in organic matter in headwater streams? To answer this question, 14 low-order streams were selected within these gradients along the Amazon basin, with extensions that varied between 4 and 8 km. The efficiency of the transformation of particulate into dissolved carbon fractions was assessed for each stream. The mean monthly benthic organic matter storage ranged between 1.58 and 9.40 t ha^?1 month^?1. In all locations, CPOC was the most abundant fraction in biomass, followed by FPOC and DOC. Rainfall and soil fertility influenced the distribution of the C fraction (p?=?0.01), showing differentiated particulate organic carbon (POC) storage and DOC transportation along the basin. Furthermore, the results revealed that carbon quantification at the basin level could be underestimated, ultimately influencing the global carbon calculations for the region. This is especially due to the fact that the majority of studies consider only fine particulate organic matter and dissolved organic matter, which represent less than 50 % of the stored and transported carbon in streambeds.     

Comparison of Emission of Dioxins and Furans from Gasohol- and Ethanol-Powered Vehicles

ABSTRACT

The exhaust emissions of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated in two spark-ignition light-duty vehicles, one gasohol-fueled and a flexible-fuel one fueled with hydrated ethanol. Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and 22% ethanol. The influence of fuel type and quality, lubricant oil type, and use of fuel additives on the formation of these compounds was tested using standardized U.S. Federal Test Procedure (FTP)-75 cycle tests. The sampling of the PCDD/Fs followed the recommendations of a modified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 23 (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/emc/promgate/m-23.pdf) and the analysis basically followed the U.S. EPA Method 8290 (http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/8290a.pdf). Results showed that emission factors of PCDD/Fs for the gasohol vehicle varied from undetected to 0.068 pg international toxic equivalency (I-TEQ) km^?1 (average of 0.0294 pg I-TEQ km^?1), whereas in the ethanol vehicle they varied from 0.004 to 0.157 pg (I-TEQ) km^?1 (average of 0.031 pg I-TEQ km^?1). In the gasohol-powered vehicle, the use of fuel additive diminished the emission of Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) significantly, whereas in the ethanol vehicle no significant associations were observed between the investigated variables and the emissions.

IMPLICATIONS The objective of this work was to analyze differences in emissions from a traditional fossil fuel (gasoline) and an alternative renewable fuel (ethanol from sugarcane), and the influence of fuel additives and lubricant oils on the formation of chlorinated dioxins and furans in spark-ignition light-duty gasohol and ethanol vehicles. Renewable fuels are very important in terms of climate change but the risk to the population's health must not increase. Thus the results of this work could help in the development of environmental impact studies as well as orienting policy-makers in formulating strategies for air pollution control.     

Analytical methods and validation for determining trace elements in red wines

The objective of this work is to quantify As, Hg, Cd, Ni and Pb in Portuguese red wines. First, the methods for the quantification of trace elements in red wines were validated. Several pre-treatments were compared, namely a pre-digestion process with HNO₃, a pre-oxidation step with H₂O₂, and a spiking step of wine samples with a known concentration of the trace elements analyzed. Except for As, it was determined that the quantification of the trace elements does not require a pre-digestion process with HNO₃. For all of the trace elements analyzed, a pre-oxidation step with H₂O₂ may enable an accurate quantification. The techniques chosen for the quantification of trace elements were hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS) for As and Hg, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) for Cd, and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for Ni and Pb. In the second stage of this work, 25 Portuguese red wines spanning all of the red wine-producing regions were analyzed for all of the five trace elements referred to above. Only Cd and Pb have shown concentrations above the limit values defined by the “Organization Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin.” The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) equation was used to determine in which wine-producing regions that wine consumption can be a problem for public health in terms of the concentrations of the five trace elements analyzed. THQ values have indicated that for the universe of the 25 red wines analyzed no region produces wines that can pose problems for public health, when the Portuguese red wine standard consumption is considered.