Air Quality Measurements from the Fresno Supersite

ABSTRACT

The Fresno Supersite intends to 1) evaluate non-routine monitoring methods, establishing their comparability with existing methods and their applicability to air quality planning, exposure assessment, and health effects studies; 2) provide a better understanding of aerosol characteristics, behavior, and sources to assist regulatory agencies in developing standards and strategies that protect public health; and 3) support studies that evaluate relationships between aerosol properties, co-factors, and observed health end-points. Supersite observables include in-situ, continuous, short-duration measurements of 1) PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and coarse (PM₁₀ minus PM_2.5) mass; 2) PM_2.5 SO₄ ^-2, NO₃ ^-, carbon, light absorption, and light extinction; 3) numbers of particles in discrete size bins ranging from 0.01 to ~10μm; 4) criteria pollutant gases (O₃, CO, NO_x); 5) reactive gases (NO₂, NO_y, HNO₃, peroxyacetyl nitrate [PAN], NH₃); and 6) single particle characterization by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Field sampling and laboratory analysis are applied for gaseous and particulate organic compounds (light hydrocarbons, heavy hydrocarbons, carbonyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAH], and other semi-volatiles), and PM_2.5 mass, elements, ions, and carbon. Observables common to other Supersites are 1) daily PM_2.5 24-hr average mass with Federal Reference Method (FRM) samplers; 2) continuous hourly and 5-min average PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ mass with beta attenuation monitors (BAM) and tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOM); 3) PM_2.5 chemical specia-tion with a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) speciation monitor and protocol; 4) coarse particle mass by dichotomous sampler and difference between PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 BAM and TEOM measurements; 5) coarse particle chemical composition; and 6) high sensitivity and time resolution scalar and vector wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and solar radiation. The Fresno Supersite is coordinated with health and toxicological studies that will use these data in establishing relationships with asthma, other respiratory disease, and cardiovascular changes in human and animal subjects.     

Diurnal and Weekday Variations in the Source Contributions of Ozone Precursors in California’s South Coast Air Basin

Abstract

For at least 30 years, ozone (O₃) levels on weekends in parts of California’s South Coast (Los Angeles) Air Basin (SoCAB) have been as high as or higher than on weekdays, even though ambient levels of O₃ precursors are lower on weekends than on weekdays. A field study was conducted in the Los Angeles area during fall 2000 to test whether proposed relationships between emission sources and ambient nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC) and oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) levels can account for observed diurnal and day-of-week variations in the concentration and proportions of precursor pollutants that may affect the efficiency and rate of O₃ formation. The contributions to ambient NMHC by motor vehicle exhaust and evaporative emissions, estimated using chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor modeling, ranged from 65 to 85% with minimal day-of-week variation. Ratios of ambient NO_x associated with black carbon (BC) to NO_x associated with carbon monoxide (CO) were approximately 1.25 ± 0.22 during weekdays and 0.76 ± 0.07 and 0.52 ± 0.07 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. These results demonstrate that lower NO_x emissions from diesel exhaust can be a major factor causing lower NO_x mixing ratios and higher NMHC/NO_x ratios on weekends. Nonmobile sources showed no significant day-of-week variations in their contributions to NMHC. Greater amounts of gasoline emissions are carried over on Friday and Saturday evenings but are, at most, a minor factor contributing to higher NMHC/NO_x ratios on weekend mornings.     

Sub-cooled and flashing liquid jets and droplet dispersion I. Overview and model implementation/validation

Many accidents involve two-phase releases of hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere. This paper describes the results of a third phase of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) on liquid jets and two-phase droplet dispersion. The aim of the project is to increase the understanding of the behaviour of sub-cooled non-flashing and superheated flashing liquid jets, and to improve the prediction of initial droplet size, droplet dispersion and rainout.Phase III of the JIP first included scaled experiments for materials with a range of volatilities (water, cyclohexane, butane, propane and gasoline). These experiments were carried out by Cardiff University including measurements of flow rate and initial droplet size across the full relevant range of superheats. See the companion paper II for further details of these experiments and the derivation of new refined correlations for droplet size distribution and Sauter Mean Diameter. Furthermore large-scale butane experiments were carried out by INERIS (France) to ensure that for more realistic scenarios the derived droplet size correlations are accurate.Model validation and model improvements were carried out by DNV Software, including validation of release rate and initial droplet size against the above scaled and large-scale experiments. New correlations for droplet size distribution and Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) were implemented into the Phast discharge model. These were compared against a range of other droplet size and rainout correlations published in the literature, in conjunction with validation against an extensive set of experiments. It was shown that the new droplet size correlation agrees better against experimental data than the existing Phast correlation. To further improve the rainout prediction, the Phast dispersion model (UDM) was also extended to allow simultaneous modelling of a range of droplet sizes and distributed rainout (rather than rainout at one point).     

Sub-cooled and flashing liquid jets and droplet dispersion II. Scaled experiments and derivation of droplet size correlations

This paper describes the results of the first stage of Phase III of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) on liquid jets and two-phase droplet dispersion. This stage included scaled experiments for water, gasoline, and cyclohexane for a range of superheats and nozzles with different aspect ratios. Additional experiments for butane and propane were conducted as a validation exercise and are discussed in the companion paper. Moreover this paper provides recommendations for atomisation correlations in the regimes of mechanical break-up, transition to flashing, and fully flashing. The objectives of this scaled experimental programme are to : (i) provide confidence in the previously proposed modelling methodology (Phase II) across a broad range of initial conditions (ii) update the models’ correlations to generalise further its applicability (iii) recommend further model improvements. Development of new correlations for Sauter Mean Droplet diameter (SMD) and droplet size distribution is based on a best fit of the current scaled experimental data. The new data endorses the previous tri-functional Phase II approach including regimes for mechanical break-up, transition to flashing, and fully flashing, which is hence updated in the new Phase III SMD model. Considerable effort is devoted to capturing the full droplet size range under low-superheat conditions. Also, new enhancements in PDA technology were adopted to enable better quality data under high-superheat conditions. The priority recommendation for further model improvement is better characterisation of the poor quality releases under low-superheat conditions, where this work indicates that extremely broad droplet size distributions are likely. A companion paper (Part I) presents a more general overview of the dispersion problem, implementation of the correlations and subsequent performance against both the current scaled experiments and additional large-scale butane experiments.     

Density-gradient centrifugation as an aid to sorting planktonic organisms. I. Gradient materials

Fish eggs and larvae can be separated from invertebrate zooplankton by isopycnic centrifugation in gradients of sucrose or silica. Preserved samples of invertebrate zooplankton, fish eggs, and fish larvae, representing a typical assortment of marine plankton, were layered over linear gradients of 25 to 60% w/w (weight/weight) sucrose or 0 to 15% w/w silica (as Ludox AM) in 100 c³ swinging buckets, and centrifuged for 1 h at 1000 rpm (revs per minute). In sucrose gradients, the invertebrate zooplankton were confined to the two ends of the gradient, while 85% of the fish eggs were recovered from an intermediate zone (27.5 to 55% w/w). In Ludox AM, the fish eggs banded in a narrow region between 2 and 3% w/w, while fish larvae banded at the bottom of the gradient between 10 and 14% w/w. Of the 6 dominant classes of zooplankton, only Salpa overlapped appreciably with the fish eggs and none overlapped with the fish larvae. Of the gradient materials tested, Ludox AM offers the most advantages; sucrose may also be useful for subfractionation. Gradients of sodium bromide and dextran have been found to be totally unsuitable.Paper of the Journal Series, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA.     

改性石墨毡电极对浓差电池协同处理电镀污泥和盐酸酸洗废液效果的影响探究

采用单纯加热处理、单纯丙酮浸泡处理以及加热+丙酮浸泡全处理等3种方式对石墨毡电极进行改性.利用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)对改性前后的石墨毡电极进行表征分析,并构建相应浓差电池协同处理电镀污泥和盐酸酸洗废液,考察浓差电池电化学性能及重金属去除能力.结果表明,加热+丙酮浸泡全处理相比单一处理,改性...     

Characteristics of Cu(II)-modified aerobic granular sludge biocarbon in removal of doxycycline hydroxide

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the biocarbon derived from aerobic granular sludge with different nutritive proportions was modified by Cu(NO3)2?3H2O (Cu-BC) to...     

冷冻胁迫对芦荟叶肉细胞原生质体中Ca2+、Na+分布的影响

低温和冻害是造成巨大农业损失和植物死亡的主要逆境因子。为揭示冷冻胁迫对植物细胞中离子分布的影响,选择芦荟细胞原生质体为受试材料,使用离子选择性微电极检测了经冷冻处理后的芦荟原生质体在低渗液中破裂时产生的Ca~(2+)浓度脉冲信号,并同时检测Na~+浓度脉冲信号作为对比。研究了冷冻温度、解冻时间和ZnO NPs处理等因素对冷冻胁迫下芦荟原生质体中Ca~(2+)分布的影响。结果表明,与未经冷冻处理的原生质体相对比,经过冷冻处理的原生质体破裂后,其Ca~(2+)脉冲信号前沿处发生明显的"凹陷",这说明,原生质体中Ca~(2+)分布出现分层现象,靠近细胞中心浓度较高而细胞膜附近浓度较低。这一分层现象在温度为-7℃时开始出现,原生质体解冻5 h后仍未消失。经过ZnO NPs预处理后再进行冷冻的原生质体,其Ca~(2+)脉冲凹陷深度明显减小。而当用ZnO NPs处理解冻后的原生质体时,其Ca~(2+)分层现象消失。冷冻胁迫下芦荟原生质体内Ca~(2+)分布发生显著变化,表明原生质体内Ca~(2+)分布变化与其抗寒反应存在一定关系。与Ca~(2+)相反,Na~+的分布几乎不受冷冻因素的影响。ZnO NPs处理对冷冻芦荟原生质体中Ca~(2+)浓度分布分层有明显的缓解作用,表明一定浓度范围的ZnO NPs在缓解冷冻造成的Ca~(2+)流动性下降,维持细胞Ca~(2+)分布的调控能力方面,具有一定的积极影响。     

滏阳河河流水体中重金属污染特征及其对青海弧菌和斜生栅藻的毒性效应

为调查滏阳河水系的重金属污染状况,研究河流重金属污染对水生生物的毒性,根据河流结构、水文条件、排污口分布并考虑空间分布的均匀性,选取66个采样位点,采集河水及对应的表层沉积物样品,分析了样品中的重金属含量。用斜生栅藻和青海弧菌Q67作为模式生物,根据滏阳河水重金属污染较严重的邯郸近郊2号采样点采集水样的重金属含量配制系列重金属浓度的模拟河水进行重金属污染河水的生态毒性测试。结果表明,在全部66个采样点中,29个采样点河水重金属含量超过国家地表水III类水体重金属含量标准,主要污染元素是Hg、Pb、Cr、Zn。几乎所有采样点河水Mn和Fe含量都大大高于国家集中式生活饮用水地表水源地补充项目规定的标准限值。根据2号采样点河水样品中的重金属含量配成的模拟河水对青海弧菌Q67的EC₅₀值为6.65%,为毒性极强的污染物。模拟河水样品对斜生栅藻的抑制作用较小,在实验的最高浓度下(1000倍河水重金属含量)暴露4 d尚未引起半数藻细胞死亡。随河水重金属浓度上升,斜生栅藻超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性总体上呈现先升高后降低的趋势,丙二醛(MDA)含量变化则与此相反,反映河水重金属污染可引起藻细胞的氧化损伤。叶绿素a和b含量则随暴露浓度的提高逐渐降低。在重金属浓度达到2号采样点河水的10%时,斜生栅藻叶绿素a含量已有显著降低,MDA含量显著升高,海河流域重金属污染对生态系统的影响应予以重视。河水发光菌Q67的生长抑制率、斜生栅藻的叶绿素a和MDA含量可以作为评估河流重金属污染生态危害的指标。     

推行安全责任主体考核提高HSE管理水平

结合中国石化高桥分公司推行HSE体系的实践,提出了一系列加强安全管理,提高全体员工HSE意识和理念,并对其安全行为进行约束、规范、考核和纠正的措施.