Chemometric analysis of air pollutants in raw and thermally treated coals – Low-emission fuel for domestic applications, with a reduced negative impact on air quality

Abstract The introduction of Low Emission Zones, urban areas subject to road traffic restrictions in order to ensure compliance with the air pollutants limit values set by the European Directive on ambient air quality (2008/50/EC), is a common and well-established action in the administrative government of cities. The impacts on air quality improvement are widely analysed, whereas the effects and benefits concerning the noise have not been addressed in a comprehensive manner. As a consequence, the definition, the criteria for the analysis and the management methods of a Noise Low Emission Zone are not clearly expressed and shared yet. The LIFE MONZA project (Methodologies fOr Noise low emission Zones introduction And management - LIFE15 ENV/IT/000586) addresses these issues. The first objective of the project, co-funded by the European Commission, is to introduce an easy-replicable method for the identification and the management of the Noise Low Emission Zone, an urban area subject to traffic restrictions, whose impacts and benefits regarding noise issues will be analyzed and tested in the pilot area of the city of Monza, located in Northern Italy. Background conditions, structure, objectives of the project and actions’ progress will be discussed in this article.

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A Systematic Review on School Air Quality and Its Impact on Student’s Health in Tropical Countries

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v12n11p20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 20

Author(s):

Bambang Wispriyono ◽

Budi Hartono ◽

Ririn Arminsih Wulandari ◽

Sasnila Pakpahan ◽

Gita Permata Aryati ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

School Environment ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Case Study Research ◽

Health Impact ◽

Common Source ◽

Tropical Country ◽

Tropical Countries

Poor air quality in school areas has a negative impact on the student’s health. Several studies in tropical countries have reported the risk exposure and environmental factors that were associated to the air quality in school areas. This paper presents a review of several case study research associated to air pollutants and environmental factors on the surrounding school environment and the health impact on students in tropical country. We selected and reviewed 18 research papers related to air quality in schools. The selection method was based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Throughout these studies, the most common source of air pollutants found in the classroom was particulate matter. Air quality in schools is affected by the distance between the school and the source of pollutants, ventilation, inhabitant, and season. Exposure to poor indoor air quality can increase health risk, respiratory problems, ocular problems, and students’ absence from school.

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Assessment of the contribution of TEX air pollutants from Nigeria’s petroleum refineries to the ambient air quality: Part II

Cogent Engineering ◽

10.1080/23311916.2021.1947007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1947007

Author(s):

Ebenezer Leke Odekanle ◽

Chinchong Blessing Bakut ◽

Abiodun Paul Olalekan ◽

Roseline Oluwaseun Ogundokun ◽

Charity O. Aremu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Quality ◽

Petroleum Refineries

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Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Environmental Air Quality and Its Relationship with Seasonal Climatic Conditions in Eastern China during 2015–2018

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094524 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4524

Author(s):

Zhiyuan Wang ◽

Xiaoyi Shi ◽

Chunhua Pan ◽

Sisi Wang

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Large Scale ◽

Asian Summer Monsoon ◽

Eastern China ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Uniform Structure ◽

Concentration Limit ◽

Environmental Air

Exploring the relationship between environmental air quality (EAQ) and climatic conditions on a large scale can help better understand the main distribution characteristics and the mechanisms of EAQ in China, which is significant for the implementation of policies of joint prevention and control of regional air pollution. In this study, we used the concentrations of six conventional air pollutants, i.e., carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10), and ozone (O3), derived from about 1300 monitoring sites in eastern China (EC) from January 2015 to December 2018. Exploiting the grading concentration limit (GB3095-2012) of various pollutants in China, we also calculated the monthly average air quality index (AQI) in EC. The results show that, generally, the EAQ has improved in all seasons in EC from 2015 to 2018. In particular, the concentrations of conventional air pollutants, such as CO, SO2, and NO2, have been decreasing year by year. However, the concentrations of particulate matter, such as PM2.5 and PM10, have changed little, and the O3 concentration increased from 2015 to 2018. Empirical mode decomposition (EOF) was used to analyze the major patterns of AQI in EC. The first mode (EOF1) was characterized by a uniform structure in AQI over EC. These phenomena are due to the precipitation variability associated with the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), referred to as the “summer–winter” pattern. The second EOF mode (EOF2) showed that the AQI over EC is a north–south dipole pattern, which is bound by the Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River (about 35° N). The EOF2 is mainly caused by seasonal variations of the mixed concentration of PM2.5 and O3. Associated with EOF2, the Mongolia–Siberian High influences the AQI variation over northern EC by dominating the low-level winds (10 m and 850 hPa) in autumn and winter, and precipitation affects the AQI variation over southern EC in spring and summer.

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Ensemble Predictions of Air Pollutants in China in 2013 for Health Effects Studies Using WRF/CMAQ Modeling System with Four Emission Inventories

10.5194/acp-2017-182 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jianlin Hu ◽

Xun Li ◽

Lin Huang ◽

Qi Ying ◽

Qiang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Health Effects ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Emission Inventory ◽

Model Performance ◽

Observation Data ◽

Emission Inventories ◽

Air Quality Model ◽

Quality Model ◽

Future Health

Abstract. Accurate exposure estimates are required for health effects analyses of severe air pollution in China. Chemical transport models (CTMs) are widely used tools to provide detailed information of spatial distribution, chemical composition, particle size fractions, and source origins of pollutants. The accuracy of CTMs' predictions in China is largely affected by the uncertainties of public available emission inventories. The Community Multi-scale Air Quality model (CMAQ) with meteorological inputs from the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) were used in this study to simulate air quality in China in 2013. Four sets of simulations were conducted with four different anthropogenic emission inventories, including the Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC), the Emission Inventory for China by School of Environment at Tsinghua University (SOE), the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), and the Regional Emission inventory in Asia version 2 (REAS2). Model performance was evaluated against available observation data from 422 sites in 60 cities across China. Model predictions of O3 and PM2.5 with the four inventories generally meet the criteria of model performance, but difference exists in different pollutants and different regions among the inventories. Ensemble predictions were calculated by linearly combining the results from different inventories under the constraint that sum of the squared errors between the ensemble results and the observations from all the cities was minimized. The ensemble annual concentrations show improved agreement with observations in most cities. The mean fractional bias (MFB) and mean fractional errors (MFE) of the ensemble predicted annual PM2.5 at the 60 cities are −0.11 and 0.24, respectively, which are better than the MFB (−0.25–−0.16) and MFE (0.26–0.31) of individual simulations. The ensemble annual 1-hour peak O3 (O3-1 h) concentrations are also improved, with mean normalized bias (MNB) of 0.03 and mean normalized errors (MNE) of 0.14, compared to MNB of 0.06–0.19 and MNE of 0.16–0.22 of the individual predictions. The ensemble predictions agree better with observations with daily, monthly, and annual averaging times in all regions of China for both PM2.5 and O3-1 h. The study demonstrates that ensemble predictions by combining predictions from individual emission inventories can improve the accuracy of predicted temporal and spatial distributions of air pollutants. This study is the first ensemble model study in China using multiple emission inventories and the results are publicly available for future health effects studies.

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Contribution of Local and Transboundary Air Pollution to the Urban Air Quality of Fukuoka, Japan

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12040431 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 431

Author(s):

Ayako Yoshino ◽

Akinori Takami ◽

Keiichiro Hara ◽

Chiharu Nishita-Hara ◽

Masahiko Hayashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Gaseous Species ◽

Transboundary Air Pollution ◽

Local Air Pollution ◽

The City

Transboundary air pollution (TAP) and local air pollution (LAP) influence the air quality of urban areas. Fukuoka, located on the west side of Japan and affected by TAP from the Asian continent, is a unique example for understanding the contribution of LAP and TAP. Gaseous species and particulate matter (PM) were measured for approximately three weeks in Fukuoka in the winter of 2018. We classified two distinctive periods, LAP and TAP, based on wind speed. The classification was supported by variations in the concentration of gaseous species and by backward trajectories. Most air pollutants, including NOx and PM, were high in the LAP period and low in the TAP period. However, ozone was the exception. Therefore, our findings suggest that reducing local emissions is necessary. Ozone was higher in the TAP period, and the variation in ozone concentration was relatively small, indicating that ozone was produced outside of the city and transported to Fukuoka. Thus, air pollutants must also be reduced at a regional scale, including in China.

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Evaluation of the CO2 emission from motor vehicles in the context of sustainable transport development

Combustion Engines ◽

10.19206/ce-140405 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Piotr Wiśniowski ◽

Anna Borucka ◽

Maciej Menes ◽

Andrzej Świderski

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emission ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Motor Vehicles ◽

Sustainable Transport ◽

Independent Manner ◽

Power Sources ◽

Conventional Vehicle ◽

Low Emission ◽

Emission Changes ◽

Production And Operation

Greenhouse gases emission is an important element in the development of the automotive industry. The unceasing trend of reducing the negative impact of vehicles on the environment is a determinant of setting directions for the improvement of their production and operation. One of the solutions in this regard are low-emission vehicles. However, this area requires continuous research and analyses, the results of which are partially presented in this article. The aim of the study was to evaluate the CO2 emission from the selected types of vehicles as in traffic driving, measured based on the standardised type-approval tests. This method allows to easily reproduce the obtained results, reliably compare and also extend it with further tests in a completely independent manner. The CO2 emission in the production process of the vehicle and its fuel, was also evaluated. It was assumed (research hypothesis) that CO2 emission changes significantly with the development of production technology and the use of various vehicle power sources. Based on their own research, the authors also analysed the feasibility/reliability of the assumptions about the benefits associated with emissions, obtained by replacing the classic vehicle with the hydrogen one. They estimated the time and intensity of using a hydrogen-powered vehicle that guarantees a benefit in terms of CO2 emissions compared to a conventional vehicle.

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Air Quality and Climate Change, Topic 3 of the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia Phase III (MICS-Asia III), Part I: overview and model evaluation

10.5194/acp-2017-731 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Meng Gao ◽

Zhiwei Han ◽

Zirui Liu ◽

Meng Li ◽

Jinyuan Xin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Model Evaluation ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

North China ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Comparison Study ◽

Model Ensemble ◽

Near Surface ◽

Ensemble Mean

Abstract. Topic 3 of the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia) Phase III examines how online coupled air quality models perform in simulating high aerosol pollution in the North China Plain region during wintertime haze events and evaluates the importance of aerosol radiative and microphysical feedbacks. A comprehensive overview of the MICS-ASIA III Topic 3 study design, including descriptions of participating models and model inputs, the experimental designs, and results of model evaluation, are presented. Two winter months (January 2010 and January 2013) were selected as study periods, when severe haze occurred in North China. Simulations were designed to evaluate radiative and microphysical feedbacks, together and separately, relative to simulations without feedbacks. Six modeling groups from China, Korea and the United States submitted results from seven applications of online coupled chemistry-meteorology models. Results are compared to meteorology and air quality measurements, including the Campaign on Atmospheric Aerosol Research Network of China (CARE-China) network, and the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET). The analysis focuses on model evaluations and aerosol effects on meteorology and air quality, and potentially other interesting topics, such as the impacts of model resolutions on aerosol-radiation-weather interactions. The model evaluations for January 2010 show that current online-coupled meteorology-chemistry model can generally well reproduced meteorological features and variations of major air pollutants, including aerosol concentrations. The correlation coefficients between multi-model ensemble mean and observed near-surface temperature, water vapor mixing ratio and wind speeds can reach as high as 0.99, 0.99 and 0.98. The correlation coefficients between multi-model ensemble mean and the CARE-China observed near-surface air pollutants range from 0.51 to 0.94 (0.51 for ozone and 0.94 for PM2.5). However, large discrepancies exist between simulated aerosol chemical compositions from different models, which is due to different parameterizations of chemical reactions. The coefficient of variation (standard deviation divided by average) can reach above 1.3 for sulfate in Beijing, and above 1.6 for nitrate and organic aerosol in coastal regions, indicating these compositions are less consistent from different models. During clean periods, simulated Aerosol Optical Depths (AOD) from different models are consistent, but peak values differ during severe haze event, which can be explained by the differences in simulated inorganic aerosol concentrations and the hygroscopic growth efficiency (affected by varied RH). These results provide some brief senses of how current online-coupled meteorology-chemistry models reproduce severe haze events, and some directions for future model improvements.

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Pre-monsoon air quality over Lumbini, a world heritage site along the Himalayan foothills

10.5194/acp-2016-430 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dipesh Rupakheti ◽

Bhupesh Adhikary ◽

Puppala S. Praveen ◽

Maheswar Rupakheti ◽

Shichang Kang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Forest Fires ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Transport Model ◽

World Heritage ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Pollution Level ◽

Pollution Transport ◽

Heritage Site

Abstract. Lumbini, in southern Nepal, is a UNESCO world heritage site of universal value as the birthplace of Buddha. Poor air quality in Lumbini and surrounding regions is a great concern for public health as well as for preservation, protection and promotion of Buddhist heritage and culture. We present here results from measurements of ambient concentrations of key air pollutants (PM, BC, CO, O3) in Lumbini, first of its kind for Lumbini, conducted during an intensive measurement period of three months (April–June 2013) in the pre-monsoon season. The measurements were carried out as a part of the international air pollution measurement campaign; SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley – Atmospheric Brown Clouds). The ranges of hourly average concentrations were: PM10: 10.5–604.0 µg m−3, PM2.5: 6.1–272.2 µg m−3; BC: 0.3–30.0 µg m−3; CO: 125.0–1430.0 ppbv; and O3: 1.0–118.1 ppbv. These levels are comparable to other very heavily polluted sites throughout South Asia. The 24-h average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exceeded the WHO guideline very frequently (94 % and 85 % of the sampled period, respectively), which implies significant health risks for the residents and visitors in the region. These air pollutants exhibited clear diurnal cycles with high values in the morning and evening. During the study period, the worst air pollution episodes were mainly due to agro-residue burning and regional forest fires combined with meteorological conditions conducive of pollution transport to Lumbini. Fossil fuel combustion also contributed significantly, accounting for more than half of the ambient BC concentration according to aerosol spectral light absorption coefficients obtained in Lumbini. WRF-STEM, a regional chemical transport model, was used to simulate the meteorology and the concentrations of pollutants. The model was able to reproduce the variation in the pollutant concentrations well; however, estimated values were 1.5 to 5 times lower than the observed concentrations for CO and PM10 respectively. Regionally tagged CO tracers showed the majority of CO came from the upwind region of Ganges valley. The model was also used to examine the chemical composition of the aerosol mixture, indicating that organic carbon was the main constituent of fine mode PM2.5, followed by mineral dust. Given the high pollution level, there is a clear and urgent need for setting up a network of long-term air quality monitoring stations in the greater Lumbini region.

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Sensitivity of local air quality to the interplay between small- and large-scale circulations: a large-eddy simulation study

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-17-7261-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (11) ◽

pp. 7261-7276 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tobias Wolf-Grosse ◽

Igor Esau ◽

Joachim Reuder

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Large Eddy Simulation ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Large Scale ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Street Level ◽

Eddy Simulation ◽

Large Eddy ◽

Air Pockets

Abstract. Street-level urban air pollution is a challenging concern for modern urban societies. Pollution dispersion models assume that the concentrations decrease monotonically with raising wind speed. This convenient assumption breaks down when applied to flows with local recirculations such as those found in topographically complex coastal areas. This study looks at a practically important and sufficiently common case of air pollution in a coastal valley city. Here, the observed concentrations are determined by the interaction between large-scale topographically forced and local-scale breeze-like recirculations. Analysis of a long observational dataset in Bergen, Norway, revealed that the most extreme cases of recurring wintertime air pollution episodes were accompanied by increased large-scale wind speeds above the valley. Contrary to the theoretical assumption and intuitive expectations, the maximum NO2 concentrations were not found for the lowest 10 m ERA-Interim wind speeds but in situations with wind speeds of 3 m s−1. To explain this phenomenon, we investigated empirical relationships between the large-scale forcing and the local wind and air quality parameters. We conducted 16 large-eddy simulation (LES) experiments with the Parallelised Large-Eddy Simulation Model (PALM) for atmospheric and oceanic flows. The LES accounted for the realistic relief and coastal configuration as well as for the large-scale forcing and local surface condition heterogeneity in Bergen. They revealed that emerging local breeze-like circulations strongly enhance the urban ventilation and dispersion of the air pollutants in situations with weak large-scale winds. Slightly stronger large-scale winds, however, can counteract these local recirculations, leading to enhanced surface air stagnation. Furthermore, this study looks at the concrete impact of the relative configuration of warmer water bodies in the city and the major transport corridor. We found that a relatively small local water body acted as a barrier for the horizontal transport of air pollutants from the largest street in the valley and along the valley bottom, transporting them vertically instead and hence diluting them. We found that the stable stratification accumulates the street-level pollution from the transport corridor in shallow air pockets near the surface. The polluted air pockets are transported by the local recirculations to other less polluted areas with only slow dilution. This combination of relatively long distance and complex transport paths together with weak dispersion is not sufficiently resolved in classical air pollution models. The findings have important implications for the air quality predictions over urban areas. Any prediction not resolving these, or similar local dynamic features, might not be able to correctly simulate the dispersion of pollutants in cities.

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