The impact of air pollutant deposition on solar energy system efficiency: An approach to estimate PV soiling effects with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model

(1) Introduction: air pollution is considered to be one of the main risk factors for public health. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 500,000 citizens of the European Union (EU), including almost 5000 inhabitants of Poland every year. (2) Purpose: to assess the gender differences in the impact of air pollution on the mortality in the population of the city of Bialystok—the capital of the Green Lungs of Poland. (3) Materials and Methods: based on the data from the Central Statistical Office, the number—and causes of death—of Białystok residents in the period 2008–2017 were analyzed. The study utilized the data recorded by the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection station and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management during the analysis period. Time series regression with Poisson distribution was used in statistical analysis. (4) Results: A total of 34,005 deaths had been recorded, in which women accounted for 47.5%. The proportion of cardiovascular-related deaths was 48% (n = 16,370). An increase of SO2 concentration by 1-µg/m3 (relative risk (RR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.12; p = 0.005) and a 10 °C decrease of temperature (RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05; p = 0.005) were related to an increase in the number of daily deaths. No gender differences in the impact of air pollution on mortality were observed. In the analysis of the subgroup of cardiovascular deaths, the main pollutant that was found to have an effect on daily mortality was particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5); the RR for 10-µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 was 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.12; p = 0.01), and this effect was noted only in the male population. (5) Conclusions: air quality and atmospheric conditions had an impact on the mortality of Bialystok residents. The main air pollutant that influenced the mortality rate was SO2, and there were no gender differences in the impact of this pollutant. In the male population, an increased exposure to PM2.5 concentration was associated with significantly higher cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that improving air quality, in particular, even with lower SO2 levels than currently allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, may benefit public health. Further studies on this topic are needed, but our results bring questions whether the recommendations concerning acceptable concentrations of air pollutants should be stricter, or is there a safe concentration of SO2 in the air at all.

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To what extent does the environmental magnetism technique acts as a way of assessing the uptake of atmospheric particles by plants?

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8263 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Letaïef ◽

Pierre Camps ◽

Thierry Poidras ◽

Patrick Nicol ◽

Delphine Bosch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Endemic Species ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Magnetic Measurements ◽

Deposition Velocity ◽

Environmental Magnetism ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Atmospheric Pollutants ◽

Area Index ◽

The Impact

Numerous studies have already shown the possibility of tracing the sources, the compositions, and the concentration of atmospheric pollutants deposited on plant leaves. In environmental geochemistry, inter-element and isotope ratios from chemical element assays have been used for these purposes. Alternatively, environmental magnetism represents a quick and inexpensive asset that is increasingly used as a relative indicator for concentrations of air pollutant on bio accumulator surfaces such as plants. However, a fundamental issue is still pending: Do plants in urban areas represent a sink for fine particles that is sufficiently effective to improve air quality? This is a very topical issue because some studies have shown that the foliage can trap fine particles by different dry deposition processes, while other studies based on CFD models indicate that plant hedges in cities can hinder the atmospheric dispersion of pollutants and therefore increase pollution at the level of emission sources such as traffic. To date, no consensus was made because several factors not necessary well known must be taken into account, such as, PM concentration and size, prevailing wind, surface structures, epicuticular wax, to mention just a few examples. A first step toward the understanding of the impact of urban greens on air quality is the precise determination of the deposition velocity (Vd) parameter. This latter is specific for each species and it is most of the time underestimated in modeling-based studies by taking standard values. In that perspective, we built a wind tunnel (6 m long, 86 cm wide and 86 cm high) to perform analogical experiments on different endemic species. All parameters are controlled, i.e, the wind speed, the nature and the injection time of pollutants (Gasoline or Diesel exhausts, brakes or tires dust, etc&#8230;). We can provide the PM concentrations upwind and downwind of natural reconstituted hedges by two dustmeters (LOACs - M&#233;t&#233;oModem). Beforehand, parameters such as the hedge resistance (%) or the leaf area index (LAI) have been estimated for each studied specie to allow comparability between plants removal potential. The interest would ultimately combine PM concentration measured by size bins from the LOACs with magnetic measurements (ARM, IRM100mT, IRM300mT and SIRM) of plant leaves. The idea is to check whether it would be possible to precisely determine in situ the dust removal rate by urban greens with environmental magnetism measurements. Up to now, we have carried out on different endemic species such as Elaeagnus x ebbingei leaves and Mediterranean pine needles, the results of which will be presented.

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The use of temporal factors for improved CO2 emissions accounting in buildings

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology ◽

10.1177/0143624417753297 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 196-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Barny Evans ◽

Sabbir Sidat

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Energy System ◽

Net Energy ◽

Electricity Grid ◽

Electrical Grid ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Emissions Factor ◽

Single Number ◽

The Impact

This paper is an investigation into the issues around how we calculate CO2 emissions in the built environment. At present, in Building Regulations and GHG Protocol calculations used for buildings and corporate CO2 emissions calculations, it is standard to use a single number for the CO2 emission factor of each source. This paper considers how energy demand, particularly electricity at different times of the day, season and even year can differ in terms of its CO2 emissions. This paper models three different building types (retail, office and home) using standard software to estimate a profile of energy demand. It then considers how CO2 emissions calculations differ between using the single standard emissions factor and using an hourly emissions factor based on real electrical grid generation over a year. The paper also examines the impact of considering lifetime emissions factors rather than one-year factors using UK government projections. The results show that there is a significant difference to the analysis of benefit in terms of CO2 emissions from different measures – both intra- and inter-year – due to the varying CO2 emissions intensity, even when they deliver the same amount of net energy saving. Other factors not considered in this paper, such as impact on peak generation and air quality, are likely to be important when considering whole-system impacts. In line with this, it is recommended that moves are made to incorporate intra- and inter-year emissions factor changes in methodologies for calculating CO2 emissions. (This is particularly important as demand side response and energy storage, although generally accepted as important in the decarbonisation of the energy system at present will show as an increase in CO2 emissions when using a single number.) Further work quantifying the impact on air quality and peak generation capacity should also be considered. Practical application: This paper aims to help practitioners to understand the performance gap between how systems need to be designed in order to meet regulations compared to how buildings perform in reality – both today and in the future. In particular, it considers the use of ‘real-time’ carbon factors in order to attain long-term CO2 reductions. This methodology enables decision makers to understand the impacts of different energy reduction technologies, considering each of their unique characteristics and usage profiles. If implemented, the result is a simple-to-use dataset which can be embedded into the software packages already available onto the market which mirrors the complexity of the electricity grid that is under-represented through the use of a static carbon figure.

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Avoided Mortality Associated with Improved Air Quality from an Increase in Renewable Energy in the Spanish Transport Sector: Use of Biofuels and the Adoption of the Electric Car

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12121603 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1603

Author(s):

Ana R. Gamarra ◽

Yolanda Lechón ◽

Marta G. Vivanco ◽

Mark Richard Theobald ◽

Carmen Lago ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Health Impact ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Baseline Scenario ◽

Premature Deaths ◽

Electric Car ◽

The Impact

This paper assesses the health impact, in terms of the reduction of premature deaths associated with changes in air pollutant exposure, resulting from double-aim strategies for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants from the transport sector for the year 2030 in Spain. The impact on air quality of selected measures for reducing emissions from the transport sector (increased penetration of biofuel and electric car use) was assessed by air quality modeling. The estimation of population exposure to NO2, particulate matter (PM) and O3 allows for estimation of associated mortality and external costs in comparison with the baseline scenario with no measures. The results show that the penetration of the electric vehicle provided the largest benefits, even when the emissions due to the additional electricity demand were considered.

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FRI0531 AIR POLLUTANTS AND DEVELOPMENT OF INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.204 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 865.1-865

Author(s):

H. H. Chen ◽

W. C. Chao ◽

Y. H. Chen ◽

D. Y. Chen ◽

C. H. Lin

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Autoimmune Diseases ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Air Quality Monitoring ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Science Technology ◽

Air Quality Monitoring Stations ◽

The Impact ◽

Modest Level

Background:Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is characterized by progressive inflammation and fibrosis, and accumulating evidence have shown that exposure to air pollutants was associated with the development of ILD. Autoimmune diseases are highly correlated with ILD, including connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTD-ILD) as well as interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF), and the development of ILD is a crucial cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with autoimmune diseases. One recent Taiwanese study reported that exposure to air pollutants was associated with incident systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the impact of air pollutants on the development of ILD among patients with autoimmune diseases remains unknown.Objectives:The study aimed to address the impact of accumulating exposure to air pollutant above moderate level, defined by Air Quality Index (AQI) value higher than 50, on the development of ILD in patients with autoimmune diseases including SLE, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS).Methods:We used a National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan to enroll patients with SLE (International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 code 710.0, n=13,211), RA (ICD-9 code 714.0 and 714.30–714.33, n=32,373), and primary SS (ICD-9 code, 710.0, n=15,246) between 2001 and 2013. We identified newly diagnosed ILD cases (ICD-code 515) between 2012 and 2013 and selected age, sex, disease duration and index-year matched (1:4) patients as non-ILD controls. The hourly levels of air pollutants one year prior to the index-date were obtained from 60 air quality monitoring stations across Taiwan, and the air pollutants in the present study consisted of particulate matter <2.5 μm in size (PM2.5), particulate matter <10 μm in size (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3). We used a spatio-temporal model built by a deep-learning mechanism to estimate levels of air pollutants at 374 residential locations based on data of 3 air quality monitoring stations near the location (8). Notably, we used cumulative exposed hours to air pollutants higher than modest level, defined by AQI criteria, given that daily mean level of air pollutants might possibly underestimate the triggered inflammatory effect by a temporary exposure of high-level air pollutant. A conditional logistic regression was used to determine the association between exposure to air pollutant and the development of ILD, adjusting age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), urbanization, family income, and medications for autoimmune diseases.Results:A total of 272 patients with newly diagnosed ILD were identified among patients with autoimmune diseases, including 39 with SLE, 135 with RA, and 98 with primary SS. We found that the duration of exposure to PM 2.5 higher than modest level was associated with the risk of ILD development in patients with SS (adjOR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.13), and similar trends were also found in patients with SLE (adjOR 1.03, 95% CI 0.95–1.12) and RA (adjOR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99–1.07). Intriguingly, we observed an inverse correlation between the duration of exposure to O3 and the development of ILD in patients with SS (adjOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70–0.99); however, the finding was not found in patients with SLE (adjOR 1.13, 95% CI 0.92–1.37) and RA (adjOR 0.98, 95% CI 0.87–1.11).Conclusion:In conclusion, we identified that longer exposure to PM2.5 higher than modest level tended to be associated with the development of ILD in patients with autoimmune diseases, mainly SS.References:[1] Araki T, Putman RK, Hatabu H, Gao W, Dupuis J, Latourelle JC, et al. Development and Progression of Interstitial Lung Abnormalities in the Framingham Heart Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2016;194:1514-1522.[2] Tang KT, Tsuang BJ, Ku KC, Chen YH, Lin CH, Chen DY. Relationship between exposure to air pollutants and development of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a nationwide population-based case-control study. Ann Rheum Dis 2019;78:1288-1291.Disclosure of Interests:Hsin-Hua Chen: None declared, Wen-Cheng Chao: None declared, Yi-Hsing Chen Grant/research support from: Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan Department of Health, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, GSK, Pfizer, BMS., Consultant of: Pfizer, Novartis, Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, BMS, Roche, Lilly, GSK, Astra& Zeneca, Sanofi, MSD, Guigai, Astellas, Inova Diagnostics, UCB, Agnitio Science Technology, United Biopharma, Thermo Fisher, Gilead., Paid instructor for: Pfizer, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Lilly, Astra& Zeneca, Sanofi, Astellas, Agnitio Science Technology, United Biopharma., Speakers bureau: Pfizer, Novartis, Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, BMS, Roche, Lilly, GSK, Astra& Zeneca, Sanofi, MSD, Guigai, Astellas, Inova Diagnostics, UCB, Agnitio Science Technology, United Biopharma, Thermo Fisher, Gilead., Der-Yuan Chen: None declared, Ching-Heng Lin: None declared

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Meteorological Normalisation Using Boosted Regression Trees to Estimate the Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Air Quality Levels

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182413347 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (24) ◽

pp. 13347

Author(s):

Sandra Ceballos-Santos ◽

Jaime González-Pardo ◽

David C. Carslaw ◽

Ana Santurtún ◽

Miguel Santibáñez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Regression Tree ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Boosted Regression Trees ◽

Anthropogenic Emissions ◽

Data Series ◽

Sustainable Mobility ◽

Boosted Regression Tree ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

The global COVID-19 pandemic that began in late December 2019 led to unprecedented lockdowns worldwide, providing a unique opportunity to investigate in detail the impacts of restricted anthropogenic emissions on air quality. A wide range of strategies and approaches exist to achieve this. In this paper, we use the “deweather” R package, based on Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models, first to remove the influences of meteorology and emission trend patterns from NO, NO2, PM10 and O3 data series, and then to calculate the relative changes in air pollutant levels in 2020 with respect to the previous seven years (2013–2019). Data from a northern Spanish region, Cantabria, with all types of monitoring stations (traffic, urban background, industrial and rural) were used, dividing the calendar year into eight periods according to the intensity of government restrictions. The results showed mean reductions in the lockdown period above −50% for NOx, around −10% for PM10 and below −5% for O3. Small differences were found between the relative changes obtained from normalised data with respect to those from observations. These results highlight the importance of developing an integrated policy to reduce anthropogenic emissions and the need to move towards sustainable mobility to ensure safer air quality levels, as pre-existing concentrations in some cases exceed the safe threshold.

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Biomarkers and indoor air quality: A translational research review

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2020.532 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Araliya M. Senerat ◽

Sheila M. Manemann ◽

Nicholas S. Clements ◽

Robert D. Brook ◽

Leslie C. Hassett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Research Review ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction: Air pollution is linked to mortality and morbidity. Since humans spend nearly all their time indoors, improving indoor air quality (IAQ) is a compelling approach to mitigate air pollutant exposure. To assess interventions, relying on clinical outcomes may require prolonged follow-up, which hinders feasibility. Thus, identifying biomarkers that respond to changes in IAQ may be useful to assess the effectiveness of interventions. Methods: We conducted a narrative review by searching several databases to identify studies published over the last decade that measured the response of blood, urine, and/or salivary biomarkers to variations (natural and intervention-induced) of changes in indoor air pollutant exposure. Results: Numerous studies reported on associations between IAQ exposures and biomarkers with heterogeneity across study designs and methods. This review summarizes the responses of 113 biomarkers described in 30 articles. The biomarkers which most frequently responded to variations in indoor air pollutant exposures were high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), von Willebrand Factor (vWF), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP). Conclusions: This review will guide the selection of biomarkers for translational studies evaluating the impact of indoor air pollutants on human health.

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The effects of socio-environmental constraints on Norway’s renewable energy potential

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20190 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marianne Zeyringer ◽

James Price ◽

Eline Mannino

Keyword(s):

Solar Energy ◽

Wind Energy ◽

System Design ◽

Large Scale ◽

Energy System ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Environmental Constraints ◽

Energy Potential ◽

Electricity System ◽

The Impact

The decarbonisation of power production is key to achieving the Paris Agreement goal. Wind and solar energy have matured and decreased in cost rapidly into cost-effective decarbonisation solutions. However, the location of renewables effects the impact on the environment and the communities they are sited. Thus, socio-environmental constraints can strongly limit the overall capacity potential affecting the technology choices, resulting costs and political feasibilities of reaching the national emission reduction targets. Nevertheless, socio-environmental acceptance is usually not considered when studying the transition to a net-zero energy system.Norway has one of the best wind energy potentials in Europe and a large scale deployment in combination with increased interconnection could have effects on the rest of the European power system. However, recent projects have been facing large opposition. This may be surprising as Norway has very low population density but the right to unspoilt nature is strongly anchored in the Norwegian culture and Sami reindeer herding could be disturbed by wind projects. &#160;In 2019 the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) proposed a national framework for wind energy which defined the most suitable areas for wind energy development. After massive protests the framework was recently withdrawn by the government. Offshore wind energy is often seen as a potential solution as socio-environmental opposition is expected to be lower but it is more expensive. However, it is as socio-political decision to choose a more expensive technology, site or mitigation option. A spatially-dependent capacity assessment under different socio-environmental scenarios and their effect on energy system design is missing to allow for such discussion.Here, we close this gap by analysing the NVE framework, previous concessions and related opinions, literature, newspaper articles and perform interviews with key stakeholders to design three scenarios of socio-environmental acceptability for onshore/offshore wind and solar energy. Based on the here developed scenarios we then conduct a GIS analysis to determine the spatially dependent capacity potential per technology and scenario. Finally, we implement these geospatial capacity scenarios into a high spatial and temporal resolution electricity system model for Europe (&#8220;highRES Europe&#8221;) to analyse the effects on the Norwegian and European electricity system design in 2050. &#160;

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Assessing the Impact of Road Traffic Reorganization on Air Quality: A Street Canyon Case Study

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11070695 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 695

Author(s):

Marek Bogacki ◽

Robert Oleniacz ◽

Mateusz Rzeszutek ◽

Paulina Bździuch ◽

Adriana Szulecka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Road Transport ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Pollutant Emissions ◽

Maximum Speed ◽

Commercial Vehicles ◽

The Road ◽

Management Changes ◽

The Impact

One of the elements of strategy aimed at minimizing the impact of road transport on air quality is the introduction of its reorganization resulting in decreased pollutant emissions to the air. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal strategy of corrective actions in terms of the air pollutant emissions from road transport. The study presents the assessment results of the emission reduction degree of selected pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, and NOx) as well as the impact evaluation of this reduction on their concentrations in the air for adopted scenarios of the road management changes for one of the street canyons in Krakow (Southern Poland). Three scenarios under consideration of the city authorities were assessed: narrowing the cross-section of the street by eliminating one lane in both directions, limiting the maximum speed from 70 km/h to 50 km/h, and allowing only passenger and light commercial vehicles on the streets that meet the Euro 4 standard or higher. The best effects were obtained for the variant assuming banning of vehicles failing to meet the specified Euro standard. It would result in a decrease of the yearly averaged PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by about 8–9% and for NOx by almost 30%.

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The Impact of Building Tianfu New Area on Chengdu City Air Quality

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.726-731.1396 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 726-731 ◽

pp. 1396-1399 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ping Liu ◽

Hong Ling Guo

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Positive Measure ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

The Government ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact

This study analyzed the impact of building Tianfu new area in Sichuan on Chengdu city air quality. The paper insists the characteristics of terrain and climate in Tianfu new area lead to the difficult to convect and diffuse air pollutant, and the trend of air quality deteriorating has already emerged as the activities of a large number of industries and population. Absolutely ,building Tianfu new area will further aggravate this trend. And the paper suggests the government should take positive measure in management and policy to prevent and control air pollution.

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