Advanced Optical Sensing of Phenolic Compounds for Environmental Applications

Phenolic compounds are particularly dangerous due to their ability to remain in the environment for a long period of time and their toxic effects. They enter in the environment in different ways, such as waste from paper manufacturing, agriculture (pesticides, insecticides, herbicides), pharmaceuticals, the petrochemical industry, and coal processing. Conventional methods for phenolic compounds detection present some disadvantages, such as cumbersome sample preparation, complex and time-consuming procedures, and need of expensive equipment. Therefore, there is a very large interest in developing sensors and new sensing schemes for fast and easy-to-use methods for detecting and monitoring the phenolic compound concentration in the environment, with special attention to water. Good analytical properties, reliability, and adaptability are required for the developed sensors. The present paper aims at revising the most generally used optical methods for designing and fabricating biosensors and sensors for phenolic compounds. Some selected examples of the most interesting applications of these techniques are also proposed.

Methanol to olefins conversion: state of the art and prospects of development

The production of olefins by catalytic transformation of methanol on zeolites and zeotypes is of great interest to scientists and specialists in various fringe areas of national economy. Due to implementation of this process on industrial level, the attention gradually shifts from scientific studies devoted to the synthesis and modification of zeolites and zeotypes with different structure to investigation of pilot and industrial plants and determination of the main economic and environmental characteristics of both the existing and the future plants. In 2019, the development of 26 production sites in China with the annual output of 14 million tons of ethylene and propylene was licensed and 14 plants with the total capacity of 7.67 million tons of ethylene and propylene were launched. The created plants provide a complete cycle of coal processing, which consists of coal gasification units yielding syngas, units for the synthesis of methanol and olefins, their refinement and production of polyethylene and polypropylene. The total output of ethylene and propylene at the launched plants was more than 21 million tons. The paper presents a review of publications on the development and modification of catalysts as well as the technological, economic and environmental aspects of olefins production from methanol, which appeared in foreign journals in the recent five years.

Compositional Fibers Based on Coal Tar Mesophase Pitch Obtained by Electrospinning Method

This research examines the use of coal-processing wastes of Shubarkol deposit (Kazakhstan) in obtaining useful materials such as carbon fibers. For our experiments, mesophase pitch was obtained by coal tar heat treatment at 773 K. Spinnable solution was prepared by crushing mesophase pitch into the pieces with adding poly(methylmethacrylate) as a fiber-forming material and 1,2-dichloroethane as a solvent. Elemental analysis revealed that the chemical composition of mesophase pitch (С – 91.48 %; О – 8.52 %; S – 0.00 %) showed that heat treatment up to 773 K leads to the complete removal of sulfur-containing components which affect the mesophase formation. Raman data of the obtained pitch revealed the appearance of D (1366 cm-1) and G (1605 cm-1) peaks, which are responsible for carbon materials; another peak at 2900 cm-1 shows the presence of C–H bonds. Carbon fibers with the diameter of 0.8–1.75 μm were obtained by electrospinning method in laboratory settings.

Experience in using statistical and mathematical technologies to assess the impact of atmospheric pollution on public health in a large industrial center

Introduction. The issue of air pollution is relevant in cities where the majority of the population lives and a large number of industrial enterprises are concentrated in relatively small areas. Currently, the federal project “Clean Air” is being implemented in 12 industrial centres of Russia within the framework of the national project “Ecology”. The purpose of the work was to justify using statistical and mathematical methods for assessing the impact of atmospheric pollution on the health of the population in the city of Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo region. Materials and methods. The following methods were used: assessment and management of public health risk, statistical analysis methods: factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, discriminant analysis. Results. Statistical indices and public health risk parameters can be used to assess the impact. Examples of the effect of complex pollution indices (the main components of pollution, the integral indicator P) and the concentrations of individual impurities in the air basin (suspended substances, ozone) were given. The carcinogenic risk to the population of Novokuznetsk, calculated from the calculated concentrations of atmospheric pollutants, was found to exceed the acceptable risk threshold. The specific weight of carcinogens in the formation of the risk to other oncological incidence was determined. An assessment of the risk from the emissions of a coal-processing plant located near residential areas of the city was carried out. The values of the hazard indices showed an excess of the acceptable non-carcinogenic risk only from the emissions of the coal processing plant, taking into account the background level of air pollution in the air basin. Conclusion. In Novokuznetsk, it is proposed to use the method of ranking atmospheric protection measures in terms of the unit cost of risk reduction in health risk management. To manage the risk, it is proposed to calculate the population indices of aerogenic hazard or the probabilistic parameters of the individual threat associated with air pollution. It is noted that a 20-22% reduction in pollutant emissions for Novokuznetsk may not be enough. The reasonable measures for the further study of the aerogenic impact on the population of the city are presented.

Influence of Preparation and Combustion Parameters of Coal-water Slurries on Gas Emission Chemistry

The article presents the results of experimental studies performed for the comparative analysis of factors affecting the concentration of the main gas emissions during the combustion of fuel suspensions obtained from coal enrichment waste. The factors influencing the formation of anthropogenic emissions during the flaring of coal-water fuel suspensions were investigated. Experiments were carried out with coal processing waste, both with and without additives in the form of spent mineral oil. The article shows how the concentration of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and hydrocarbons is affected by the parameters of preparation (particle size, solid-liquid phase ratio, additives of used engine oil) and combustion (temperature in the combustion chamber, excess air coefficient, and droplet size after spraying) of fuel suspensions.