Particulate Matter in an Urban–Industrial Environment: Comparing Data of Dispersion Modeling with Tree Leaves Deposition

Particulate matter represents a serious hazard to human health, and air quality models contribute to the understanding of its dispersion. This study describes particulate matter with a ≤10 μm diameter (PM10) dynamics in an urban–industrial area, through the comparison of three datasets: modeled (TAPM—The Air Pollution Model), measured concentration (environmental control stations—ECS), and leaf deposition values. Results showed a good agreement between ECS and TAPM data. A steel plant area was used as a PM10 emissions reference source, in relation to the four sampling areas, and a distance/wind-based factor was introduced (Steel Factor, SF). Through SF, the three datasets were compared. The SF was able to describe the PM10 dispersion values for ECS and leaf deposition (r2 = 0.61–0.94 for ECS; r2 = 0.45–0.70 for leaf); no relationship was found for TAPM results. Differences between measured and modeled data can be due to discrepancies in one district and explained by a lack of PM10 inventory for the steel plant emissions. The study suggests the use of TAPM as a suitable tool for PM10 modeling at the urban scale. Moreover, tree leaves are a low-cost tool to evaluate the urban environmental quality, by providing information on whether and when data from leaf deposition can be used as a proxy for air pollution concentration. Further studies to include the re-suspension of particles as a PM10 source within emission inventories are suggested.

The Quantitative Evaluation of the Political Cost of Environmental Issues: A Case Study of a Typical Public Protest in China

It is of great reference significance for broadening the research perspective of environmental issues, improving the efficiency of government environmental governance and the credibility of the government, to scientifically measure and analyze the political cost of environmental issues. This article takes the typical case “protest event of power generation project of R steel plant in T city, China” as the research background. First, the generation process and action mechanism of the political cost of environmental issues in the actual situation are investigated. Then, through in-depth interview, multi-case grounded theory and fuzzy subordinate function analysis, the scientific construction of the political cost index system of environmental issues are completed. Finally, based on G1 method/entropy method combined with weighting and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the political cost of the protest events of R iron and steel plant in T city is measured. The results show that (1) it is important that good single dimensions and reliable indicators are embodied in the overall political cost scale. Among them, the behavioral political cost of the masses is the largest proportion of all indicators; (2) after the entire environmental mass incident is over, the political costs are difficult to repair, and some lagging ideas and behaviors shown by local governments lead to a continuous expansion of the political cost associated with environmental issues; and (3) local governments should not conceal information asymmetry. Instead, local governments should give greater freedom to other actors to deal with environmental problems. This will mitigate the effect of political costs. Corresponding policy recommendations are proposed.

Short-Term Creep-Rupture Behaviour of AISI 310S Austenitic Stainless Steel Sheets Manufactured in Salem Steel Plant, a Special Steels Unit of Steel Authority of India Limited, Ministry of Steel, Government of India

The creep behavior of AISI 310S stainless steel taken from SAIL’s Salem stainless steel plant has been investigated by constant load tensile creep test at the temperatures of 973, 1023, and 1073 K and loads of 66.6, 74.8, 86.6, and 94.8 MPa. It exhibits steadystate creep behavior in most test conditions. The double logarithm plot of rupture life and applied stress yielded straight lines at all the three test temperatures indicating that power-law creep due to dislocation climb is the operating mechanism of creep deformation. Linear relationship was obtained for plots of logarithm of rupture life against inverse temperature obeying Arrhenius type of temperature dependence with activation energy of 340 kJ/mol. The stress-rupture data yielded a master curve of Larson-Miller parameter. The plot of Monkman-Grant relationship is typical indicating that rupture is controlled by growth of grain boundary cavities. The metallographic examination of crept samples revealed formation of grain boundary voids and cracks leading to intergranular creep fracture. Deformation twins and carbide precipitates were also observed. Creep-rupture properties are compared with that of AISI 600 ironbased superalloy to analyze quantitatively its behavior

Characterization of steel billet scales generated during the continuous casting process in SIDERPERU steel plant

Tons of waste is produced during iron steel’s industrial production, creating environmental pollution. This work aims to characterize the steel scale formed on the billet surface during the last step of steel production in the SIDERPERU steel plant. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) shows stacked layers one above the other on steel billets scales surface. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) reveal the high content of Fe and O, with Ca, Si, Mn, and Cr as minority elemental compounds. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) shows FeO, α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 as crystallographic phases. Magnetometry reveals Verwey transition and paramagnetic signals that screen the Morin transition. Mössbauer Spectroscopy at room temperature displays magnetic and non-magnetic parts. The non-magnetic part has the hyperfine parameters corresponding to predominant nonstoichiometric wustite. Octahedral (Fe+2/Fe3+) and tetrahedral Fe+3 hyperfine fields of 46.0 and 49.4 T values respectively are associated to nonstoichiometric magnetite and another sextet with a hyperfine field of 52.0 T is related to hematite.

Ecotoxicological Tests of Metal-Contaminated soils

The raw steel production plays a key role in the economic development of Slovakia. Unfortunately, the technology of steel production, agricultural and industrial activities contribute to contamination of the soil in the region Eastern Slovakia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of heavy metals in urban soils from the Košice area, using bioassays on earthworms and phytotoxicity. An earthworm avoidance test has potential advantages for use in evaluation of hazardous soils sites and proved as a quick approach to determining the presence of contaminants. The earthworm (Dendrobaena veneta) takes up and retains metals from soil containing of heavy metals. Assessment of soil phytotoxicity was based on germination and seedling growth of the terrestrial plant (mustard Sinapis alba). The level of Cr, Co, Cd and Hg were assessed in 8 industrial soils (4 agricultural areas and 4 grass-plot areas) from the area U.S. Steel Košice. The highest levels contaminations of chromium (278mg/kg), cobalt (39mg/kg), cadmium (21mg/kg) and mercury (0.80mg/kg) were determined for the grass-plot soils (main gate of the U. S. Steel-plant). Phytotoxkit results for the agricultural soils from around Košice showed that, the potential toxicity values are lowly, represented by a lower percentage of inhibition in germination range between 5 and 33 % and the average percentage of growth inhibition was 12-39 % for Sinapis alba. The results for the grass-plot areas soils from around Košice showed the percentage of inhibition in germination range between 13 and 47 % and the average percentage of growth inhibition was 19-49 % for Sinapis alba. Low mortality effects were recorded in the tests with Dendronaena veneta. The distribution of the worms found in the double control was within the range 10–100 % for all areas of the agricultural soils and grass-plot soils, for after 48h. The significant (P<0.05) avoidance by Dendronaena veneta were 100% in soils of areas Gomboš and from main gate of the U. S. Steel-plant, Košice. The above results reflect that not only may the worms be able to detect metals, but in fact they may also change their behavioural response over time.