A New Modification to the Chemical Mass Balance Receptor Model for Volatile Organic Compound Source Apportionment

In this study, a modification to the chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model presented in an earlier work was expanded to account for the changes in volatile organic compound (VOC) source fingerprints due to atmospheric reactions of VOCs that take place after being emitted to the atmosphere. The photochemical reactions consume VOCs that participate in, causing changes in the source fingerprints. These changes are of considerable magnitude when the travel durations from the source to the receptor (measurement point) are considered. The current study focuses on expansion of the integrated reaction rates of VOCs with ambient reactive species such as OH ^? , O₃, NO₃, and O ^? in order to estimate the source emission profiles simultaneously at the receptor site. Two test cases with different travel times and with different ambient OH ^? , O₃, and NO₃ concentrations were also provided to compare the standard model, the modified model suggested in the previous work, and the current modification. F‐tests were also performed to determine whether the changes in source compositions are significant or not. The results from both the standard model and the modified model were evaluated in terms of χ², R², percent mass apportioned (MA), and a best fit (BF) measure. Maximum values of BF for the test cases from the three models were 0.70 ± 0.03, 0.74 ± 0.05, and 1.000 ± 0.00, respectively, indicating that the current modification increases the performance of two previous models and was better in explaining the effects of chemical reactions of VOCs.     

北京及周边气溶胶区域影响与大雾相关特征的研究进展

针对2011年12月初北京及华北持续近一周的严重大雾天气这一热点事件,从城市群大雾过程气溶胶区域影响的视角,基于"973"项目"北京及周边地区大气-水-土环境污染机理与调控原理"的研究工作,就北京及周边地区大雾天气与大气气溶胶区域影响的关系等方面进行了讨论.研究表明,北京城市大雾前低空SO₂和NO₂浓度存在"积聚"与"突增"现象.北京及周边地区冬季雾日数和气溶胶光学厚度则呈正相关,并具有"同位相"的年际变化趋势.研究同时发现北京及其南部周边的冬季气溶胶高值区呈南北向带状分布,其与北京周边居民户数高值区有所吻合,反映了冬季北京城市气溶胶颗粒物的远距离影响源区及大尺度输送效应.统计分析指出,冬季北京气溶胶颗粒物PM₁₀、PM_2.5主要影响成分是SO₂和NO_X,且有关研究也表明,电厂、采暖和工业面源是SO₂的三大本地排放源,而机动车、电厂、工业为NO_X的三大本地排放源,上述大气PM₁₀、PM_2.5主成分污染源亦与雾水样本化学分析结果相吻合,即冬季由于燃煤在生活能源中的比例较大,北京雾水中硫元素和碳元素的含量都较高.因此,北京冬季大雾不仅与北京城区气溶胶及其污染排放影响存在相关关系,而且与北京周边天津、河北、山东等地气溶胶及大气污染物的远距离输送和气溶胶区域影响效应有着重要的联系.因此,北京雾霾天气及相关大气污染的治理工作首先要着眼于局地污染物的减排,但同时如何做好区域大气污染的协同治理也是不容忽视的问题.     

Identification and Apportionment of Sources of Ozone‐forming Potential for Proper Reduction Strategies

In this study, results of source identification and apportionment for ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a previous work were used to estimate ozone‐forming potentials (OFPs) of effective sources for developing proper strategies for reduction of tropospheric ozone pollution. The source identification and apportionment of ambient VOC pollution within Yildiz Technical University's Davutpasa Campus (Istanbul, Turkey) was done by positive matrix factorization (PMF). The results suggested five effective source groups with the emissions related with paint use and solvent use having the highest contributions (36.8 and 28.2%). The results from PMF were used along with maximum incremental reactivities to estimate potentials of individual sources for ozone formation. It was found that biogenic emissions (3.78) and traffic related emissions (gasoline and diesel vehicle exhaust) (3.83 and 3.15, respectively) have the highest potential for ozone formation in terms of grams O₃/g VOC emitted. The results were used to suggest proper source‐based reduction strategies for OFP.     

Screening of Emerging Volatile Organic Contaminants in Shallow Groundwater in East China

In order to collect baseline information on the environmental occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater in East China, shallow groundwater samples were collected from five alluvial plains in East China in 2008 to 2009. All samples were analyzed for 54 VOCs representing a wide variety of uses and origins. Sampling sites were mainly selected in the areas to be susceptible to contamination from human activities in terms of previous hydrogeological survey. The data of all samples showed a variety of different hydrogeological systems with potential sources of VOCs, with 36 of the 54 VOCs being found. The most frequently detected compounds include naphthalene (56.9%), chloroform (16.9%), 1,2‐dichloroethane (16.2%), 1,2‐dichloropropane (13.1%), and 1,2,3‐trichlorobenzene (12.3%). The concentrations of methylene chloride, 1,2‐dichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethene, 1,2‐dichloropropane, and tetrachloroethene exceeded the relating drinking water standards. Future work will be needed to identify those factors that are most important in determining the occurrence and concentrations of VOCs in groundwater in China.     

A Compilation of Statistics for VOCs from Post-1990 Indoor Air Concentration Studies in North American Residences Unaffected by Subsurface Vapor Intrusion

This paper provides a summary of a number of indoor air quality studies reporting concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air samples collected from residential properties in North America and provides average values for certain statistics (percentiles, detection frequency, maximum). This compilation includes several VOCs that are commonly assessed in studies of subsurface vapor intrusion to indoor air, but may also be attributable to consumer products, building materials, or even outdoor air (ambient) sources, specifically benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethane, cis and trans-1,2-dichloroethene, ethylbenzene, methyl tert-butyl ether, methylene chloride, tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, toluene, trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, vinyl chloride, and meta, para, and ortho-xylene. In studies spanning 1990 through 2005, eleven of these compounds were detected in more than 50% of samples collected, and for several compounds (benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethylbenzene, and tetrachloroethene) the lower and upper quintiles of the indoor air concentrations are within the range of typical risk-based target levels. These summary statistics may help interpret data collected during a vapor intrusion investigation and communicate the findings of indoor air quality studies to building occupants and other stakeholders. Similar studies have been published in the past, but there has been a gradual change in indoor air quality over time and a large amount of new data has been collected, so this paper provides more relevant information for current use than previous compilations.     

Volatile Organic Compounds in Various Marine Organisms From the Southern North Sea

The concentration levels of 12 priority volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined in two species of vertebrates and four species of invertebrates from sampling stations in the southern North Sea, using a modified Tekmar LSC 2000 purge and trap system coupled to gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). In general, concentration levels of VOCs found in this study were of the same order of magnitude as those previously reported in the literature. The concentrations of the chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs), with the exception of chloroform, tended to be lower than those of the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs). The experimental data were statistically evaluated using both cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). From the results of cluster analysis and PCA, no specific groups could be distinguished on the basis of geographical, temporal or biological parameters. However, based on the cluster analysis and the PCA, the VOCs could be divided into three groups, C₂-substituted benzenes, CHCs and benzene plus toluene. This division could be related to different types of sources. Finally, it was shown that organisms can be used to monitor the presence of VOCs in the marine environment and the observed concentrations levels were compared with proposed safety levels.     

Ambient noise as the new source for urban engineering seismology and earthquake engineering: a case study from Beijing metropolitan area

In highly populated urban centers, traditional seismic survey sources can no longer be properly applied due to restrictions in modern civilian life styles. The ambient vibration noise, including both microseisms and microtremor, though are generally weak but available anywhere and anytime, can be an ideal supplementary source for conducting seismic surveys for engineering seismology and earthquake engineering. This is fundamentally supported by advanced digital signal processing techniques for effectively extracting the useful information out from the noise. Thus, it can be essentially regarded as a passive seismic method. In this paper we first make a brief survey of the ambient vibration noise, followed by a quick summary of digital signal processing for passive seismic surveys. Then the applications of ambient noise in engineering seismology and earthquake engineering for urban settings are illustrated with examples from Beijing metropolitan area. For engineering seismology the example is the assessment of site effect in a large area via microtremor observations. For earthquake engineering the example is for structural characterization of a typical reinforced concrete high-rise building using background vibration noise. By showing these examples we argue that the ambient noise can be treated as a new source that is economical, practical, and particularly valuable to engineering seismology and earthquake engineering projects for seismic hazard mitigation in urban areas.     

Simulation of organic nitrates in Pearl River Delta in 2006 and the chemical impact on ozone production

Organic nitrates are secondary atmospheric pollutants that play a key role in ozone and aerosol production. This study focused on the simulation of organic nitrates through a box model coupled with RACM2(Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism, version 2), based on data from the PRIDE-PRD2006 campaign in Backgarden, China. Our study found that an overestimation of organic nitrate production rate was generated by the model. Furthermore, the effective production ratio(α_(eff)) of organic nitrates was around 0.033 after optimizing its chemical production module. The chemical impacts of organic nitrates on ozone production were related to VOC-OH reactivity and αeff. We found that VOC-OH reactivity was positively related to α_(eff),resulting in the suppression of ozone production caused by organic nitrates, which showed that P(O_x=O_3+NO_2) increased initially and subsequently decreased with VOC-OH reactivity. These results highlight the importance of organic nitrate's impact on ozone production in strategies to control ozone pollution, specifically regarding the reduction of low-molecular-weight VOCs in the Pearl River Delta.     

Air pollutants contribution and control strategies of energy-use related sources in Beijing

Based on the statistical analysis of emission inventory and ISCST3 model simulation, the emission and ambient concentration contributions of energy-use related sources to the major pollutants of SO2, NOx and PM10 in urban areas of Beijing were analyzed. The SO2 emission contributions of coal burning in power plants, industrial and heating sectors were 49%, 26% and 24% respectively. The vehicle exhaust contributed 74% of the NOx concentration. As to PM10, the industrial sector was the largest emission (28%) and concentration (21%) contributor despite of the fugitive sources. The source emission contributions of VOC and NH3, which greatly influence the generation of secondary pollutants, were discussed as well. This paper also analyzed the control strategies of energy consumption and vehicle sources, based on which the control scenario in 2008 was established and the change of emission and concentration contribution were estimated. The results show that the cleaner energy use, industrial structure improvement, transportation mode modification and single vehicle emission control will greatly improve air quality. The industrial sector will change to the largest contributor of SO2 and as to NOx, vehicle emission control is still important.     

The long-term simulation of surface SO2 and evaluation of contributions from the different emission sources to Beijing city

With a high-resolution SO2 emission inventory categorized by industries and seasons for Beijing city and gridded meteorological data fields from NCEP, the pollution dispersion model, HYSPLIT4 (Hybrid Single Particulate Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory, version 4), is used to determine the day-to-day variation of surface SO2 in Beijing for 2000 and 2001. Furthermore,the contributions of different emission sources in and around Beijing to the surface SO2 are studied. As shown in comparison with observations, the model does well in simulating the daily variation and seasonal distribution. The model computation of the annual source contributions to Beijing surface SO2 indicates that local emissions from the city give the largest contribution and the sources from the surrounding regions contribute only about 20%. During SO2 polluted or unpolluted days, the contribution from the latter can exceed 30%, and depending upon weather conditions, the contribution may exceed 40%. If the emissions from the surrounding sources during the winter heating season are assumed to be doubled in intensity, their contribution to surface SO2 in Beijing increased from 21% to 35% and 25% to 40% in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Evaluation of 7 types of emission sources identified for Beijing for their relative contribution to the concentration of surface SO2 has shown that area emissions by industrial production and furnaces, though discharging relatively small amounts (less than 1/3 of the total), have the largest contribution to the urban surface SO2, which is the key to the mitigation of the pollutant in the city.     

Study of ozone “weekend effect” in Shanghai

Analysis of observed ozone data in 2006 from five monitoring sites (Xujiahui, Chongming, Baoshan, Pudong, Jinshan) in Shanghai reveals that ozone (O_3) concentrations in Xujiahui are higher at week-ends than those on weekdays, despite the fact that emissions of ozone precursor substances, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are lower at weekends than those on weekdays. The possible chemical cause of ozone "weekend effect" is that NO_2/NO ratio increases at weekends by 25.61% compared with those on weekdays. In addition, because of an average 12.13% reduction in NOx (NO NO_2) in the early morning (05:00-09:00) at weekends compared with that on weekdays, the ozone inhibition period ends 0.5 h earlier at weekends resulting in the longer duration of ozone accumulation and the higher ozone production rate. The rate of ozone production is a function of VOCs and NOx in the atmosphere. VOCs/NOx ratio in Xujiahui is 4.55 at weekends, and 4.37 on weekdays, belonging to the "NOx-limited". The increasing VOCs/NOx ratio at weekends leads to ozone enhancement from 73 ppbv to 80 ppbv, which are consistent with ozone "weekend effect" in Xujiahui. Furthermore, combining with MICAPS cloud amount data, the fact that ozone "weekend effect" in Xujiahui weakens gradually along with the increasing of cloud amount indicates that ozone photochemical production leads to ozone "weekend effect" in Xujiahui of Shanghai.     

鄂西地区宽频地震台阵背景噪声特征

利用鄂西地区长时间段宽频地震台站的三分量背景噪声记录,采用波形互相关方法得到台站对间的互相关函数,并通过聚束分析获得瑞雷波和勒夫波的慢度谱,研究鄂西地区背景噪声源的时空分布特征。结果表明,5~10 s周期范围,背景噪声来源于南太平洋且没有季节变化;10~20 s周期范围,慢度谱上显示明显的能量环,表明噪声源来源于多个方向,且表现出强烈和急剧的季节变化;20~40 s周期范围,慢度谱上也存在明显的能量环,其产生机制可能与此周期下提出的次重力波机制相似。在不同的周期范围内,噪声源分布方位有所不同,但在周期10~40 s范围噪声源在各方向均有分布。因此,利用长时间段连续噪声数据计算的互相关函数在周期10~40 s范围内满足背景噪声面波层析成像的理论前提。     

基于地脉动和地铁振动的钢筋混凝土建筑结构响应分析

在北京城区的一栋钢筋混凝土建筑(Reinforced Concrete building,简称RC)中,进行历时两天的地脉动和地铁振动观测.介绍了利用地脉动和地铁振动信号研究RC建筑结构响应的观测方法、仪器设备、数据采集和数据处理方法.对观测数据进行两种分析:(1)对连续的地脉动背景噪声,采用H/V谱比法;(2)对经过...     

Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: using alkylbenzenes as process probes

More than 70 individual VOCs were identified in the leachate plume of a closed municipal landfill. Concentrations were low when compared with data published for other landfills, and total VOCs accounted for less than 0.1% of the total dissolved organic carbon. The VOC concentrations in the core of the anoxic leachate plume are variable, but in all cases they were found to be near or below detection limits within 200 m of the landfill. In contrast to the VOCs, the distributions of chloride ion, a conservative tracer, and nonvolatile dissolved organic carbon, indicate little dilution over the same distance. Thus, natural attenuation processes are effectively limiting migration of the VOC plume. The distribution of C2-3-benzenes, paired on the basis of their octanol-water partition coefficients and Henry's law constants, were systematically evaluated to assess the relative importance of volatilization, sorption, and biodegradation as attenuation mechanisms. Based on our data, biodegradation appears to be the process primarily responsible for the observed attenuation of VOCs at this site. We believe that the alkylbenzenes are powerful process probes that can and should be exploited in studies of natural attenuation in contaminated ground water systems.     

Emission sources and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air during heating and non-heating periods in the city of Novi Sad,Serbia

The paper presents the assessment of emission sources and health risk of 16 PAHs in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia, with developed oil, food, chemical and cement industry. Although the observed region has been previously studied with regard to the occurrence of PAHs in ambient air, the sources of emission and health risk using multivariate statistical methods have never been studied before. The research was conducted during the heating and non-heating periods at three sampling sites located in industrial, residential and high-traffic area. The samples were collected by high-volume air sampler and analysed using the GC/MS system. The data were processed using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) and cluster analysis. To assess the cancer-risk of PAHs, potency equivalency factor approach was used. The results of PMF analysis have indicated that significant sources of PAH emissions are industrial processes and diesel combustion during the non-heating, and coal combustion, heating plants and diesel combustion during the heating season. Cluster analysis of experimental data has confirmed the results obtained using the PMF method. Estimated values of lifetime lung cancer risk were higher than those set by the World Health Organization and US Environmental Protection Agency which indicates that cancer risk due to exposure to PAHs in ambient air exists in both time periods on the territory of Novi Sad.     

Occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Liverpool Bay, Irish Sea

Surface seawater samples were collected in the Irish Sea and Liverpool Bay area from the R.V. Prince Madog during the period of 25-31 of March 2006. VOCs were purged with nitrogen, pre-concentrated on a SPME fibre and analysed immediately on a GC-MS. Target compounds quantified were halogenated (0.2-1400 ng L(-1)), BTEXs and mono-aromatics (1.5-2900 ng L(-1)), aliphatic hydrocarbons and others (0.6-15,800 ng L(-1)). Day and night sampling was performed at a single station and suggested that factors such as sunlight and tide affect the presence of many of these compounds. Sample variability was high due to the variable weather conditions at the station. Poor correlations were found between marine phytopigments and selected VOCs. Principal component analysis (PCA) analysis showed that chlorinated compounds such as 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene and carbon tetrachloride, predominantly from anthropogenic sources, originated from the River Mersey. Other brominated and iodinated compounds quantified were more likely to be from biogenic sources including novel marine compounds such as 2-chloropropane, 1-bromoethane and 1-chlorobutane.     

Migration of volatile organic contaminations (VOCs) through a deforming clay liner

A fully coupled thermal–hydraulic–mechanical–chemical (THMC) model was proposed to describe the migration of volatile organic contaminations (VOCs) in unsaturated landfill liners. The vertical soil stress, capillary pressure, air pressure, temperature increase, and solute concentration were selected as the primary variables. Finite deformations were described using Lagrangian coordinates. Non-isothermal moisture transport was found to be dependent on both the temperature gradient and the concentration of the VOCs. The VOCs were assumed to exist and be transported in three phases in the soil: solid, liquid, and gas. An illustrative example of an unsaturated landfill with a compacted clay liner was presented. For the case considered, the transport of gas phase VOCs was found to dominate the migration progress. Moreover, the temperature gradient can accelerate the breakthrough of VOCs in an unsaturated liner, while the mechanical consolidation slowed down the motion of the VOCs.     

Influencing domain of peripheral sources in the urban heavy pollution process of Beijing

Multiple cities in a diveloped economic area may consist of a city cluster,and the difusion and mixing of its pollutants result in the effect of pollutants plume between cities and the large-scale regional pollution diffusion phenomenon.The distant transfer and diffusion of pollutants occurs when massive aerosols are affected by the dynamic porcess of large-scale circulations.Research suggesten that the life span of aerosol particles whose diameters are about 1 um is the longest.The longevity …     

A Method to Evaluate the Vertical Distribution of VOCs in Ground Water in a Single Borehole

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in multiple water-bearing zones beneath and downgradient of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This area is composed of interfingering unconsolidated alluvial sediments with hydraulic conductivities ranging over four orders of magnitude. The more permeable sediments exhibit moderate hydraulic interconnection horizontally and less interconnection vertically, and appear to consist largely of interconnected stream channel deposits. To optimize selection of monitoring well screened intervals in this complex environment, a technique that enables collection of saturated formation samples from each water-bearing zone without contamination from other VOC-containing zones was developed, tested, and implemented. The technique utilizes a wireline punch-coring system that allows the drill bit to be replaced with a core barrel without removing the drill rod from the borehole. To help ensure that a sample from one water-bearing zone is not contaminated by VOCs from another zone, the drilling fluid is replaced with new fluid before each sampling run. Overnight chemical analysis by gas chromatography enables field personnel to know the vertical distribution of VOCs as drilling proceeds. Since its first use in 1985, the technique has successfully characterized the presence or absence of VOCs in ground water in 123 of 140 wells, many with concentrations in ground water in the low parts-per-billion range. Our sampling technique is a cost-effective and rapid method of evaluating the vertical distribution of VOCs in ground water in a complex hydrogeologic environment.     

The colonisation of leaf litter by Chironomidae (Diptera): The influence of chemical quality and exposure duration in a subtropical stream

This study tested the hypothesis that the community composition of Chironomidae will change according to the duration of the exposure of plant leaves in a subtropical stream. In addition, we expected the chemical quality of the detritus to affect the association of Chironomidae with decaying plant materials. The chironomid colonisation of leaf litter from Campomanesia xanthocarpa and Sebastiania brasiliensis was assessed in a subtropical Atlantic forest stream. Litter bags containing leaves from these two species were incubated in the stream for 22 days. We identified 7245 invertebrates associated with the leaf detritus of both plant species (5110 were Chironomidae, 70.7% of the total). Thirteen genera of Chironomidae were identified, with Rheotanytarsus, Thienemanniella and Corynoneura the most abundant (94% of all Chironomidae collected). Chironomidae assemblages changed with the duration of incubation in the stream. The dissimilarity and the functional composition of the Chironomidae communities were related to the chemical composition of the detritus. The chemical components that best explained the composition of the fauna were tannins, the C:N ratio, calcium, and magnesium. However, the functional feeding groups were explained by the chemical variables organic matter and C:N. This study found that the exposure time of the detritus and therefore its level of degradation and chemical composition are important factors determining the characteristics of the Chironomidae assemblage in subtropical streams.