Ore dust pollution,hatching and egg temperatures in birds

Dry ore dust pollution decreased the hatching success of fowl eggs from 76% in the control to 57% when manganese ore dust and 54% when iron ore dust were used. Daily wetting of eggs aggravated the ore dust effect. When eggs were covered with ore dust, the heat exchange properties of eggs exposed to direct sunlight were significantly changed. Manganese and iron ore dust covered eggs heated and cooled at a significantly faster rates than the controls. The interior uppermost area may reach a temperature of 54°C after 60 minutes in the sun. Manganese ore dust covered brown eggs were the most affected and white eggs the least. Ore dust pollution therefore poses a threat to the hatching success of bird eggs.     

Marine algae as collectors of iron ore dust

Marine algae from intertidal habitats, when shaken in iron ore dust suspensions in seawater, take up appreciable quantities of the dust load. The quantities taken up vary with the modes of thallus construction. Considerable quantities of ore dust are retained by the plants after shaking for periods of up to 15h in dust free seawater. Marine algae can be used as a monitoring system for ore dust loading of seawater due to accidental spillages in the v vicinity of ore unloading terminals.     

An experimental study on iron accumulation in the clam Mactra lilacea

Iron concentration in laboratory-maintained Mactra lilacea when exposed to sea water with a particle load of 1 kg m^?3 of iron ore dust was found to increase rapidly due to the filtering activity of these bivalves. This temporary store of iron diminished as iron ore was eliminated as faeces and also when the animals were allowed to purge themselves in clean sea water.     

Detoxification of hazardous dust with marine sediment

Hazardous electric arc furnace dust containing dioxins/furans and heavy metals is blended with harbor sediment, fired at 950–1100 °C to prepare lightweight aggregates. Dust addition can lower the sintering temperature by about 100 °C, as compared to a typical industrial process. After firing at 950 °C and 1050 °C, more than 99.85% of dioxins/furans originally present in the dust have been removed and/or destructed in the mix containing a dust/sediment ratio of 50:100. The heavy metals leached from all fired mixes are far below Taiwan EPA legal limits. The particle density of the lightweight aggregates always decreases with increasing firing temperature. Greater addition of the dust results in a considerably lower particle density (mostly <2.0 g cm⁻³) fired at 1050 °C and 1100 °C. However, firing at temperatures lower than 1050 °C produces no successful bloating, leading to a denser particle density (>2.0 g cm⁻³) that is typical of bricks.     

Effects of salinity variation on iron ore dust sedimentation rates

Time course measurements of iron ore dust sedimentation rates in sea-water of different salinities have shown that dust particle settlements occur at similar rates in normal sea-water and in that diluted to 50%. With salinities similar to those in brackish water conditions the sedimentation rates were rapid compared with those in fresh water.     

Cargo spillage at an iron ore unloading terminal

Dust deposition in the sea at an iron ore unloading terminal in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, was measured by means of sediment collectors placed 10 m above the sea bed on the outer face of the unloading jetty. A ‘background’ sedimentation of up to 64 g m^?2 day^?1 of non-ferrous material was obtained with no ships in port. During unloading dust quantities up to 18 021 g m^?2 day^?1 were obtained, but the quantities depended on the type of ore unloaded, and much smaller quantities of sediment were obtained with ores less prone to fine particle formation. Any ecological effects would involve sea bed benthos, although rates of transportation of the sedimented dust are probably rapid in the immediate vicinity of the ore terminal.     

Satellite observations of unusual dust event over North-East India and its relation with meteorological conditions

An unusual intense dust storm occurred over North-East region of India on 17 March 2009, which was analyzed using multi-satellite data sets. Terra MODIS AOD₅₅₀ showed high values on 17 March 2009 with low values of Angstrom exponent (α), suggesting coarse mode particle loading in the atmosphere. NCEP temperature and relative humidity anomalies showed high temperature and low humidity during March 2009. Dry weather conditions due to deficit rainfall during January–March 2009 and higher winds resulted in unusual dust storm over the region. Satellite observations of aerosol optical depth variations suggested increased aerosol loading in March 2009 due to dust storm.     

Numerical modeling of formation damage by two-phase particulate transport processes during CO2 injection in deep heterogeneous porous media

Prediction of CO₂ injection performance in deep subsurface porous media relies on the ability of the well to maintain high flow rates of carbon dioxide during several decades typically without fracturing the host formation or damaging the well. Dynamics of solid particulate suspensions in permeable media are recognized as one major factor leading to injection well plugging in sandstones. The invading supercritical liquid-like fluid can contain exogenous fine suspensions or endogenous particles generated in situ by physical and chemical interactions or hydrodynamic release mechanisms. Suspended solids can plug the pores possibly leading to formation damage and permeability reduction in the vicinity of the injector. In this study we developed a finite volume simulator to predict the injectivity decline near CO₂ injection wells and also for production wells in the context of enhanced oil recovery. The numerical model solves a system of two coupled sets of finite volume equations corresponding to the pressure-saturation two-phase flow, and a second subsystem of solute and particle convection-diffusion equations. Particle transport equations are subject to mechanistic rate laws of colloidal, hydrodynamic release from pore surfaces, blocking in pore bodies and pore throats, and interphase particle transfer. The model was validated against available laboratory experiments at the core scale. Example results reveal that lower CO₂ residual saturation and formation porosity enhance CO₂-wet particle mobility and clogging around sinks and production wells. We conclude from more realistic simulations with heterogeneous permeability spanning several orders of magnitude that the control mode of mobilization, capture of particles, and permeability reduction processes strongly depends on the type of permeability distribution and connectivity between injection and production wells.     

The geochemical behavior of refractory noble metals and lithophile trace elements in refractory inclusions in carbonaceous chondrites

Recent models of Ca, Al-rich inclusion (CAI) petrogenesis suggest that refractory inclusions may be residues of interstellar dust aggregates that were incompletely evaporated and partially melted in the solar nebula. These models, and the recent availability of new thermodynamic data, have led us to re-examine the traditional interpretation that lithophile refractory trace elements (LRTE) condensed as oxides in solid solution in refractory major condensates, while refractory noble metals (RNM) condensed as micron-sized nuggets of Pt-metal alloys. Calculations of LRTE-RNM alloy stability fields under nebular oxygen fugacities and partitioning experiments lead us to conclude that: (1) Ti, Zr, Nb, Hf, U, and Ta form stable alloys with RNM under nebular conditions; (2) the observation that metallic Zr, Nb, and Ta occur in some Pt-metal nuggets and grains is explained by the stability of these LRTE-RNM alloys under normal nebular oxygen fugacities; (3) metallic Ti, Hf, and U may also occur in some nuggets; (4) the lanthanides, the other actinides (Th, Pu), and Y do not form stable alloys, and thus probably do not occur alloyed with RNM; and (5) the partitioning of U (but not Th, Pu, or the REE) into RNM is a novel actinide and REE/actinide fractionation mechanism that is based on metal/silicate fractionation (rather than on the relative volatility of their oxides).We propose that micron-sized Pt-metal nuggets formed from smaller grains of RNM alloys and compounds during the evaporation and melting of primitive dust aggregates. This process would have been enhanced by: (1) the possibility that the RNM were present as compounds (especially with As and S) as well as metallic alloys in interstellar dust and in some primitive meteoritical material, since they often exhibit non-siderophile behavior; and (2) the fluxing of volatiles through CAI's during distillation. Microscopic nuggets are common in melilite chondrules, indicating that residence in a slowly-cooled silicate melt may have favored their formation. Cation diffusivity and variations in localf_O2 can explain why metallic LRTE-bearing nuggets are not common in CAI's (despite the relative stability of LRTE-RNM alloys). We propose that the lithophile component of Fremdlinge is enriched in super-refractory elements, and that Group II CAI's formed from Fremdlinge-poor dust. We interpret the Group II REE fractionation as a pre-solar event, and predict that Nd/Sm dating will yield an age greater than the canonical age of the solar system. If metal/silicate fractionation in a cold solar nebula can explain Group II REE patterns, the possibility that Group II CAI's are also distillation residues cannot be excluded.     

Sand dunes as potential sources of dust in northern China

While saltation bombardment of sand grains on a fine substrate can produce considerable dust, the well-sorted nature of sand dunes tends to preclude them from consideration as major dust sources. Recent research, however, has revealed that sand dunes can, in some cases, be large sources of dust. We used the PI-SWERL(Portable In-Situ Wind Erosion Laboratory) to measure in the field the potential of sand dunes and other desert landforms to emit particulate matter 10 μm(PM-10) dust in the Tengger, Ulan Buh, and Mu Us deserts of northern China. Combined with high resolution particle size measurements of the dune sand, an assessment of sand dunes as a dust source can be made. Large active transverse dunes tend to contain little to no stored PM-10, yet they produce a low dust flux. Coppice dunes stabilized by vegetation contain appreciable PM-10 and have very high dust emission potential. There is a positive correlation between the amount of PM-10 stored in a dune and its potential dust flux. Saltation liberates loose fines stored in dunes, making them very efficient dust emitters compared to landforms such as dry lake beds and washes where dust particles are unavailable for aeolian transport due to protective crusts or sediment cohesion. In cases where large dunes do not store PM-10 yet emit dust when active, two hypotheses can be considered:(1) iron-oxide grain coatings are removed during saltation, creating dust, and(2) sand grains collide during saltation, abrading grains to create dust. Observations reveal that iron oxide coatings are present on some dune sands. PI-SWERL data suggests that low dust fluxes from dunes containing no stored dust may represent an estimate for the amount of PM-10 dust produced by removal of iron oxide coatings. These results are similar to results from dunes in the United States. In addition, PI-SWERL results suggest that dust-bearing coppice dunes, which cover vast areas of China's sandy deserts, may become major sources of dust in the future if overgrazing, depletion of groundwater, or drought destabilizes the vegetation that now partially covers these dunes.     

Simulations of spatial variability in particle‐size emissions during wind erosion events

This study simulates how spatial variations in particle‐size emissions from a playa affect bulk and size‐resolved dust concentration profiles during two contrasting wind erosion events (a small local and a large regional event) in the Channel Country, Lake Eyre Basin, Australia. The regional event had higher dust concentration as a result of stronger frontal winds and higher erodibility across the playa. For each event, two emission scenarios are simulated to determine if measured size‐resolved dust concentration profiles can be explained by spatial variability in source area emissions. The first scenario assumes that particle‐size emissions from source areas occur at a uniform rate, while the second scenario assumes that particle‐size emissions vary between and within source areas. The uniform emission scenario, reproduced measured bulk dust concentration profiles (R² = 0·93 regional and R² = 0·81 local), however simulated size‐resolved dust concentration profiles had poor statistical fits to measured size‐resolved profiles for each size class (the highest were R² = 0·5 regional and R² = 0·3 local). For the differential particle‐size emission scenario, the fit to the measured bulk dust concentration profiles is improved (R² = 0·97 regional and R² = 0·83 local). However, the fit to the size‐resolved profiles improved dramatically, with the lowest being R² = 0·89 (regional) and R² = 0·80 (local). Particle‐size emission models should therefore be tested against both bulk and size‐resolved dust concentration profiles, since if only bulk dust concentration profiles are used model performance may be over‐stated. As the source areas in the first 90 m upwind of the tower were similar for both events, the percentage contributions of each particle‐size class to total emissions can be compared. The contribution of each particle‐size class was similar even though the wind speed, turbulence and dust concentrations were significantly different; suggesting that the contribution of each particle‐size to the total emitted dusts is not related to wind speed and turbulence. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transmission electron microscopy of the “LOW-CA” hydrated interplanetary dust particle

Transmission electron microscopy of a hydrated interplanetary dust particle indicates that it consists largely of a poorly crystalline phyllosilicate containing Fe, Mg and Al with an interlayer spacing of 10 to 12Åand so is distinct from the major phyllosilicate in CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites. The silicate is probably an Fe- and Mg-rich smectite or mica. Submicron, spherical to euhedral pyrrhotite and pentlandite are prominent. Unusual, low-Ni ( < 3 at.% Ni) pentlandite is also common and typically occurs as rectangular platelets. Unlike many chondritic interplanetary dust particles, olivine is rare and pyroxene was not observed. Other less abundant phases are magnetite, chromite, and an unidentified phase containing Fe, Mg, Si, Ca, and Mn. This particle differs from a hydrated micrometeorite described previously by Brownlee [1], indicating there are mineralogically different subsets of hydrated interplanetary dust particles. Despite gross similarities in mineralogy between the particle and the carbonaceous chondrites, they show appreciable differences in detail.     

A holistic computational model for prediction of clay suspension structure

The formation of clay suspensions involves complex interactions among clay particles subjected to the geochemical environment during the sedimentation process. The structural characteristics have a major influence on the physical and mechanical behavior of the suspension. A modeling framework involving a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model with customized particle mechanical interactions is proposed in this paper for the holistic prediction of the physical structure of clay suspensions. The particle interaction force model is based on the Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek (DLVO) theory that accounts for electrostatic repulsion, van der Waals attraction, contact repulsion, etc. Kaolinite is used as the model clay to demonstrate the model performance. The surface charge density of kaolinite is obtained through Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) force measurement and is implemented in the particle interaction force model in the subsequent simulations. Influencing factors, such as centrifugal acceleration, ionic concentration, platy structure of particles, and particle size, on the formation of kaolinite suspensions are studied with the numerical model and compare favorably well with the experimental data. This work lays down a unique framework consisting of computational modeling and microscale characterization of clay particles to holistically predict the characteristics of clay suspensions, which paves the basis to model and predict their bulk physical and mechanical behavior.     

Vertical dispersion of dust particles in a turbulent boundary layer

The flow of glass dust particles in air was investigated experimentally over a flat bed in a wind tunnel. Particle concentrations were measured by light scattering diffusion (LSD) and digital image processing. It was verified that saltation is the main mechanism for ejection of dust particles. Vertical mean dust concentrations for ‘pure dust’ and two mixtures of dust and saltating glass particles were determined and analysed. The experiments confirmed that for the ‘pure dust’ configuration the mean concentration decreases as a power function with height. For the mixture configurations and for free stream velocities close to the threshold velocity, the mean concentration also decreases in a power function. For higher velocities, mean concentration decreases respectively as a power function or exponential function for large and small ratios of the dust:saltating particles respectively. The exponent of the power law reflects the dust:particle ratio and the free stream flow velocity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radiogenic Hf isotopic compositions of continental eolian dust from Asia, its variability and its implications for seawater Hf

The inorganic silicate fraction extracted from bulk pelagic sediments from the North Pacific Ocean is eolian dust. It monitors the composition of continental crust exposed to erosion in Asia. ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios of modern dust are sub-chondritic between 0.011 and 0.016 but slightly elevated with respect to immature sediments. Modern dust samples display a large range in Hf isotopic composition (IC), −4.70<?_Hf<+16.45, which encompasses that observed for the time series of DSDP cores 885/886 and piston core LL44-GPC3 extending back to the late Cretaceous. Hafnium and neodymium isotopic results are consistent with a dominantly binary mixture of dust contributed from island arc volcanic material and dust from central Asia. The Hf-Nd isotopic correlation for all modern dust samples, ?_Hf=0.78?_Nd+5.66 (n=22, R²=0.79), is flatter than those reported so far for terrestrial reservoirs. Moreover, the variability in ?_Hf of Asian dust exceeds that predicted on the basis of corresponding ?_Nd values (−4.7<?_Hf<+2.5; −10.9<?_Nd<−10.1). This is attributed to: (1) the fixing of an important unradiogenic fraction of Hf in zircons, balanced by radiogenic Hf that is mobile in the erosional cycle, (2) the elevated Lu/Hf ratio in chemical sediments which, given time, results in a Hf signature that is radiogenic compared with Hf expected from its corresponding Nd isotopic components, and (3) the possibility that diagenetic resetting of marine sediments may incorporate a significant radiogenic Hf component into diagenetically grown minerals such as illite. Together, these processes may explain the variability and more radiogenic character of Hf isotopes when compared to the Nd isotopic signatures of Asian dust. The Hf-Nd isotope time series of eolian dust are consistent with the results of modern dust except two samples that have extremely radiogenic Hf for their Nd (?_Hf=+8.6 and +10.3, ?_Nd=−9.5 and −9.8). These data may point to a source contribution of dust unresolved by Nd and Pb isotopes. The Hf IC of eolian dust input to the oceans may be more variable and more radiogenic than previously anticipated. The Hf signature of Pacific seawater, however, has varied little over the past 20 Myr, especially across the drastic increase of eolian dust flux from Asia around 3.5 Ma. Therefore, continental contributions to seawater Hf appear to be riverine rather than eolian. Current predictions regarding the relative proportions of source components to seawater Hf must account for the presence of a variable and radiogenic continental component. Data on the IC and flux of river-dissolved Hf to the oceans are urgently required to better estimate contributions to seawater Hf. This then would permit the use of Hf isotopes as a monitor of past changes in erosion.     

From soil aggregates to riverine flocs: a laboratory experiment assessing the respective effects of soil type and flow shear stress on particles characteristics

Particles eroded from hillslopes and exported to rivers are recognized to be composite particles of high internal complexity. Their architecture and composition are known to influence their transport behaviour within the water column relative to discrete particles. To‐date, hillslope erosion studies consider aggregates to be stable once they are detached from the soil matrix. However, lowland rivers and estuaries studies often suggest that particle structure and dynamics are controlled by flocculation within the water column. In order to improve the understanding of particle dynamics along the continuum from hillslopes to the lowland river environment, soil particle behaviour was tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Seven flume erosion and deposition experiments, designed to simulate a natural erosive event, and five shear cell experiments were performed using three contrasting materials: two of them were poorly developed and as such can not be considered as soils, whilst the third one was a calcareous brown soil. These experiments revealed that soil aggregates were prone to disaggregation within the water column and that flocculation may affect their size distribution during transport. Large differences in effective particle size were found between soil types during the rising limb of the bed shear stress sequence. Indeed, at the maximum applied bed shear stress, the aggregated particles median diameter was found to be three times larger for the well‐developed soil than for the two others. Differences were smaller in the falling limb, suggesting that soil aggregates underwent structural changes. However, characterization of particles strength parameters showed that these changes did not fully turn soil aggregates into flocs, but rather into hybrid soil aggregate–floc particles. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The formation of high-grade ignimbrites, I: Experiments on high- and low-concentration transport systems containing sticky particles

 High-grade ignimbrites are thought to be deposited by pyroclastic flows at temperatures exceeding minimum welding temperature or even solidus temperature. Corresponding pyroclastic-flow particles range from plastic to partially liquid and are able to aggregate or coalesce. This contrasts with particles in pyroclastic flows producing unwelded ignimbrite, which are capable of elastic grain interactions. The low aspect ratio and great areal extent of high-grade ignimbrites requires transport in a particulate state either by (a) high-concentration mass flow facilitated by fluidizing gas reducing internal friction, or by (b) expanded turbulent flow of low but downward increasing concentration. This paper presents experiments designed to investigate the effects of plastic to liquid particles on these two contrasting transport mechanisms. Gas fluidization experiments using polyethyleneglycole (PEG) powders heated above minimum sintering (T_ms) and melting (T_m) temperatures cover a wide range of fluidization velocities (U_mf>U_a>0.6·U_t) but are always in the bubbly fluidization regime similar to fluidized ignimbrite ash, where particle volume concentration outside the bubbles is high (≈10^–1). When the powders reach a critical temperature T_m≥T≥T_ms, defluidization by catastrophic particle aggregation immediately commences in both stationary and laterally moving fluidized beds as well as in experiments using mixtures of high- and low-T_m (≥30 wt.%) PEG powders, when T≥T_ms of the lower-T_m powder. This indicates that extended particulate transport at T≥T_ms is not possible at such high particle concentrations. In the turbulent flow experiments, liquid sprays of molten PEG or water, vertically injected into a high-Re (>10⁴) horizontal air flow, form a low-concentration (10^–5 to 10^–4) turbulent suspension current. Proximal formation of partially coalesced aggregates, which settle faster than individual particles, causes the measured downstream decay of sedimentation rate to be steeper than predicted by theory of single solid-particle sedimentation from turbulent suspensions. As particles become finer downstream and coalescence efficiency decreases in response to cooling, more distally formed aggregates become too small and rare to modify sedimentation-rate decay from that of suspension flows containing solid particles. The key difference between the two transport systems is particle concentration, C. Since particle collision rate R_coll∝C², collision rates in fluidized beds are so high that all particles immediately aggregate when coalescence efficiency (1≥E_coal≥0) is larger than 10^-3. Low-concentration suspensions, on the other hand, require much higher values of E_coal for significant aggregation to occur. Dilute pyroclastic flows will have higher particle volume fractions (≈10^–3) than the experimental currents, but then viscous pyroclasts should have lower coalescence efficiencies than PEG droplets. Experimental results thus support an expanded turbulent transport mechanism of pyroclastic flows generating extensive high-grade ignimbrite sheets. Received: 28 August 1996 / Accepted: 3 December 1997     

Bacterial flora and antibiotic resistance from eggs of green turtles Chelonia mydas: An indication of polluted effluents

Sea turtles migrate to various habitats where they can be exposed to different pollutants. Bacteria were collected from turtle eggs and their resistance to antibiotics was used as pollutant bio-indicators of contaminated effluents. Eggs were collected randomly from turtles when they were laying their eggs. A total of 90 eggs were collected and placed into sterile plastic bags (3 eggs/turtle) during June-December of 2003. The bacteria located in the eggshell, albumen and yolk were examined, and 42% of the eggs were contaminated with 10 genera of bacteria. Pseudomonas spp. were the most frequent isolates. The albumen was found to be the part of the egg to be the least contaminated by bacterial infection. Bacterial isolates tested with 14 antibiotics showed variations in resistance. Resistance to ampicillin was the highest. The presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in eggs indicates that the green turtle populations were subjected to polluted effluents during some of their migratory routes and feeding habitats. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that Salmonella typhimurium penetrated all eggshell layers.     

空间尘埃等离子体电磁散射特性研究

基于尘埃等离子体Mie-Debye散射模型,研究平衡态下尘埃等离子体中带电尘埃的电磁散射特性.根据输运理论计算高层大气环境中尘埃等离子体层的电磁散射场,给出电磁波垂直入射时尘埃等离子体层的反射函数,同时分析不同浓度、不同粒径分布状态下尘埃等离子体层对电磁波传播的影响.结果表明:尘埃粒子尺度对其电磁散射特性影响非常大;在对数正态分布情况下,当入射波长远大于Debye半径时,尘埃等离子体的散射主要表现为Debye散射,而入射波长远小于Debye半径时,Mie散射占主要部分;并且尘埃等离子体层对电磁波的衰减随尘埃粒子浓度以及尘埃粒子半径的增大而明显增强.