Review
Environmental Sciences
T. J. Arciszewski
Summary: Research on Canada's oil sands region has found contaminants throughout the surrounding environment, with the combustion of petroleum coke identified as a significant factor in the deposition of these contaminants. By analyzing published data and incorporating facility production and climate variables, this study has identified associations between specific facility activities and climate factors with the deposition of contaminants, providing a more nuanced understanding of their sources and practices associated with their release.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Warren Zubot, Zhexuan An, Chelsea Benally, Mohamed Gamal El-Din
Summary: This study showed that using petroleum coke (PC) produced by a Fluid Coking Process as an adsorbent for oil sands process water (OSPW) treatment is highly efficient. Filtration through the PC deposit effectively removes suspended solids in OSPW and reduces the concentration of organic compounds and other pollutants. The adsorption process by PC can achieve over 80% removal efficiency for organic compounds, and the concentrations of elements like vanadium can change with PC contact.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Arslan, Mohamed Gamal El-Din
Summary: The study found that delayed petroleum-coke (PC) in fixed bed biofilters can be used to degrade naphthenic acids (NAs) and aromatics in oil sands process water (OSPW), effectively removing some NAs and aromatics, but the removal of oxidized NAs species was poor.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mojtaba Abdolahnezhad, Matthew B. J. Lindsay
Summary: Petroleum coke has the potential to release vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum into water resources in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in Canada. The release of these metals is influenced by the water chemistry, particularly the pH and surface reactions. Different influent water sources also result in variations in the release of these metals from petroleum coke.
JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chultem Batbold, Sonomdagva Chonokhuu, Khulan Buuveijargal, Khongor Gankhuyag
Summary: The study on atmospheric settled dust in Ulaanbaatar found various heavy metal elements, with higher concentrations in the southern part of the city. The distribution of heavy metals shows certain patterns in terms of sources and locations.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mabinty Sarah Tholley, Lartey Young George, Gehui Wang, Sajid Ullah, Zhihua Qiao, Siyuan Ling, Jinhong Wu, Cheng Peng, Wei Zhang
Summary: Potentially toxic metals in agricultural soil in China have raised environmental concerns, with a study finding their occurrence and distribution across 18 provinces. The health and ecological risks associated with these metals were evaluated, and their sources were predicted. Overall, the concentrations of the metals were below the threshold values for agricultural lands. However, there was a considerable cumulative ecological risk in certain regions, and the sources were mainly attributed to geological or anthropogenic activities.
PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Justine Perry T. Domingo, Bryne T. Ngwenya, Mikael Attal, Carlos Primo C. David, Simon M. Mudd
Summary: This study examined the provenance, partitioning, and enrichment of metals in the floodplain of a mining-affected area in the Philippines. The results showed that the flood deposits were primarily induced by mining activities. Additionally, the background concentrations of nickel and chromium exceeded the threshold values set by international sediment quality guidelines, highlighting the need for site-specific guidelines in mineralized areas.
APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Abdulla Al Mamun, Valbona Celo, Ewa Dabek-Zlotorzynska, Jean-Pierre Charland, Irene Cheng, Leiming Zhang
Summary: The oil sands industries in Alberta, Canada are potential sources of particulate-bound elements in the region. A study conducted in the Athabasca oil sands region found that concentrations of particulate elements were generally lower than urban and industrial sites in North America, with S and Zn being the most abundant elements. The sources of these elements included crustal dust, bitumen processing, haul road dust, biomass burning, and fugitive oil sands, with the oil sands industry significantly contributing to ambient element concentration levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bithun Sarkar, Hazel Fricska, Qiyang Gao, Shitang Tong, Charles Q. Q. Jia
Summary: Petroleum coke-derived activated cokes were prepared and used for adsorptive removal of naphthenic acid (NA) from synthetic oil sands process affected water (OSPW). CO2 activation produced carbon with a larger mesopore volume fraction than steam activation. Prolonging CO2 activation time led to an increase in specific surface area and mesopore volume.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fuquan Yang, Abdulla Al Mamun, Irene Cheng, Xin Qiu, Leiming Zhang
Summary: Model sensitivity tests were conducted to investigate the contributions of emission sources from oil sands activities and other sources to the ambient concentrations and deposition of 29 particulate elements in the Athabasca oil sands region of Canada. The results showed that the majority of element concentrations were linked to the oil sands source sector, which accounted for 78% and 68% of the sum of ambient concentrations in PM2.5 and PM2.5-10, respectively. The risks associated with inhalation exposure to airborne elements were below the recommended threshold levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoqian Deng, Yuling Wu, Ye Liang, Longjiang Mao, Zhihai Tan, Wanzhu Feng, Yuanzhi Zhang
Summary: Urban river runoff is a significant pathway for heavy metal pollution in coastal areas, with the study identifying the Shawang River and Linhong River as the most polluted rivers. Heavy metals in the river sediments were found to originate from both anthropogenic and natural sources, with lead mainly coming from natural sources, leaded gasoline vehicle exhausts, and coal combustion, and strontium from natural and anthropogenic sources. Isotope analysis revealed that anthropogenic inputs were the predominant source of heavy metals in the urban river sediments flowing into Haizhou Bay.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kifayatullah Khan, Abdul Mohsin, Hafiz Muhammad Adeel Sharif, Afsheen Maryam, Jafar Ali, Xu Li, Sobhy Mostafa Ibrahim, Muhammad Ayaz, Yunqiao Zhou, Muhammad Younas
Summary: This study focuses on soil pollution with heavy metals in the basin of River Swat, Pakistan, revealing that the most abundant heavy metals in the soil are Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Co, Cd, and Hg. The pollution is mainly caused by human activities in the area. Pollution indices evaluation indicates that the soil in the region is generally highly contaminated with heavy metals.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jingshu Wang, Jinhui Jeanne Huang, Catherine Mulligan
Summary: This study found that industrial and construction activities are the main sources of metals in road dust, with varying health risks in different seasons. For children, non-exhaust traffic emissions are the main factor contributing to carcinogenic risks in spring and summer. The ingestion route of metals poses the greatest threat to human health.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yifeng Zhang, William Shotyk, Rick Pelletier, Claudio Zaccone, Tommy Noernberg, Gillian Mullan-Boudreau, Jonathan W. Martin
Summary: With industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) in northern Alberta, the atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increased. The main source of PAHs to moss in the region is the deposition of particles from the atmosphere. PAH concentrations in the near-field AOSR sites were significantly higher than those in the far-field AOSR sites or reference sites in Alberta. The major sources of PAHs in the AOSR were estimated to be delayed petcoke and fine tailings. Dust control measures should be considered to protect human and environmental health, especially in the northern quadrant of the AOSR.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mohsen Heidari, Tooba Darijani, Vali Alipour
Summary: The main sources of heavy metal pollution in road dust of urban and suburban areas are lithogenic sources and traffic emissions, with industrial/construction activities contributing significantly to ecological risk. Health risks in suburban areas are mainly attributed to traffic emissions, especially for arsenic cancer risk.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kirsten K. Smythe, Colin A. Cooke, Paul E. Drevnick, Robert J. Cornett, Jules M. Blais
Summary: The study found that alkylated polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in sediments from Cold Lake were elevated and increased with the onset of bitumen extraction in the area. The PAC sources to lake sediments were dominantly pyrogenic, likely from historic forest fires, but shifted to more petrogenic sources with expanding oil sands extraction at Cold Lake.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Joseph L. Wilkins, George Pouliot, Thomas Pierce, Amber Soja, Hyundeok Choi, Emily Gargulinski, Robert Gilliam, Jeffrey Vukovich, Matthew S. Landis
Summary: This study compares the performance of different algorithms in estimating smoke plume injection height (PIH) and suggests that meteorological inputs, temporal allocation, and heat release are the primary drivers for accurately modeling PIH.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Kasia J. Staniszewska, Alberto Reyes, Colin A. Cooke, Brooklyn S. Miller, Robin J. Woywitka
Summary: The impact of permafrost thaw on the fluxes of mercury, methylmercury, and lead in arctic watersheds is still unclear. Through studying the Old Crow River in arctic Canada, it was found that these trace elements were mainly associated with suspended sediment and mobilized during periods of high discharge. However, the widespread presence of thermokarst and thermokarst lakes in the watershed did not result in anomalous concentrations, fluxes, and yields of these trace metals.
Article
Ecology
Craig A. Emmerton, Paul E. Drevnick, Jessica A. Serbu, Colin A. Cooke, Jennifer A. Graydon, Megan Reichert, Marlene S. Evans, Mark E. McMaster
Summary: This study investigates the concentrations and yields of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in small tributaries and major transboundary rivers, and associates these patterns with THg concentrations in fish tissues. The results show that landscape conditions influence the changes of Hg in rivers and the concentrations of Hg in fish tissues. Site-specific monitoring of THg and MeHg concentrations in water and fish is crucial for assessing regional-level patterns in fish tissue concentrations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Byron A. Steinman, Nathan D. Stansell, Michael E. Mann, Colin A. Cooke, Mark B. Abbott, Mathias Vuille, Broxton W. Bird, Matthew S. Lachniet, Alejandro Fernandez
Summary: Uncertainty about the influence of anthropogenic radiative forcing on the position and strength of convective rainfall in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) inhibits our ability to project future tropical hydroclimate change in a warmer world. Paleoclimatic and modeling data inform on the timescales and mechanisms of ITCZ variability, yet a comprehensive, long-term perspective remains elusive. The study quantifies the evolution of neotropical hydroclimate over the past millennium and shows an interhemispheric pattern of precipitation antiphasing occurred on multicentury timescales in response to changes in natural radiative forcing. This reinforces the idea that ITCZ responses to external forcing are region specific, complicating projections of the tropical precipitation response to global warming.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrew R. Whitehill, Russell W. Long, Shawn P. Urbanski, Maribel Colon, Andrew Habel, Matthew S. Landis
Summary: Cairpol and Aeroqual air quality sensors were tested on biomass burning plumes to measure CO, CO2, NO2, and other species. The sensors were evaluated based on their agreement with reference instruments in terms of accuracy, precision, and other metrics. The results indicated that CO and CO2 sensors performed well, while NO2 sensors performed less accurately. The study also found inconsistencies in the performance of other sensors and highlighted the interference of O-3 in Aeroqual NO2 sensors.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Colin A. Cooke, Craig A. Emmerton, Yi Yi, Lucie Levesque, Nancy Glozier
Summary: The mining activities and wildfires in northeastern Alberta, Canada have increased the pollution of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in freshwater ecosystems. Through studying PACs in river water before and after the Fort McMurray wildfire, it was found that petrogenic PACs were the main source, while pyrogenic PACs mainly came from the wash-in of ash during short-term episodes of burned watersheds. This research provides new insights into the impacts of increasing wildfire frequency and severity in this industrialized region.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Colin A. Cooke, Paul E. Drevnick
Summary: Mountaintop removal coal mining has negative impacts on downstream ecosystems by delivering nutrients, ions, and heavy metals. This study shows that it also affects ecosystems downwind and releases polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs).
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Mitchell L. Kay, Izabela Jasiak, Wynona H. Klemt, Johan A. Wiklund, Jelle A. Faber, Lauren A. MacDonald, James V. K. Telford, Cory A. M. Savage, Colin A. Cooke, Brent B. Wolfe, Roland I. Hall
Summary: Large-scale mining activities in northwestern Canada have led to enrichment of hazardous metals and metalloids. Studying sediment metal concentrations in lakes can provide valuable information for evaluating the risk of contaminant dispersal and should be included in environmental monitoring programs.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Russell W. Long, Shawn P. Urbanski, Emily Lincoln, Maribel Colon, Surender Kaushik, Jonathan D. Krug, Robert W. Vanderpool, Matthew S. Landis
Summary: Particulate matter (PM) from wildland fires poses health risks to individuals living in affected areas, and limiting exposure is crucial for protecting public health. However, monitoring PM concentrations in smoke impacted environments is challenging due to measurement interferences and sampling conditions. This study evaluates the accuracy of the Teledyne-API Model T640 PM Mass monitor compared to the filter-based federal reference method (FRM) for measuring PM2.5 in laboratory-based studies. The T640 has gained popularity for monitoring PM2.5 in the US, but the study finds both positive and negative measurement artifacts associated with PM concentration and smoke aerosol properties. Overall, this study highlights the importance of accurate PM monitoring during wildland fire events.
JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shawn P. Urbanski, Russell W. Long, Hannah Halliday, Emily N. Lincoln, Andrew Habel, Matthew S. Landis
Summary: Wildland fires have significant impacts on air quality and climate due to the emission of gases and aerosols. The use of prescribed fires as a forest management tool can potentially reduce the adverse impacts of smoke production and greenhouse gas emissions. Our study provides pollutant emission factors for different fuel components from forest ecosystems, which are important for evaluating the mitigation of adverse impacts on air quality and greenhouse gases.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT-X
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michelle Kelvin, Steven Verpaele, Yamini Gopalapillai, Craig Poland, Matthew I. Leybourne, Daniel Layton-Matthews
Summary: Copper processing operations can generate airborne particles that pose health risks to workers. Monitoring worker exposure to chemicals is crucial for regulatory compliance with occupational exposure limits. This study used a novel combination of QEMSCAN and chemical characterization to evaluate airborne and settled dust in a copper smelter. The findings reveal differences in the composition of copper phases in dust at different locations, as well as the likelihood of certain copper minerals becoming airborne.
Article
Anthropology
Jacob L. Bongers, Vanessa Muros, Colleen O'Shea, Juliana Gomez Mejia, Colin A. Cooke, Michelle Young, Hans Barnard
Summary: In the Chincha Valley of southern Peru, pigmented human remains and grave goods have been found in over 100 large mortuary structures from different periods. The study investigates 38 red pigment samples to determine their sources and how they were applied to human remains. It reveals that cinnabar and hematite-based pigments were mixed with water and applied to individuals of various demographics, contributing to social difference and group identity.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mary M. Lynam, Lunia Oriol, Taylor Mann, J. Timothy Dvonch, James A. Barres, Lynne Gratz, Emily M. White, Matthew S. Landis, Natalie Mahowald, Chuanwu Xi, Allison L. Steiner
Summary: This study estimates the contributions of dry and wet deposition of total phosphorus (TP) to the Great Lakes region, using historical datasets and observing seasonal and geographic variations. The results indicate that wet deposition dominates over dry deposition in all lakes, except for Lake Huron. However, considering dry deposition of different particle sizes is necessary to accurately estimate the atmospheric deposition of TP over the Great Lakes.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Matthew S. Landis, Eric S. Edgerton
Summary: The Canadian Federal Government and the province of Alberta have implemented new and lower NO2 air quality standards. The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association conducted a three-year comparison of four NO2 analyzers in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, and found that the data from all analyzers were highly correlated and in agreement.
JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
(2023)