Article
Environmental Sciences
Mawutorli Nyarku, Giorgio Buonanno, Francis Ofosu, Rohan Jayaratne, Mandana Mazaheri, Lidia Morawska
Summary: This study investigated the concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFP) in different environments in and around Accra, Ghana, with a focus on the impact of factors such as vehicular traffic, open-air burning, wind direction, lifestyle, and sociocultural factors. The results revealed high levels of UFP in many investigated microenvironments, highlighting the potential health risks for sensitive groups and emphasizing the urgent need for controlling air pollution in Accra.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Patrick Martens, Hendryk Czech, Jarkko Tissari, Mika Ihalainen, Heikki Suhonen, Martin Sklorz, Jorma Jokiniemi, Olli Sippula, Ralf Zimmermann
Summary: Compared to wood, brown coal briquettes (BCBs) made from Lusatian lignite showed higher emissions of compounds attributed to lignin decomposition, while emissions from pyrosynthesis did not differ significantly. Additionally, BCB combustion resulted in a 20-fold higher emission factor for SO2, known for its deleterious effects. Replacing BCBs with logwood for residential heating may be beneficial for human health due to vast differences in SO2 emissions, although the potential impact from reducing organic emissions is uncertain.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Peng Chen, Youxuan Li, Yangmei Zhang, Chunyu Xue, Philip K. Hopke, Xinghua Li
Summary: Residential biomass combustion in developing countries produces significant primary particulate matter emissions. This study investigated the dynamic changes of emitted PM chemical composition from a typical improved stove burning wood and crop straw in China. The results showed higher emissions of pollutants, including organic aerosol and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, during the flaming stage of combustion. The study also explored the role of PAHs as intermediate products in the conversion of organic aerosol to black carbon.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jan Polacik, Tomas Sitek, Jiri Pospisil, Ladislav Snajdarek, Martin Lisy
Summary: The emission of fine particles from biomass boilers and stoves poses health risks. This study examined the real emissions from small biomass boilers and residential stoves in Central Europe, comparing the characteristics of emissions under different fuels and operating cycles.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Niko P. Niemela, Fanni Myllari, Niina Kuittinen, Minna Aurela, Aku Helin, Joel Kuula, Kimmo Teinila, Markus Nikka, Oskari Vainio, Anssi Arffman, Henna Lintusaari, Hilkka Timonen, Topi Ronkko, Tero Joronen
Summary: This study investigates the soot and aerosol processes in a modern 100 MWth biomass combustion plant through experimental data collection and modeling, revealing efficient wood-powder combustion and the composition of fine particles mainly being K2SO4. The study provides a comprehensive understanding of aerosol processes inside the furnace.
COMBUSTION AND FLAME
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zheng Zong, Xiaolan Shi, Zeyu Sun, Chongguo Tian, Jun Li, Yunting Fang, Huiwang Gao, Gan Zhang
Summary: Stable nitrogen isotope (delta 15N) technology was used to study nitrogen oxides (NOx) from residential combustion in North China. The study found a significant linear relation between the delta 15N-NOx produced from biomass burning and the delta 15N of biomass. The delta 15N-NOx from residential coal combustion was higher and influenced by a mixture of thermal- and fuel-released NOx.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Abidemi Kuye, Prashant Kumar
Summary: This review summarizes the emissions and chemical composition of ultrafine particles (UFPs) from residential solid fuel combustion, and evaluates the factors affecting their emissions and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. The study found that emissions are influenced by fuel quality, stove types, and combustion conditions. UFPs are mainly emitted during the coking and flaming phases of combustion. Improved stoves, mineral additives, and small-scale electrostatic precipitators have limited effectiveness in reducing UFP emissions. Further research on different improved heating stoves is needed to better understand their emissions of UFPs.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaoxiao Li, Yuyang Li, Michael J. Lawler, Jiming Hao, James N. Smith, Jingkun Jiang
Summary: The study modified a TDCIMS to measure the composition of UFPs in urban Beijing without the use of radioactive materials. The results showed that UFPs in urban areas contain more nitrogen and sulfur-containing compounds compared to those in forest and marine sites.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Worradorn Phairuang, Surapa Hongtieab, Panwadee Suwattiga, Masami Furuuchi, Mitsuhiko Hata
Summary: This study monitored seasonal variations in ultrafine particulate matter (PM0.1) in Bangkok, Thailand and found that biomass burning in neighboring areas increases particle concentration. OC and EC carbon species, as well as OC/EC ratios, were observed to increase significantly in both wet and dry seasons, indicating that vehicle exhausts are the main influence on PM0.1 in the Bangkok atmosphere. The study also revealed that carbonaceous aerosols in Bangkok are light-absorbing and -scattering, with a greater contribution from secondary sources during the dry season, affecting climate and air quality. These findings are of great importance for air pollutant control policies in urban areas.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Patrick Martens, Hendryk Czech, Juergen Orasche, Guelcin Abbaszade, Martin Sklorz, Bernhard Michalke, Jarkko Tissari, Tine Bizjak, Mika Ihalainen, Heikki Suhonen, Pasi Yli-Pirila, Jorma Jokiniemi, Olli Sippula, Ralf Zimmermann
Summary: Residential heating with solid fuels, especially coal, contributes to poor air quality in Central and Eastern Europe. This study analyzed emissions from a single-room heater burning brown coal briquettes and spruce logs, focusing on the presence of inorganic, aromatic, and organic constituents. It was found that emissions from brown coal briquettes combustion were a significant source of levoglucosan, a biomass burning marker, and exhibited defunctionalization and desubstitution characteristics in the emitted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The study also used the concept of island and archipelago structural motifs to describe the fraction of low-volatile organic compounds in particulate emissions, revealing different patterns between brown coal briquette and spruce logwood combustion.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tadeusz Czech
Summary: This study investigated the properties of iron and other metal particles in coal fly ash by analyzing their structure, composition, and phase using various instruments.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xin Lu, Ellen Weiner, Elizabeth Smiley, Mark Widdowson, Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz
Summary: Underground storage tanks for petroleum or hazardous substances are commonly used for home heating, but leaks and spills can pose health risks from subsurface petroleum vapors. Research on soil gas composition at remediated sites in Virginia showed wide variations in total petroleum hydrocarbons, with poorly correlated differences in hydrocarbons of varying carbon numbers or degrees of unsaturation. The composition and magnitude of residual contamination at these sites are driven by rarely documented spill characteristics, such as age and composition of source material.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Luke Stover, Christian Caillol, Bruno Piriou, Claire Mayer-Laigle, Xavier Rouau, Gilles Vaitilingom
Summary: An alternative strategy for implementing biofuels in engines is to use minimally refined biofuels and redirect savings to engine modifications. However, the combustion of micronized biomass powder has not been thoroughly studied compared to the widely researched use of coal dust in engines.
Article
Thermodynamics
Yongsheng Jia, Yingjie Wang, Qi Zhang, Hongwei Rong, Yuhuan Liu, Bo Xiao, Dabin Guo, Mahmood Laghari, Roger Ruan
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between particle size of sawdust and gas-carrying capacity, as well as its influence on combustion temperature. The results show that sawdust particles with a size of 150-180 μm have the best gas-carrying performance and highest combustion temperature.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jian Sun, Zhenxing Shen, Bin Zhang, Leiming Zhang, Yue Zhang, Qian Zhang, Diwei Wang, Yu Huang, Suixin Liu, Junji Cao
Summary: Incomplete combustion of solid fuels (animal dung and bituminous coal) during residential cooking and heating in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau leads to significant emissions of pollutants such as CO, PAHs, VOCs, PM2.5, and carbonaceous aerosols. The emission factors are higher than those reported in the literature, likely due to the region's high altitudes and deficient air supply to stoves. Attention should be paid to the emissions of PAH derivatives from solid fuel combustion in the QTP.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Sara Valentini, Vera Bernardoni, Ezio Bolzacchini, Davide Ciniglia, Luca Ferrero, Alice Corina Forello, Dario Massabo, Marco Pandolfi, Paolo Prati, Francesca Soldan, Gianluigi Valli, Jesus Yus-Diez, Andres Alastuey, Roberta Vecchi
Summary: This study compared off-line measurements of PP_UniMI and on-line measurements from MAAP, finding a 5% agreement when using the same assumptions, but larger differences when exploiting high-angular resolved information. The study also identified that fixing the back-scattered radiation fraction B-M at 0.7 in MAAP was the main cause of discrepancies in the results.
JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
F. Crova, G. Valli, V Bernardoni, A. C. Forello, S. Valentini, R. Vecchi
Summary: Measurements of short- and long-lived Radon progeny attached to atmospheric fine aerosols in Milan, Italy from 1999 to 2016 showed seasonal variations but no significant long-term trends. Results suggest that the Pb-210/Bi-214 couple provides reliable estimates for aerosol residence time.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
E. Nozza, S. Valentini, G. Melzi, R. Vecchi, E. Corsini
Summary: This review examines the potential link between outdoor particulate matter and health outcomes, specifically focusing on pulmonary infections and the observed negative effects. The literature suggests that particulate matter can threaten human health by increasing susceptibility or direct interaction with infectious agents.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fabiana Scotto, Dimitri Bacco, Stefano Lasagni, Arianna Trentini, Vanes Poluzzi, Roberta Vecchi
Summary: A source apportionment study was conducted on four sites in the Emilia-Romagna region of the southern Po Valley in Italy over a period of four years, revealing that traffic and biomass burning are the main sources of PM2.5 pollution, with agriculture making a relatively low contribution. The chemical profiles of factors were found to be very similar among all sites, indicating common main pollution sources, but some variations in source contributions were observed.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
L. Ferrero, V. Bernardoni, L. Santagostini, S. Cogliati, F. Soldan, S. Valentini, D. Massabo, G. Mocnik, A. Gregoric, M. Rigler, P. Prati, A. Bigogno, N. Losi, G. Valli, R. Vecchi, E. Bolzacchini
Summary: Accurate and temporally consistent measurements of light absorbing aerosol heating rate and its source apportionment and speciation are necessary for evaluating short-term climate forcing. Different reference devices or approaches may lead to overestimation of the heating rate, highlighting the need for further studies on the influence of wavelength corrections.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francesca Costabile, Stefano Decesari, Roberta Vecchi, Franco Lucarelli, Gabriele Curci, Dario Massabo, Matteo Rinaldi, Maurizio Gualtieri, Emanuela Corsini, Elena Menegola, Silvia Canepari, Lorenzo Massimi, Stefania Argentini, Maurizio Busetto, Gianluca Di Iulio, Luca Di Liberto, Marco Paglione, Igor Petenko, Mara Russo, Angela Marinoni, Gianpietro Casasanta, Sara Valentini, Vera Bernardoni, Federica Crova, Gianluigi Valli, Alice Corina Forello, Fabio Giardi, Silvia Nava, Giulia Pazzi, Paolo Prati, Virginia Vernocchi, Teresa La Torretta, Ettore Petralia, Milena Stracquadanio, Gabriele Zanini, Gloria Melzi, Emma Nozza, Martina Iulini, Donatella Caruso, Lucia Cioffi, Gabriele Imperato, Flavio Giavarini, Maria Battistoni, Francesca Di Renzo, Maria Agostina Frezzini, Cinzia Perrino, Maria Cristina Facchini
Summary: The RHAPS project aims to identify specific properties of fine atmospheric aerosols from combustion sources that are toxic and can be used as new metrics for health-related outdoor pollution studies. Preliminary results suggest a higher complexity in the relations between atmospheric aerosols and toxicity, beyond the commonly used PM1 metrics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gloria Melzi, Emma Nozza, Maria Agostina Frezzini, Silvia Canepari, Roberta Vecchi, Llorenc Cremonesi, Marco Potenza, Marina Marinovich, Emanuela Corsini
Summary: This study investigated the biological effects of PM from five relevant sources. The results showed a differential response of bronchial cells to each type of PM, highlighting their toxic potential. This comparison could be a starting point for regulatory intervention.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Marilena Teri, Thomas Mueller, Josef Gasteiger, Sara Valentini, Helmuth Horvath, Roberta Vecchi, Paulus Bauer, Adrian Walser, Bernadett Weinzierl
Summary: This study compares the angular truncation and illumination corrections of different nephelometer measurements for coarse-mode irregularly shaped aerosols. It is found that the angular correction for irregular particles is only about 2% higher than that for volume-equivalent spheres. In addition, when the particle size distribution is retrieved from optical particle spectrometer measurements and the irregular shape effect is not considered, the angular correction can be overestimated.
ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jesus Yus-Diez, Vera Bernardoni, Grisa Mocnik, Andres Alastuey, Davide Ciniglia, Matic Ivancic, Xavier Querol, Noemi Perez, Cristina Reche, Martin Rigler, Roberta Vecchi, Sara Valentini, Marco Pandolfi
Summary: Reliable observations of aerosol particles' absorption properties are crucial for understanding their effects on climate. The AE33 instrument is widely used for in-situ surface measurements of these properties, but accurate determination of absorption coefficients depends on non-linear processes related to sample collection on filters. Different filter tapes used in AE33 have an impact on the correction factor C and its wavelength dependence, affecting the accuracy of absorption coefficients derived from measurements.
ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Toxicology
G. Melzi, E. Nozza, M. A. Frezzini, S. Canepari, E. Corsini, R. Vecchi, M. Marinovich
TOXICOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Toxicology
E. Nozza, G. Melzi, M. Gualtieri, E. Corsini, F. Costabile, A. Moretto, R. Vecchi, M. Marinovich
TOXICOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
F. Crova, V. Bernardoni, A. C. Forello, S. Valentini, G. Valli, R. Vecchi
Summary: This paper illustrates the main steps for a robust analysis of size-segregated data on atmospheric aerosol samples, using the MICRON code for data inversion and sensitivity testing on main input parameters. A method to fit the inverted distribution with log-normal functions and validate the final output has been implemented and discussed through a case-study.
NUOVO CIMENTO C-COLLOQUIA AND COMMUNICATIONS IN PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Vera Bernardoni, Luca Ferrero, Ezio Bolzacchini, Alice Corina Forello, Asta Gregoric, Dario Massabo, Grisa Mocnik, Paolo Prati, Martin Rigler, Luca Santagostini, Francesca Soldan, Sara Valentini, Gianluigi Valli, Roberta Vecchi
Summary: By comparing data from different instruments and optimizing multiple-scattering enhancement parameters, consistency in optical source apportionment results can be achieved. However, challenges still exist in determining the absorption Angstrom exponent for brown carbon when using the component apportionment MWAA model.
ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
S. Romano, R. Vecchi, M. R. Perrone
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
C. A. Belis, D. Pernigotti, G. Pirovano, O. Favez, J. L. Jaffrezo, J. Kuenen, H. Denier van Der Gon, M. Reizer, V Riffault, L. Y. Alleman, M. Almeida, F. Amato, A. Angyal, G. Argyropoulos, S. Bande, I Beslic, J-L Besombes, M. C. Bove, P. Brotto, G. Calori, D. Cesari, C. Colombi, D. Contini, G. De Gennaro, A. Di Gilio, E. Diapouli, I El Haddad, H. Elbern, K. Eleftheriadis, J. Ferreira, M. Garcia Vivanco, S. Gilardoni, B. Golly, S. Hellebust, P. K. Hopke, Y. Izadmanesh, H. Jorquera, K. Krajsek, R. Kranenburg, P. Lazzeri, F. Lenartz, F. Lucarelli, K. Maciejewska, A. Manders, M. Manousakas, M. Masiol, M. Mircea, D. Mooibroek, S. Nava, D. Oliveira, M. Paglione, M. Pandolfi, M. Perrone, E. Petralia, A. Pietrodangelo, S. Pillon, P. Pokorna, P. Prati, D. Salameh, C. Samara, L. Samek, D. Saraga, S. Sauvage, M. Schaap, F. Scotto, K. Sega, G. Siour, R. Tauler, G. Valli, R. Vecchi, E. Venturini, M. Vestenius, A. Waked, E. Yubero
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT-X
(2020)
