Mariusz Marć

Green Chemistry Metrics with Special Reference to Green Analytical Chemistry

The concept of green chemistry is widely recognized in chemical laboratories. To properly measure an environmental impact of chemical processes, dedicated assessment tools are required. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge in the field of development of green chemistry and green analytical chemistry metrics. The diverse methods used for evaluation of the greenness of organic synthesis, such as eco-footprint, E-Factor, EATOS, and Eco-Scale are described. Both the well-established and recently developed green analytical chemistry metrics, including NEMI labeling and analytical Eco-scale, are presented. Additionally, this paper focuses on the possibility of the use of multivariate statistics in evaluation of environmental impact of analytical procedures. All the above metrics are compared and discussed in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. The current needs and future perspectives in green chemistry metrics are also discussed.

Current air quality analytics and monitoring: A review

This review summarizes the different tools and concepts that are commonly applied in air quality monitoring. The monitoring of atmosphere is extremely important as the air quality is an important problem for large communities. Main requirements for analytical devices used for monitoring include a long period of autonomic operation and portability. These instruments, however, are often characterized by poor analytical performance. Monitoring networks are the most common tools used for monitoring, so large-scale monitoring programmes are summarized here. Biomonitoring, as a cheap and convenient alternative to traditional sample collection, is becoming more and more popular, although its main drawback is the lack of standard procedures. Telemonitoring is another approach to air monitoring, which offers some interesting opportunities, such as ease of coverage of large or remote areas, constituting a complementary approach to traditional strategies; however, it requires huge costs.

Application of passive sampling technique in monitoring research on quality of atmospheric air in the area of Tczew, Poland

This paper presents the results of atmospheric air quality research in Tczew (adjacent to the Vistula River) on the content of BTEX compounds. procedure applied during the sampling of the analytes from the air used the passive sampling technique (diffusive passive sampler, Radiello®). For determination of BTEX compounds in atmospheric air, two-stage thermal desorption technique combined with gas chromatography (TD-GC-FID) was applied. Research was conducted from March to December 2011. The annual average concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and total xylenes determined in atmospheric air for the monitoring period were: 0.87 μg m–3, 2.9 μg m–3, 1.3 μg m–3 and 5.9 μg m–3, respectively. In order to pre-identify potential sources of emissions of BTEX compounds, statistical analysis was carried out. This determined interactions between specified concentration levels of BTEX compounds in atmospheric air for the monitored area.

Mobile Systems (Portable, Handheld, Transportable) for Monitoring Air Pollution

The monitoring and analysis of atmospheric air pollutants is a rapidly developing branch of analytical chemistry. The in situ analysis of atmospheric air quality using mobile instrumentation is becoming routine. The article provides information on devices used in various kinds of mobile laboratories. It reviews the portable gas chromatographs and handheld devices used for detecting and determining specific harmful substances in ambient air. Innovative approaches in analytical instrumentation that can be used in air monitoring are presented, as are future trends in the field of mobile air monitoring systems.

Indoor air quality in public utility environments—a review

Indoor air quality has been the object of interest for scientists and specialists from the fields of science such as chemistry, medicine and ventilation system design. This results from a considerable number of potential factors, which may influence the quality of the broadly understood indoor air in a negative way. Poor quality of indoor air in various types of public utility buildings may significantly affect an increase in the incidence of various types of civilisation diseases. This paper presents information about a broad spectrum of chemical compounds that were identified and determined in the indoor environment of various types of public utility rooms such as churches, museums, libraries, temples and hospitals. An analysis of literature data allowed for identification of the most important transport paths of chemical compounds that significantly influence the quality of the indoor environment and thus the comfort of living and the health of persons staying in it.

Small-scale passive emission chamber for screening studies on monoterpene emission flux from the surface of wood-based indoor elements

Analysis of literature data published in the last few years leads to the conclusion that in the process of assessment of emission flux of organic compounds emitted from different types of equipment and finishing materials, new types of devices, among which small-scale passive emission chambers for the performance of in-situ research are designed and applied on a larger scale. These devices can be successfully used for the assessment of emission flux of organic compounds in any location of an apartment, with no interference with its normal exploitation. In the following article the possibility of application of a designed and constructed small-scale passive emission chamber for the evaluation of emission flux of organic compounds (mainly monoterpenes) emitted from the surface of wood-based material made of laminated chipboard has been presented. The emission chamber made from polished stainless steel of the inner volume of 3.65 dm(3) allows for the examination/assessment of emission flux from the surface of 452 cm(2). A diffusive passive sampler was installed inside of the small-scale chamber, which enables collecting samples of the analytes emitted from the examined surface of indoor material. The working time of the passive emission chamber equaled 300 min. The results of preliminary studies show that, the constructed device can be successfully used for screening studies, related with the determination of emission flux of monoterpenes from any type of wood-based flat surface located indoors.

The role of atmospheric precipitation in introducing contaminants to the surface waters of the Fuglebekken catchment, Spitsbergen

Although the Svalbard Archipelago is located at a high latitude, far from potential contaminant sources, it is not free from anthropogenic impact. Towards the Fuglebekken catchment, in the southern part of Spitsbergen, north of Hornsund fjord, contaminants can be transported from mainland pollution sources. In the precipitation and surface water collected in the catchment, the following elements were detected and quantified: Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Cs, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Tl, U, V and Zn. Additionally, pH, electrical conductivity and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined in those samples. The acidic reaction of precipitation waters was identified as an important factor intensifying the metal migration in this Arctic tundra environment. The air mass trajectory, surprisingly, explained the variability of only a small fraction of trace elements in precipitation water. The air mass origin area was correlated only with the concentrations of As, V and Cr. Wind directions were helpful in explaining the variability of Mn, U and Ba concentrations (east–north-easterly wind) and the contents of B, As, Rb, Se, Sr and Li in precipitation (south-westerly wind), which may indicate the local geological source of those. Atmospheric deposition was found to play a key role in the transport of contaminants into the Fuglebekken catchment; however, the surface water composition was modified by its pH and TOC content.

The emissions of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from small polymeric toys placed in chocolate food products

The article presents findings on the emissions of selected monoaromatic hydrocarbons from childrens toys placed in chocolate food products. The emission test system involved the application of a new type of microscale stationary emission chamber, μ-CTE™ 250. In order to determine the type of the applied polymer in the manufacture of the tested toys, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry were used. It was found that the tested toy components or the whole toys (figurines) are made of two main types of polymers: polyamide and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer. Total number of studied small polymeric toys was 52. The average emissions of selected monoaromatic hydrocarbons from studied toys made of polyamide were as follows: benzene: 0.45 ± 0.33 ng/g; toluene: 3.3 ± 2.6 ng/g; ethylbenzene: 1.4 ± 1.4 ng/g; p,m-xylene: 2.5 ± 4.5 ng/g; and styrene: 8.2 ± 9.9 ng/g. In the case of studied toys made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer the average emissions of benzene, toluene, ethylbeznene, p,m-xylene and styrene were: 0.31 ± 0.29 ng/g; 2.5 ± 1.4 ng/g; 4.6 ± 8.9 ng/g; 1.4 ± 1.1 ng/g; and 36 ± 44 ng/g, respectively.

Miniaturized Passive Emission Chambers for In Situ Measurement of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds

The results of many different studies have demonstrated unequivocally that the quality of indoor air is often much worse than that of atmospheric air. The presence of dangerous chemical compounds in indoor air can have an adverse impact on human health and cause numerous diseases of the respiratory and circulatory systems. Such harmful chemicals get into indoor air as a result of their emission from building and indoor materials. In order to identify the source of emissions of organic compounds, miniature passive emission chambers, known as passive flux samplers, are being used on an ever larger scale. These instruments enable the passive intake of samples of analytes emitted from the flat surfaces of building materials and interior equipment. Such apparatus offers an alternative approach to time-consuming and labor-intensive investigations using expensive stationary emission test chambers. This article reviews different types of miniaturized passive emission chambers used to determine the magnitude of the flux of organic compounds emitted from the flat surfaces of various kinds of indoor materials.

The effect of anthropogenic activity on BTEX, NO2, SO2, and CO concentrations in urban air of the spa city of Sopot and medium-industrialized city of Tczew located in North Poland

The major goal of the present study is to compare the air quality of two urban locations situated in Northern Poland - the spa City of Sopot and the medium-industrialized city of Tczew using chemometric methods. As a criterion for the assessment of atmospheric air quality, measurements of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and total xylenes were used (collected from atmospheric air using diffusion-type passive samplers) as well as measurements of inorganic compounds - CO, NO2 and SO2, which were subject to routine control and determined by means of automatic analysers. Studies related to determination of defined chemical compounds in the urban air in the monitored area were performed from January 2013 to December 2014. By interpreting the results obtained and using basic multivariate statistical tools (cluster analysis and principal components analysis), major sources of emissions of determined pollutants in the air in urbanized areas were defined. The study also shows the potential influence of the sea breeze on concentrations of chemical compounds in the atmospheric air in the spa city of Sopot.