Ta-Chang Lin

PAH characteristics in the ambient air of traffic-source

Twenty-seven PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) samples in the ambient air of a traffic-source were investigated for their concentration, particle-bound PAH composition, phase distribution, time variation, and distance variation. In addition, 18 and 12 PAH samples in the ambient air of an urban site and a rural site, respectively, were determined and compared with those of the traffic-source. The total-PAH concentrations (gas + particle phases) in the ambient air of the traffic-source averaged approximately 5.3 and 8.3 times higher than mean values in the urban and rural atmosphere, respectively. The particle phase distribution of total-PAHs averaged 46.1, 18.7, and 20.6% measured at the traffic-source, urban site, and rural site, respectively. The condensation process prevailed in the ambient air of the traffic-source. Even though the TSP concentration near the traffic-source averaged only two times higher than the mean value measured on the urban or rural site, the particle-bound composition of 12 potentially carcinogenic PAHs, namely CYC, BaA, Chr, BbF, BkF, BeP, BaP, PER, IND, DBA, BbC, and BghiP, in the ambient air at the traffic-source averaged approximately 7.8 and 16.5 times higher than those measured at the urban and rural site, respectively. High concentrations of carcinogenic PAHs in the air near traffic sources is a strong factor in inducing a high rate of lung cancer in Taiwan. The results of both time-variation and distance-variation investigations show that traffic sources have a very significant impact on urban air quality. The results of PAH analyses of five commercial vehicle fuels showed that diesel had the highest total-PAH concentration (7341 mg/l). Lower molecular weight PAHs such as Nap, AcPy, and Acp were dominant in all vehicle fuels (concentration > 100 mg/l). Comparison of individual-PAH patterns in the vehicle fuels with those in the ambient air of traffic-source showed that a significant fraction of PAHs was formed during incomplete combustion with thermal synthesis.

Characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and total suspended particulate in indoor and outdoor atmosphere of a Taiwanese temple.

Incense burning, a common and popular practice among many families and in most temples in Taiwan, can result in indoor pollution-related health problems. This exploratory study was aimed at characterizing human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and total suspended particulate (TSP) inside and around a Taiwanese temple, and to compare the indoor levels with levels outside. Additionally, three types of commonly used unburned incense and incense ash were analyzed in order to evaluate the relationship between incense composition and PAH emissions.Standard methods were used to determine air concentrations of 21 PAHs and TSP inside and around a chosen temple. Indoor mean total-PAH concentration, particle-bound PAH concentration and TSP concentration were 6258 ng/m(3), 490 micro g/g and 1316 micro g/m(3), respectively; values for outdoor readings were 231 ng/m (3), 245 micro g/g and 73 micro g/m(3), for outdoors, respectively indicating PAH and TSP concentrations inside 27 and 18 times greater, respectively than outdoors. With respect to concentrations of individual PAHs (particulate+gas phase), the five highest concentrations were of acenaphthylene (AcPy) (3583 ng/m(3)), naphthalene (Nap) (1264 ng/m(3)), acenaphthene (Acp) (349 ng/m(3)), fluoranthene (FL) (243 ng/m(3)) and phenanthrene (PA) (181 ng/m(3)). Median values for indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios of individual PAHs ranged from 5.7 to 387.9, which implied that the temple was a significant PAH source. Moreover, PAH content of the tested stick incense and ash was very low. PAH levels inside the temple were much higher than those measured in the vicinity and inside residential houses; and were in fact close to levels measured at a local traffic intersection in Tainan, Taiwan, and those in a graphite-electrode producing plant during the graphitization process. It is obvious that such substantially high concentrations of PAHs and TSP constitute a potential health hazard to people working in or visiting the temple.

Effects of methanol-containing additive on emission characteristics from a heavy-duty diesel engine

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of methanol-containing additive (MCA) on the regulated emissions of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), as well as the unregulated carbon dioxide (CO2) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a diesel engine. The engine was tested on a series of diesel fuels blended with five additive levels (0, 5, 8, 10 and 15% of MCA by volume). Emissions tests were performed under both cold- and hot-start transient heavy-duty federal test procedure (HD-FTP) cycles and two selected steady-state modes. Results show that MCA addition slightly decreases PM emissions but generally increases both THC and CO emissions. Decrease in NOx emissions was found common in all MCA blends. As for unregulated emissions, CO2 emissions did not change significantly for all MCA blends, while vapor-phase and particle-associated PAHs emissions in high load and transient cycle tests were relatively low compared to the base diesel when either 5 or 8% MCA was used. This may be attributed to the lower PAHs levels in MCA blends. Finally, the particle-associated PAHs emissions also showed trends quite similar to that of the PM emissions in this study.

Torrefaction and low temperature carbonization of oil palm fiber and eucalyptus in nitrogen and air atmospheres

Torrefaction is a pretreatment method for upgrading biomass as solid fuels. To provide flexible operations for effectively upgrading biomass at lower costs, the aim of this study was to investigate the properties of oil palm fiber and eucalyptus pretreated in nitrogen and air atmospheres at temperatures of 250-350°C for 1h. Based on energy and solid yield and introducing an energy-mass co-benefit index (EMCI), oil palm fiber pretreatment under nitrogen at 300°C provided the solid fuel with higher energy density and less volume compared to other temperatures. Pretreatment of oil palm fiber in air resulted in the fuel with low solid and energy yields and is therefore not recommended. For eucalyptus, nitrogen and air can be employed to upgrade the biomass, and the suggested temperatures are 325 and 275°C, respectively.

Effect of methanol-containing additive on the emission of carbonyl compounds from a heavy-duty diesel engine

This study was aimed at determining the effect of methanol-containing additive (MCA) on the emission of carbonyl compounds (CBCs) generated from the diesel engine. For this experiment, a heavy-duty diesel engine was connected with a full flow critical flow ventri (CFV) type dilution tunnel, a Schenck GS-350 DC dynamometer, and a DC-IV control system in series. The operating conditions of the heavy-duty diesel engine for both cold-start and hot-start Transient Cycle tests and for both low-load and high-load steady-state tests were ascertained. The exhaust of CBCs collected from a 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH)-coated cartridge were first converted to corresponding hydrazone derivatives, which were then solvent-eluted and analyzed by a High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) with an ultraviolet-visible (UV) detector. When either 10% or 15% MCA was used, the emission factors of the CBCs acrolein and isovaleraldehyde increased by at least 91%. Accordingly, future studies must be done to cut down the emission of CBCs when MCA and methanol alternative fuels are used.

Carbonyl Compounds and Toxicity Assessments of Emissions from a Diesel Engine Running on Biodiesels

Abstract This study elucidates the effect of biodiesel on the emission of carbonyl compounds generated from a diesel engine (generator), and the related biotoxicity characteristics. The Microtox test and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay were conducted to evaluate the acute toxicity and cytotoxicity, respectively, of gaseous extracts from diesel engine exhaust. The engine was tested using diesel fuel and biodiesel blends (10, 30, 50, 75, and 100% of biodiesel by volume). The operating conditions of the diesel engine were set as idling, 10, 33, and 55% loads. The regulated emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2) were monitored. The carbonyl compounds in the exhaust were collected in 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH) solution in an impinger and converted to corresponding hydrazone derivatives, which were then analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet (UV) detector. Analysis results indicate that the carbonyl compound emissions increased when the engine was run on biodiesels at all of the loadings; however, the total concentration of emitted carbonyls did not increase with the biodiesel content. The dominant carbonyls (formalde-hyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and acetone) accounted for 70 to 90% of all carbonyl emissions in the engine exhaust. The concentrations of CO2 and NOx from B10 were quite similar to those from diesel. Finally, in the toxicity assessments, B10 had a higher acute toxicity and cytotoxicity than diesel, indicating that blending with biodiesel may have adverse health effects because of toxic gas emissions. At various engine loads, higher toxicities were associated with greater carbonyl emissions in diesel exhaust, but not in B10, indicating that the carbonyls may not be the major pollutants that induce the toxicity of emissions from biodiesel.

Assessing the influence of methanol-containing additive on biological characteristics of diesel exhaust emissions using microtox and mutatox assays

Here we investigate the effect of the methanol-containing additive (MCA) on the biological characteristics of diesel exhaust emissions. Microtox and Mutatox assays, respectively, were used to evaluate the acute toxicity and genotoxicity of crude extracts from diesel engine exhaust. The engine was tested on a series of diesel fuels blended with five additive levels (0, 5, 8, 10 and 15% of MCA by volume). Emission tests were performed over the hot start portion of the transient Heavy-Duty-Federal Test Procedure (HD-FTP) and two selected steady-state modes. Microtox results show that MCA additive moderately lowers the toxicity levels of particle-associated (SOF) samples, but generally increase the vapor-phase (XOC) associated toxicity. A strong correlation was found between XOC-associated toxicity and total hydrocarbon (THC) concentrations, while only a slight link was found between SOF-associated toxicity and particulate matter (PM) concentrations. For Mutatox test results, when either 5 or 8% MCA used, XOC and SOF-associated genotoxicity in both steady-state and hot-start transient cycle tests were relatively lower compared to those of the base diesel. The genotoxic potential of XOC samples was significantly increased after treatment with an exogenous metabolic activation system (S9). On the contrary, the genotoxic potential of SOF samples without S9 metabolic activation was generally higher than those with S9. It is noteworthy that the total particle-associated (SOF) PAHs emissions showed trends quite similar to that of the genotoxic potential. As expected, the total particle-associated (SOF) PAHs correlated moderately with direct mutagenicity, and fairly well with indirect mutagenicity. Finally, the genotoxicity data did not parallel the Microtox results in this study, indicating that potentially long-term genotoxic agents may not be revealed by short-term toxicity assays.

Effect of the Gasoline Additives on PAH Emission

PAH emission from the powered engines fueled by a 95 leadfree gasoline (95-LFG), a 92 leadfree gasoline (92-LFG) and a Premium leaded gasoline (PLG) with two gasoline additives (SA and SB) were collected using a PAH sampling system with a particulate interception device. Twenty one PAHs were analyzed primarily by an GC/MS, while eight metal elements were determined mainly by an ICP-AES. This investigation showed that the gasoline additives contain more amounts of carcinogenic PAHs than gasolines do. Blending these additives do raise the PAH content in the gasolines, simultaneously, will emit more amount of PAHs from the tailpipe of engine exhaust. It is suggested that before a gasoline additive is commercialized, an assessment on its PAH emission should be evaluated to make sure that the additive will not emit more PAHs and cause adverse effect on public health.

PAH Emission from a Gasoline-Powered Engine

Abstract A gasoline powered engine operated on a dynamometer was used to investigate the PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) emission. A 95‐leadfree gasoline (95‐LFG) and a premium leaded gasoline (PLG) were used as power‐fuels. The engine was simulated for the idling condition and for the cruising speeds at 40, 80 and 110 km/hr. The concentrations of 21 individual PAHs in the engine exhaust, gasolines, and the ambient air were determined. Engine exhaust samples were collected by a PAH sampling system, while the ambient air sample was collected by using a standard PS‐1 sampler. Twenty one individual PAHs were analyzed primarily by a gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Naphthalene (Nap) has the highest concentration in the liquid phase of both 95‐LFG and PLG, in which it accounts for respectively 98.3% and 76.6% of the total PAH. In term of the mean fraction of the total PAHs entering the 95‐LFG and PLG engines, the ambient air contributed less than 0.108% and 0.012%, respectively. Gasoline is...

Fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during vitrification of incinerator ash in a coke bed furnace.

Fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the vitrification of fly ash and bottom ash from the municipal waste incinerator in a coke bed furnace was investigated. In this system, both coke and lime were added to enhance the melting reaction. The major PAH sources in this system were ash and coke, which respectively contributed 97% and 3% of PAHs in the input-mass. During vitrification process, low molecular PAHs (LM-PAH, 2-3-ring), median molecular PAHs (MM-PAH, 4-ring) and high molecular PAHs (HM-PAH, 5-7-ring) mass respectively accounted for >99%, >99% and 84% of the output-mass emitted as the stack flue gas; while those discharged from the slag were <1%, <1% and 16%, respectively. The O/I (output-mass/input-mass) ratio of LM-, MM- and HM-PAHs were 0.063, 0.002 and <0.001, respectively. The high distribution in flue gas and O/I ratio of LM-PAHs is reasonable since they are more easily evaporated, hence difficult to be removed by air pollution control devices. On the contrary, the HM-PAHs, having lower vapor pressure, primarily stays mainly in slag. Based on the 21 total PAH content in feeding ash and slag, the reduction efficiency of the coke bed furnace was >99.9%. To minimize the risk of secondary pollution, the efficiency of coke bed furnace should be improved to reduce the PAH emission into ambient air.