Yu-Chen Kuo

Sources of ambient air particulates and Hg(p) pollutants at Freeway, Industrial, Thermal power plant F.I.T. characteristic sites

This study concerns the concentrations of particulates in ambient air, dry deposited particulates, particulate-bound mercury (Hg(p)), and Hg(p) that is dry deposited in both total suspended particulates and on a dry deposition plate at Long Cyuan Elementary School (LCYES), Lung Ching Elementary School (LCHES), and Long Shan Primary School (LSPS) in Longjing. The LCHES site had the highest particulate Hg(p) concentrations in October and November, and the least dry deposition of particulates in October. The LSPS site had the lowest Hg(p) dry depositions in October. The LCYES site had the lowest particulate and Hg(p) concentrations in November and October, and had the highest dry deposition of particulates and Hg(p) in November and December. These particulates originated from the northwest of Taiwan and were transported by way of mainland China in October. A back trajectory analysis supported this finding. Therefore, particulate concentrations in ambient air were highest in October and the major sources of particulate-bound mercury Hg(p) in ambient air were in mainland China, especially in October and December. Mainland China and Taichung Thermal Power Plant were the main sources of particles and Hg(p) in ambient air.

Study of the ambient air metallic elements Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb at HAF sampling sites.

This study characterized diurnal variations in the compositions of total suspended particulates (TSP) and dry deposits of particulates from ambient air, and the metallic elements that are contained in them at harbor, airport and farmland (HAF) sampling sites from August, 2013 to July, 2014. Two-way ANOVA of the amounts of metallic elements in the TSP and dry deposits was carried out in all four seasons at the HAF sampling sites. The metallic elements Cr and Cu originated in local emission sources at the airport. Metallic elements Zn and Pb originated in local emission sources at the harbor. Finally, metallic element Cd originated in local emissions form farmland. The following results were also obtained. (1) The metallic composition of the TSP differed significantly from that of the dry deposits in all four seasons at the harbor and farmland sampling sites, but not at the airport sampling site. (2) High correlations coefficients were found between the amounts of metallic elements Cr and Cu in the TSP and those in the dry deposits at the airport sampling site. (3) Pb was present in the TSP and the dry deposits at the harbor sampling site.

Particulate-bound mercury (PBM) in stems and leaves of several crops (white cabbage, Peking cabbage, and chili) at a farmland site in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This study analyzes the particulate-bound mercury (PBM) contents of two parts (leaf and stem) of different crops (white cabbage, Peking cabbage, and chili) at a sampling site in the coastal zone in the Taichung area from October 7 to 15, 2014. A direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80) was used to measure mercury content. The Mann-Whitney rank sum test was utilized to determine the mean differences between the PBM in two parts of various crops (white cabbage leaf, white cabbage stem, Peking cabbage leaf, Peking cabbage stem, and chili) at the Long-Jing sampling site. The results indicated the following: 1) The average mercury content was lowest in the Peking cabbage stem. The ratio of the mercury content in the stem to that in the leaf of the white cabbage was 5 and that of Peking cabbage was 3.5.2) No significant difference was observed between median mercury content in white cabbage leaf and Peking cabbage leaf, white cabbage stem and Peking cabbage stem, and Peking cabbage leaf and chili. 3) The average PBM contents were both the lowest (Huabei Plain) and the highest in Hg in China. 4) The ratio of average PBM content of white cabbage leaf in this study was as high as 981.

Diurnal concentrations variations, size distributions for ambient air particles and metallic pollutants (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cd, Pb) during summer season at a traffic area

This study characterized and discussed particulate ambient air particulate concentrations and seasonal variations for PM18, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 during June 2013–July 2013 at this traffic sampling site. In addition, this study also characterized the ambient air particulates size distributions by using MOUDI-100S4 sampler to collect 1-day the ambient suspended particles (PM18, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) at this sampling site. In addition, the study also showed that the main pollutants contributions were from traffic and residual areas. As for the pollutants seasonal concentrations variations, the results indicated that the average particle concentrations orders were all displayed as daytime > nighttime for PM18, PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 at this characteristic sampling site. The results further indicated that the mean highest of metal concentrations in this study indicated that the average metal concentration were all displayed as Mn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd for PM18, PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 on daytime and nighttime at this characteristic sampling site.

Ambient Air Particulates Bound Mercury Hg(p) Study Among Four Crops (Rice, White Cabbage, Arden Lettuce, and Gynura) at a Characteristic Sampling Site

The main purpose of this study was to monitor ambient air particulates and particulate-bound Hg (Hg[p]) compositions in different crops in the coastal zone in the Taichung, Taiwan, area at a sampling site during 2013 October to 2013 December. In addition, a direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80) was used to directly detect the concentration with measured results by the regression equation of Hg in the ambient air. The results indicated that: 1) the mean values of ambient air Hg(p) compositions in rice displayed no significant differences for weeks one, two, and three versus those of the other crops (white cabbage, Arden lettuce, and Gynura procumbens); 2) for white cabbage, the higher the humidity, the lower the average ambient air Hg(p) compositions that were obtained, a phenomenon that was also reflected on the crops of white cabbage and G. procumbens; 3) Arden lettuce displayed no significant differences in the leaf Hg(p) compositions during weeks one, two, and three; however, the stem portions displayed significant differences in Hg(p) compositions during weeks two and three; and 4) the Spearman statistical method showed the mean differences for ambient air Hg(p) at the Long-jing sampling site (coastal regions) with four different crops (rice, white cabbage, Arden lettuce, and Gynura) in central Taiwan. The results further revealed no significant differences in mean values.

Ambient air particle and metallic pollutant dry deposition study at a farmland sampling site during 2013–2014

ABSTRACT In this study, the concentrations of particulate and metallic pollutants (Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn) in ambient air and dry deposits were monitored in daytime sampling periods at a farmland sampling site in central Taiwan from August 2013 to July 2014. Ambient air dry deposition models of dry deposition from ambient air (Noll et al., 2010) were used to determine the differences between measured and modeled concentrations of pollutants in ambient air and dry deposits. The results indicate that the mean calculated/measured dry deposition flux ratios obtained using the model of Noll et al. (2010) for 2.5 µm particles and metallic elements (Cu, Cr, Cd, and Pb) in ambient air were all less than one in all seasons. The mean calculated/measured dry deposition flux ratios obtained using the model of Noll et al. (2010) for particles and metallic elements (Cu, Cr, Cd, and Pb) in ambient air were more than one in summer and autumn for particles of all sizes of interest. Finally, the mean calculated/measured dry deposition flux ratios that were obtained using the model of Noll et al. (2010) for metallic elements (Cu, Cr, Cd, Zn, and Pb) reflected the fact that all dry deposition fluxes were underestimated in the winter and spring for all particle sizes of interest.

Characteristic study of ambient air total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentrations during rainy and non-rainy periods at a traffic site in Taiwan

This investigation studied the concentrations of ambient air total gaseous mercury (TGM) during the rainy periods at the Hung-Kuang traffic sampling site in central Taiwan from May 26 to June 16, 2014. The results were compared with those of a previous study for ambient air TGM during non-rainy daytime and nighttime periods at the Hung-Kuang traffic sampling site, which was conducted during March 21 to July 20, 2012. The observed mean concentration of ambient air TGM was 1.16 ng/m3 during the rainy periods at the Hung-Kuang traffic sampling site. The mean ambient air TGM concentrations were higher in the non-rainy sampling period in daytime than in the rainy sampling period from this study. The mean ratio of non-rainy sampling period in daytime to that of rainy sampling period for ambient air TGM were 3.15. Furthermore, the mean ambient air TGM concentrations were higher in the non-rainy sampling period in nighttime in than in the rainy sampling period for this study. The mean rations for non-rainy sampling period in nighttime to that of the rainy sampling period for ambient air TGM were 2.70. The results obtained in this study also revealed that the ambient air TGM concentrations during the rainy period had the lowest concentrations when compared with the other sampling sites in other world regions.

Measurement of Particulate Bound Mercury, Gaseous Elemental Mercury, and Reactive Gaseous Mercury Concentrations by Using an Ambient Air Mercury Collection System

In this investigation, the concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and particulate bound mercury (PBM) in ambient air were measured at the Hung Kuang (traffic) sampling site during September 27 to October 6, 2014. An ambient air mercury collection system (AAMCS) was utilized to measure simultaneously PBM, GEM, and RGM concentrations in ambient air. The results thus obtained demonstrate that the mean concentrations of PBM, GEM, and RGM were 38.57 ± 11.4 (pg/m3), 17.67 ± 5.56 (ng/m3) and 10.78 ± 2.8 (pg/m3), respectively, at this traffic-sampling site. The mean GEM/PBM and GEM/RGM concentration ratios were 458 and 1639, respectively. The results obtained herein demonstrate that AAMCS can be utilized to collect three phases of mercury simultaneously. The mean PBM, GEM, and RGM concentrations herein were compared with others found in Asia, America, Europe and Antarctica. The mean PBM, GEM, and RGM concentrations were found to be lowest in Asia and Antarctica. The mean PBM concentration in Europe was approximately eight times that in this investigation. The mean GEM and RGM concentrations in this study were 1.21 and 170 times those found in the United States.