Flue gas cleaning in power stations by using electron beam technology. Influence on PAH emissions

The electron beam technology (EBT), proven treatment for SO₂ and NO_x removal, is applied to different power stations as hot gas cleaning system. In this paper, an assessment of this technique installed in a Bulgarian power station on organic emissions is analyzed. The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) content, not only emitted in the gas phase but also trapped in the solid phase, has been carried out before and after the irradiation. The main aim has been to know whether the EBT affects organic emissions, like PAH, as it happens with inorganic pollutants, like SO₂ and NO_x, studying EBT effects from an organic environmental point of view.     

Separation and characterization of large-ring number polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in non-distillable, pyridine soluble coal-liquids

Low-pressure liquid chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and field ionization mass spectrometry (f.i.m.s.) were used to obtain compositional information on large-ring number polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) present in a non-distillable coal liquid sample. A highly selective h.p.l.c. method for the separation of (PAH) from polar compounds was applied to nitrogen-compound fractions derived from a Wyodak non-distillable ( > 427 °C) coal-liquid sample. F.i.m.s. analyses revealed that the PAH subfractions isolated by the h.p.l.c. procedure contained large-ring number PAH and relatively few nitrogen compounds. The methods developed can generally be applied to the analyses of complex organic mixtures, and in conjunction with other methods, can yield detailed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compositional information.     

Self-assembly of polyelectrolytic multilayer thin films of polyelectrolytes on quartz crystal microbalance for detecting low humidity

Low-humidity sensors were made by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly of poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSMA) or poly(styrenesulfonic acid) sodium salt (PSS) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) into multilayer thin films on a gold electrode of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The thin films were characterized by QCM and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effects of maleic acid (MA) in PSSMA, the number of layers and the ionic strength on the low-humidity sensing properties (sensitivity) were compared with those of PSS. The sensitivity of the PSSMA/PAH multilayer thin film exceeded that of the PSS/PAH multilayer thin film when the multilayered thin films of polyelectrolytes were prepared from solutions without NaCl. The sensitivity of both PSSMA/PAH and PSS/PAH multilayered thin films was increased by increasing the number of layers and by adding salt to the deposition solution. The PSS/PAH multilayered thin film that was prepared from the solutions with NaCl had the highest sensitivity (1.923 −ΔHz/Δppm_v at 27.5 ppm_v) and a short response time. Spin-coating was also adopted to fabricate PSS-based low-humidity sensors for comparison.     

EPISODIC SUSPENDED SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND ELEVATED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATIONS IN A SMALL,MOUNTAINOUS RIVER IN COASTAL CALIFORNIA

Suspended sediment and organic contaminants were measured during a period of 2 years in the San Lorenzo River, central California, which discharges into the Pacific Ocean within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in an effort to quantify the potential environmental effects of storm events from a steep, mountainous coastal urban watershed. Most suspended sediment transport occurred during flooding caused by winter storms; 56% of the total sediment load for the 2‐year study was transported by the river during one storm event in January 2010. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can exceed regulatory criteria during high‐flow events in the San Lorenzo River, and total annual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon load was on the order of 10 kg in water year 2010. These results highlight the importance of episodic sediment and contaminant transport in steep, mountainous coastal watersheds and emphasize the importance of understanding physical processes and quantifying chemical constituents in discharge from coastal watersheds on event‐scale terms. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Evaluation of thermal and mechanical properties of rubber compositions based on SBR extended with safe oils

The extender oil usually employed in compositions of rubbers based on styrene and butadiene (SBR) 1712 is the distilled aromatic extract (DAE). In this work, this oil was substituted by oils with low levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): treated residual aromatic extract (TRAE) and two naphthenic oils from different suppliers (HN1 and HN2). This substitution was performed in response to REACH Regulation (EC No. 1907/2006 European Parliament and the Council of December 18, 2006, Annex XVII), which state that the sum of individual PAHs should be below 10 mg/kg and the levels of benzo (a) pyrene (BaP) should not exceed 1 mg/kg. Infrared spectroscopy was employed to characterize the structure of crude oils and respective SBR compositions. Thermal properties of the materials were evaluated by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. Mechanical properties as tension tests, hardness, abrasion resistance, and resilience were also determined. The final results showed that it is possible to replace the extender oil DAE for any of the oils tested, specially the naphthenic HN1, without any loss of the properties evaluated in this study for the SBR compositions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

PAH emissions from an African cookstove

Combustion of wood and other biomass is a significant contributor to poor air quality in many developing countries. Emissions of particulates and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) are a major health hazard, particularly in Africa where the use of domestic cookstoves has increased alongside population expansion. Because of economic factors firewood is commonly used in place of the more expensive charcoal; particularly in rural areas. This work conducts a study of PAH emissions from an African cookstove comparing the combustion of both charcoal and firewood. It is demonstrated that PAH and particulate emissions are much higher from the firewood compared to the charcoal. The difference in levels can be interpreted due to the importance of the pyrolysis reactions of the volatile components of wood in PAH formation, whereas these volatiles emissions are much smaller from charcoal. Analysis of the combustion phases (flaming, smouldering) is undertaken and a computer model has been developed to link the composition of the fuels to the emissions of the PAH and particulates. The modelled PAH levels are shown to follow a similar trend to the experimental results.     

Phenanthrene Metabolites from a New Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. Achromogenes Strain NY4

A new polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading Gram-negative bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. achromogenes strain NY4 was isolated from coking wastewater sludge. Strain NY4 could not grow on1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, hexadecane or hexanol as sole carbon source but phenanthrene. This strain was able to utilize several known microbial metabolites of PAHs, including catechol, protocatechuic acid, salicylic acid, and phenol as sole carbon source. The mixture of the acidic and neutral fraction, acidic fraction alone and neutral fraction alone of phenanthrene metabolites were prepared and analyzed by GC-MS. A total of at least 27 metabolites were identified as the degradation products of phenanthrene by strain NY4. Among them, 1-hydroxy-α-oxo-2-naphthaleneacetic acid, 2-hydroxy-α-oxo-1-naphthaleneacetic acid, 2-hydroxy-1-(1-hydroxy-2-naphthalenyl)-ethanone, 1,2-dihydro naphtha [2,1-b] furan-2-ol and 2,3-dihydro naphtha [1,2-b] furan-2-ol have not been reported as the metabolites of phenanthrenes so far. The accumulation patterns of phenanthrene metabolite accumulation by strain NY4 depended on the incubation time, inoculum size and concentration of phenanthrene. Based on the degradation metabolites of phenanthrene by strain NY4, degradation pathways are proposed. This is the first report of PAH degradation in Aeromonas salmonicida, which lay the foundation for recognition and further characterization of PAH degradation metabolites and pathways in Aeromonas salmonicida strains.     

Polyelectrolyte multilayer electrostatic gating of graphene field-effect transistors

We apply polyelectrolyte multilayer films by consecutive alternate adsorption of positively charged polyallylamine hydrochloride and negatively charged sodium polystyrene sulfonate to the surface of graphene field effect transistors. Oscillations in the Dirac voltage shift with alternating positive and negative layers clearly demonstrate the electrostatic gating effect in this simple model system. A simple electrostatic model accounts well for the sign and magnitude of the Dirac voltage shift. Using this system, we are able to create p-type or n-type graphene at will. This model serves as the basis for understanding the mechanism of charged polymer sensing using graphene devices, a potentially technologically important application of graphene in areas such as DNA sequencing, biomarker assays for cancer detection, and other protein sensing applications.