Displaying items by tag: ZOPZIZ

Due to the varied physico-chemical properties and different concentrations of PM in the ambient air, as well as the specificity and structure of its emission, the research concerning PM origin, including (and perhaps above all) its respirable fraction {depending on the type of the PM analyzer and/or the purpose of the study - here the PM1, PM2.5 or fractions), are still carried out throughout the world.

The link between increased morbidity and mortality and increased concentrations of PM, as well as the observed tendency of pollutants accumulation in the indoor environments (including fine PM) has led to increased attention toward physicochemical properties of PM in closed buildings.

These studies are currently very important since people spend much more time indoors than outdoors.

The presence of high concentrations of PM and the unrecognized chemical composition of its finest fractions in closed rooms confirm the necessity to undertake such studies also in Poland.

Mostly unrecognized group of indoor environments in the context of PM levels and its chemical properties are small service facilities.

The aim of the Project was (1) to identify factors which determine the concentrations, chemical composition and sources of PM in the air of selected service facilities : offices, restaurant kitchens, printers and tour beauty salons, and (2) to study the processes of atmospheric aerosol transformation, varying in terms of its chemical characteristic after its entry into indoor environment (both in urbanized and industrialized areas).

Within the framework of the project, the dynamics and direction of changes in the basie physical properties of indoor atmospheric aerosols was clarified.

The most important element was to clarify if the emission of aerosol particles in the non-productive spaces from certain types of processes (cooking, printing, varnishing, hair and nail treatments, etc.) could bring any significant changes in the chemical composition of PM.

The project has allowed to gain a valuable and original research results in the world scale.

Thus, the results obtained here are of great importance for the broadly understood science, especially in the field of environmental engineering, air protection, chemistry and environmental health.

The results of the study , although mainly cognitive, may be used in the future by other research teams in the studies concerning exposure to indoor PM.

They will be also helpful in shaping health policies in the aspect of reducing environmental risk associated with human exposure to PM-bound harmful substances not only in the country but also all around the world.

The research will enable me submit a doctoral dissertation in 2018.

The innovative nature of the research and the uniqueness of the results are confirmed by the fact that the obtained results after their presentation on the international conference on energy and environmental engineering (ASEE17) in Wroclaw (2017), were directed by editors to be published in the prestigious journal " Science of the Total Environment "(IF 5,102, which manuscript will be completed by December 2017).

The quantitative and qualitative estimation of the water content embedded in the chemical structure of particulate matter represents a breakthrough of sorts when it comes to drawing conclusions about its origin. Until recently, research in the field of so-called source attribution, and thus the determination of probable sources of origin of particulate matter, was based exclusively on the quantitative comparison of the chemical composition of the particles in the source and in the receiver and the comparison of this information with the properties of other sources with similar characteristics. Because of the dynamic changes it undergoes in the atmosphere and the analytical difficulties associated with its determination, water has not been considered as a factor supporting such conclusions.

The development of modern chemometric techniques, including Karl Fischer's conductometric titration method for the assessment of water content in solid samples, facilitated the analytical determination of water content in PM, but also enabled the speciation of water forms, which allowed the comparison of samples from different sites for the presence of free and PM-bound water. The results obtained during the project implementation made it possible to quantify the water content in PM of different particle sizes and to study the variability of its fraction and forms (free water / bound water) depending on the prevailing weather conditions. The project showed increased water uptake by particulate matter (PM1) of up to 60% of PM mass and in the case of TSP of up to 40% of PM mass.

The content of bound and unbound water, related to the PM1 fraction, reached over 1000 µg in the mass of PM at the level of several mg. It was concluded that the presence of ions and secondary organic aerosol increases water uptake by PM, which at the same time suggests the significant influence of human activities on increasing water uptake. At the same time, the winter season and periods of atmospheric stagnation favoured an increased concentration of water loosely bound to PM. This is an important conclusion from the point of view of harmfulness to health (easier bioavailability to the body during the heating season). The knowledge gained in this phase of the project is an important step towards developing effective strategies to control and reduce the harmful effects of particulate matter, especially in smog situations.

During the course of the project, a new methodology for the assessment of probable sources of PM was developed based on the evaporation spectrum and the rate of water evaporation from PM. It has also been shown that the content of harmless (from the point of view of inhalation of PM particles) water is an artifact for gravimetric measurements, especially in areas subjected to strong anthropogenic pressure, where the dominant part of PM mass is a highly hygroscopic secondary organic aerosol. This conclusion is important taking into account the currently recorded exceedances of the permissible levels of suspended dust in the areas of urban agglomerations. The obtained results also have a significant impact on the development of the metrological discipline in terms of the correct assessment of PM mass using gravimetry methods and determination of the precision of PM mass measurements using various measuring tools (balances, weighing robots).

Water, as a chemical component of PM constantly undergoes physicochemical changes, and affects mass deviations in PM measurements, depending on the filter conditioning time, dust collection method, PM mass size, conditions during samples transportation to the laboratory or even conditions in the weighing chamber. An important issue in monitoring tests aimed at the most accurate determination of the PM mass will also be the appropriate selection of the filter material for dust collection. The obtained results indicate that quartz and glass filters allow for greater stability of mass measurements in relation to nylon filters or PTFE filters, however, from the point of view of determining the water content by titration methods, the best choice is the use of PTFE filters due to their hydrophobicity.

Low-stack emissions, i.e. emissions from sources lower than 40 metres, are an important source of air pollution. These include emissions from local coal-fired boilers and domestic heating stoves. Air pollutants from small, dispersed, stationary sources are mainly from solid fuel combustion.

Approximately 35% of households in Poland use solid fuel boilers (normal or combined). The use of a fuel supply in solid fuel boilers with permanent combustion grates improves the combustion conditions for solid fuels. However, the design of a boiler with a fuel feeder also enables the combustion of solid waste, such as shredded waste mixed with coal in the form of pea coal, which is fed directly into the combustion chamber via the fuel feeder. The incineration of municipal solid waste in unadapted boilers leads to the discharge of additional pollutants into the atmosphere.

The main objective of the project was to find trace elements, mainly organic compounds characteristic of a certain group of MSW, in the fly ash produced by the co-incineration of certain solid waste fractions (EPDM rubber, tyres, waste paper, PVC, PE) in an 18 kW boiler with automatic fuel feed.

Research material - fly ash collected during the eight-hour combustion cycles of a certain mixture of municipal waste with hard coal. The qualitative and quantitative composition of the main gaseous pollutants (NOx, CO, S02, VOC) was continuously analysed. The dust concentration in the flue gas was determined by the gravimetric method. The fugitive dust samples were subjected to thermo-optical analysis of the content of OC and EC and granulometric analysis of the content of PM 10 and PM2_ 5.

For the determination of organic compounds, including PAHs, gas chromatography was used in conjunction with a mass detector (GC/MS). For the identification of substances originating from unblown solid waste particles, a portion of the fly ash that could not be analysed by conventional gas chromatography was analysed by Py-GC/MS.

When all wastes were co-combusted with coal, higher concentrations of carbon monoxide were found than when coal itself was burnt, indicating deterioration of combustion conditions and incomplete combustion.

The high EC carbon content (soot) and the high PM10 and PM2_5 content in the fly ash samples, the calculated emission factors for the most important gaseous and particulate pollutants, the higher PAH content and the higher proportion of PAHs with five or more members in the fly ash from the co-incineration of coal with municipal waste than from the combustion of hard coal alone demonstrate the high harmfulness of such combustion for society and the environment.

Thanks to the possibility of comparing the organic compounds in the fly ash from the combustion of hard coal alone and the co-incineration of coal with certain solid fractions of municipal waste incinerated under the same conditions, it was possible to identify individual organic species and groups of compounds and assign diagnostic indices specific to a given solid waste.

The main markers for waste incineration are: Waste paper - levoglucosan resulting from the decomposition of cellulose, PVC - chlorinated phenols, PE - high ratio of phenanthrene to anthracene and dominance of straight carbon N-alkanes, tyres - high content of heavier PAHs and methyl derivatives of quinoline.

By conducting research on a real boiler used in central heating systems in small buildings, rather than on a physical or mathematical model, the results obtained allow for an ecological assessment of the impact of co-incineration of municipal waste and hard coal and help to identify traces of combustion of a specific fraction of MSW in the particulate matter.