Diurnal variation of number concentration and size distribution of ultrafine particles in the urban atmosphere of Beijing in winter

Number concentration and distribution of airborne particles in the size range 5.6 to 560 nm diameter were measured in Beijing for a 15-d period in winter 2005. Dally average number concentrations of nucleation mode （5.6-20 um）, Aitken mode （20-100 um）, and accumulation mode （100-560 um） particles, and total particles were 17500, 32000, 4000, and 53500 cm^-3, respectively. Average particle size distribution was monomodal with a mode diameter of about 40 um at night and bimodal with mode diameters of about 10 and about 40 um during the daytime. New particle formation events, which were connected to diurnal variation of nucleation mode particles, were observed in more than half of the observation days. The events often started around 10：00-11：00 Chinese Standard Time （CST） and ended up after 3-4 h. Concentrations of Aitken and accumulation mode particles increased from midnight and reached their maxima at about 10：00 CST, and then decreased and became the lowest in the afternoon. Analysis of diurnal cycles in traffic volume and meteorological parameters revealed that the accumulation of the particles in Aitken and accumulation modes in the morning was influenced by formation of an inversion and increase in vehicle emission, and dispersion of such particles in the afternoon was associated with more effective vertical mixing and higher wind speed.

Chemical composition and quantitative relationship between meteorological condition and fine particles in Beijing

The recent year's monitor results of Beijing indicated that the pollution level of fine particles PM 2.5 showed an increasing trend. To understand pollution characteristics of PM 2.5 and its relationship with the meteorological conditions in Beijing, a one-year monitoring of PM 2.5 mass concentration and correspondent meteorological parameters was performed in Beijing in 2001. The PM 2.5 levels in Beijing were very high, the annual average PM 2.5 concentration in 2001 was 7 times of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards proposed by US EPA. The major chemical compositions were organics, sulfate, crustals and nitrate. It was found that the mass concentrations of PM 2.5 were influenced by meteorological conditions. The correlation between the mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and the relative humidity was found. And the correlation became closer at higher relative humidity. And the mass concentrations of PM 2.5 were negtive-correlated to wind speeds, but the correlation between the mass concentration of PM 2.5 and wind speed was not good at stronger wind.

Seasonal Variations of Number Size Distributions and Mass Concentrations of Atmospheric Particles in Beijing

Particle number and mass concentrations were measured in Beijing during the winter and summer periods in 2003, together with some other parameters including black carbon (BC) and meteorological conditions. Particle mass concentrations exhibited low seasonality, and the ratio of PM2.5/PM10 in winter was higher than that in summer. Particle number size distribution (PSD) was characterized by four modes and exhibited low seasonality. BC was well correlated with the number and mass concentrations of accumulation and coarse particles, indicating these size particles are related to anthropogenic activities. Particle mass and number concentrations (except ultra-fine and nucleation particles) followed well the trends of BC concentration for the majority of the day, indicating that most particles were associated with primary emissions. The diurnal number distributions of accumulation and coarse mode particles were characterized by two peaks.

Monitoring of Pollution of Air Fine Particles (PM2.5) and Study on Their Genetic Toxicity

Objective To compare PM2.5 pollation level between the city of coal-fuel pollution (Taiyuan) and the city of pollution mixed with coal fuels and vehicle exhausts (Beijing), to analyze the concentration of B[a]p and Pb in the pollutants, and to study the DNA damage by PM2.5. Methods Air fine particles (PM2.5) were collected in Beijing and Taiyuan by means of the filter membrane method, the concentration of B[a]p and Pb were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography and atomic absorption spectroscopy respectveily, and the damage of DNA by PM2.5 was detected by single cell gel-electrophoresis (SCGE) using the human lung epithelial cells (A549) as target cells. Results The concentration of PM2.5 in the winter of Beijing was 0.028-0.436 mg/m3, and that in Taiyuan was 0.132-0.681 mg/m3. The concentration of B[a]p was 0.104 and 0.156 礸/mg on PM2.5 of Beijing and Taiyuan, respectively, whereas the concentration of Pb was 1.094 and 1.137 礸/mg on PM2.5 of Beijing and Taiyuan, respectively. Exposure to PM2.5 at the concentrations of 5, 50, and 200 礸/mL for 12 h and 24 h caused DNA damage of the human alveolar epithelium, and the ratios of the tailing and length of the tail were all significantly different from those of the negative control group (P<0.05), and indicated a dose-response relationship. Conclusion PM2.5 has certain genetic toxicity.

Preparation of Fine Spherical Particle Sized Ceria by Precipitation Method with Ammonium Bicarbonate

Fine spherical particle sized ceria (CeO_2) was prepared by homogeneous precipitation method with ammonium bicarbonate as precipitant. The prepared CeO_2 has the primary particle size of 10～50 nm when calcined between 400～700 ℃ analyzed by XRD and the aggregated particle size is about 300 nm measured by LASER particle sizer. SEM, TG-DTA and Zeta-potential analyzer were employed individually to study the morphology and the formation of CeO_2 product. It was found that excess NH_4NO_3 can serve as an sphericallization agent to prepare spherical CeO_2 powder by precipitation method.

Growth Rates of Fine Aerosol Particles at a Site near Beijing in June 2013

Growth of fine aerosol particles is investigated during the Aerosol-CCN-Cloud Closure Experiment campaign in June 2013 at an urban site near Beijing. Analyses show a high frequency （- 50%） of fine aerosol particle growth events, and show that the growth rates range from 2.1 to 6.5 nm h-1 with a mean value of - 5.1 nm h-1. A review of previous studies indicates that at least four mechanisms can affect the growth of fine aerosol particles： vapor condensation, intramodal coagulation, extramodal coagulation, and multi-phase chemical reaction. At the initial stage of fine aerosol particle growth, condensational growth usually plays a major role and coagulation efficiency generally increases with particle sizes. An overview of previous studies shows higher growth rates over megacity, urban and boreal forest regions than over rural and oceanic regions. This is most likely due to the higher condensational vapor, which can cause strong condensational growth of fine aerosol particles. Associated with these multiple factors of influence, there are large uncertainties for the aerosol particle growth rates, even at the same location.

Synthesis and Luminescence Properties of Pr^(3+) Doped Ca_xBa_(1-x)TiO_3 (0.3≤x<1) Fine Particles

CaxBa1-xTiO3 （CBT） fine particles doped with red luminescence center of Pr3＋ ions （Pr： CBT） were successfully synthesized by salt assisted spray pyrolysis （SASP） process. Scanning electronic microscope （SEM） and laser scattering analysis demonstrate that salt can be removed from the surface of particles by washing with Milli-Q water and the particles can be further separated by ball-milling to get well-dispersed Pr^3＋ ions doped CBT fine particles. The luminescence properties, such as photoluminescence （PL） and mechanoluminescence （ML）, of as-synthesized Pr： CBT particles were investigated. For Pr： CBT fine particles with different Ca molar ratios, all the samples show one emission at 612 nm, with increasing Ca molar ratio, PL intensity of Pr： CBT fine particles become stronger and stronger. When pressure was loaded on the Pr： CBT pellet, mechanoluminescence（ML） emission was measured. The results show that the ML intensity is proportional to the applied pressure.

Particle Agglomeration in Bipolar Barb Agglomerator Under AC Electric Field

The development of an efficient technology for removing fine particles in flue gas is essential as the haze is becoming more and more serious.To improve agglomeration effectiveness of fine particles,a dual zone electric agglomeration device consisting of a charging chamber and an agglomeration chamber with bipolar barb electrodes was developed.The bipolar barb electric agglomerator with a polar distance of 200 mm demonstrates good agglomeration effectiveness for particles with a size less than 8.0μm under applied AC electric field.An optimal condition for achieving better agglomeration effectiveness was found to be as follows：flue gas flow velocity of3.00 m/s,particle concentration of 2.00 g/m^3,output voltage of 35 kV and length of the barb of16 ram.In addition,4.0-6.0μm particles haste the best effectiveness with the variation of particle volume occupancy of-3.2.

Estimation of Fine Dust Particles Distribution in Machining Workshop Based on COwZ Model

Fine dust particles （diameter is less than 2.5 μm） generated during machining processes,especially dry cutting,are harmful to operators,because they remain suspended in the air for long time and have marked concentration gradients in workshop.Hence studies about cutting dust source states and indoor air quality prediction have been developed.However,few researches focus on the distribution state of the cutting dust,dynamic status of fine dust particles,and environment estimating of the machining workshop.The machining workshops have diversified architectural structures,complex working conditions,so the dust emission is sensitive dynamic.According to these features,after analysis of the static and dynamic influence factors,this paper proposes a method and establishes a model to estimate the fine dust particles distribution based on COwZ （COMIS （conjunction of multizone infiltration specialists） with sub-zones） model when only dry cutting is processed just needing various working parameters.And two key technologies are discussed：the description of the machine tools using sub-zones of COwZ model considering the local obstacle effects of machine tools themselves;description and implementation of dynamic process of cutting dust emission with a new concept of equivalent source strengths.At last,multi-point experiments in a hybrid ventilation machining workshop prove the method is practical.Good agreement was observed between the estimation results and the experimental measurements for the investigated conditions.The proposed method can supply reference data for green manufacturing.

Ferronickel enrichment by fine particle reduction and magnetic separation from nickel laterite ore

Ferronickel enrichment and extraction from nickel laterite ore were studied through reduction and magnetic separation. Reduction experiments were performed using hydrogen and carbon monoxide as reductants at different temperatures （700-1000℃）. Magnetic separa- tion of the reduced products was conducted using a SLon-100 cycle pulsating magnetic separator （1.2 T）. Composition analysis indicates that the nickel laterite ore contains a total iron content of 22.50wt% and a total nickel content of 1.91wt%. Its mineral composition mainly con- sists of serpentine, hortonolite, and goethite. During the reduction process, the grade of nickel and iron in the products increases with in- creasing reduction temperature. Although a higher temperature is more favorable for reduction, the temperature exceeding 1000℃ results in sintering of the products, preventing magnetic separation. After magnetic separation, the maximum total nickel and iron concentrations are 5.43wt% and 56.86wt%, and the corresponding recovery rates are 84.38% and 53.76%, respectively.

Effect of Supersonic Fine Particles Bombarding on the Service Life of Thermal Barrier Coating

Thermally Grown Oxide（TGO） is a dominating component in controlling the effectiveness of thermal barrier coating.During the growth of TGO,whether we could homogeneously distribute Al atom on the TGO and the intermediate metal layer will be the key factor in forming TGO with continuous,uniform and single-ingredient（Al2O3）.In this experiment,we bombarded particles on to the metallic bound layer.We studied the influence of supersonic particle bombardment on the diffusion of Al.We hope to control the growth of TGO by monitoring the diffusion of Al.Thermal barrier coating（TBC）,which consists of a NiCoCrAlY bond coat and a ZrO2-8Y2O3（wt.%） topcoat（TC）,is fabricated on the nickel-base superalloy by air plasma spray（APS）.NiCoCrAlY bond coat is treated by supersonic fine particles bombarding（SFPB）.The morphology,oxidation behavior of TBC and phase are characterized by scanning electron microscope（SEM） equipped with an energy dispersive spectromrter（EDS） and X-ray diffractometer（XRD）.The influence of supersonic fine particles bombarding technique on the service life of thermal barrier coating is studied.The results show that SFPB technique improves the flaw of excessive surface undulation in the as-sprayed bond coat.A continuous,uniform and single-ingredient（Al2O3） TGO can quickly form in the SFPB TBC during high temperature oxidation process.The thickening of TGO is relatively slow.These will effectively suppress the formation of other non-protective oxides.Therefore,SFPB technique reduces the growth stress level generated by the continuous growth of TGO,and also avoids the stress concentration induced by formation of the large particle spinal oxide.Thermal barrier coating still remains well after 350 thermal cycles.The service life of TBC is improved.The proposed research provides theoretical basis and technical references to further improve and enhance the SFPB technique.

Effects of supersonic fine particle bombarding on thermal cyclic failure lifetime of thermal barrier coating

Thermal barrier coating ( TBC) consisting of a NiCoCrAlY bond coat ( BC) and a ZrO2-8 wt. % Y2O3 topcoat ( TC) was fabricated on the nickel-base superalloy by air plasma spray ( APS) . The BC was treated by supersonic fine particle bombarding ( SFPB) . Thermal cyclic failure and residual stress in thermally grown oxide ( TGO) scale were studied by SEM with EDS and ruby fluorescence spectroscopy ( RFS) . As shown in the results,after treated by SFPB,thickening of TGO was relatively slow,which reduced the level of growth stress. The TBC with SFPB treatment was still remained well undergoing 350 times of thermal cycle. However,after thermal cycle with the same times,the separation of TC was observed in TBC without SFPB treatment. The residual stress analysis by RFS showed that the residual stress of SFPB-treated TBC increased with the increasing number of thermal cycle. The residual stress of conventional TBC reached a value of 650 MPa at 350 times of cycle and that of SFPB-treated TBC only reached 532 MPa at 400 times of cycle. The BC with SFPB treatment after 400 times of cycle was analyzed by RFS,the high stress value was not observed in local thickened region of TGO. Thermal cycling resistance of TBC can be improved by the SFPB technology.

The Effect of Gelatin on the Preparation of Silica Coated Iron Particles

A method is described for coating fine iron particles(~1 μm) with a uniform silica layer, produced by the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate. The presence of a small amount of gelatin on the surface of the iron particles facilitates this process. The X ray photoelectron measurements indicated that the gelatin interacted with the surface of the iron particles by means of both nitrogen(in —NH 2 groups) and oxygen(in —COOH groups) and then bound to the silica. The silica coating increases the resistance of the iron particles to oxidation on heating in air, which makes the temperature at which an observable oxidization occurs from 330 ℃ to 400 ℃ raised.

Concentration Characteristics and Sources of Chemical Elements in Atmospheric Fine Particles (PM_(2.5)) in Autumn in Xi'an City

[Objective] The aim was to study the concentration characteristics and sources of chemical elements in atmospheric fine particles (PM2.5) in autumn in Xi’an City. [Method] By means of mini-volume sampler, PM2.5 samples in atmosphere in Xi’an were collected in October 2009, and the concentration characteristics and sources of elements in PM2.5 were analyzed. [Result] The average mass concentration of PM2.5 in atmosphere in autumn in Xi’an City was 168.44 μg/m3 which was higher than that of Beijing and Pearl River Delta area, and the minimum and maximum value were 53.29 and 358.16 μg/m3, respectively. The mass concentration of S, Zn, K, Cl, Ca and Fe in PM2.5 was above 1.0 μg/m3, being at high pollution level. In addition, K had obvious correlation with organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC), with the correlation coefficients of 0.76 and 0.75 (P<0.000 1), respectively, and it showed that OC and EC had the same source as K, namely biomass burning had certain contribution to OC and EC. Enrichment factors analysis revealed that K, Ca, Fe, Ti, Mn and Cr mainly came from earth crust, rock weathering and other natural sources, while anthropogenic pollution sources had great effects on S, Zn, Cl, Pb, Br, Mo, Cd and As which were affected by soil dust and other natural sources slightly, and Cd had the highest enrichment factor and mainly came from metal smelting. In a word, coal combustion, biomass burning, vehicle emissions, metallurgical, chemical industry and dust were the main sources of PM2.5 in autumn in Xi’an. [Conclusion] The study could provide theoretical foundation for the control of urban environmental pollution.

Numerical simulation and experimental study of gas cyclone–liquid jet separator for fine particle separation

To address the shortcomings of existing particulate matter trapping technology,especially the low separation efficiency of fine particles,herein,a novel gas cyclone-liquid jet separator was developed to research fine particle trapping.First,numerical simulation methods were used to investigate the flow field characteristics and dust removal efficiency of the separator under different working conditions,and to determined suitable experimental conditions for subsequent dust removal experiments.Afterward,the separation efficiency of the separator against five kinds of common particles,including g-C_(3)N_(4),TiO_(2),SiC,talc,and SiO_(2),was experimentally studied.A maximum separation efficiency of 99.48%was achieved for particles larger than 13.1μm,and 96.55%efficiency was achieved for particles larger than 2μm.The best crushing atomization effect was achieved for the separator when uGwas 10 m·s^(-1)and uLwas 3 m·s^(-1),while the best separation effect was achieved when uGwas 10 m·s^(-1)and uLwas 3.75 m·s^(-1).Studies have shown that the gas cyclone-liquid jet separator has excellent applicability in the separation of fine particles.

Preparation of La _(0.9)RE_(0.1) MnO_3 Ultra fine Particles Used for CH_4 Oxidation

A technique for preparing perovskite type oxides was developed. By this technique, ultra fine particles of La 0.9 RE 0.1 MnO 3 (RE: Y, Ce, Pr, Sm, Gd,or Dy) with high surface area and single perovskite structure were prepared, and the series of La 0.9 RE 0.1 MnO 3 catalysts were studied experimentally. The so prepared ultra fine particles exhibites high catalytic activity for CH 4 total oxidation. The ultra fine particles of La 0.9 RE 0.1 MnO 3 (except for La 0.9 Pr 0.1 MnO 3) prepared by this method are thermally much more stable than LaMnO 3. Of the La 0.9 RE 0.1 MnO 3 series, La 0.9 Y 0.1 MnO 3 is most thermally stable, and La 0.9 Y 0.1 MnO 3 or La 0.9 Gd 0.1 MnO 3 (varies with calcination temperature) exhibits the highest catalytic activity for total oxidation of methane. The specific surface area of La 0.9 Y 0.1 MnO 3 calcined at 1000 ℃ reaches 14.9 m 2·g -1 , while the specific surface area of LaMnO 3 calcined at the same temperature is only 1.8 m 2·g -1 .

Adverse effects of exposure to fine particles and ultrafine particles in the environment on different organs of organisms

Particulate pollution is a global risk factor that seriously threatens human health.Fine particles(FPs)and ultrafine particles(UFPs)have small particle diameters and large specific surface areas,which can easily adsorb metals,microorganisms and other pollutants.FPs and UFPs can enter the human body in multiple ways and can be easily and quickly absorbed by the cells,tissues and organs.In the body,the particles can induce oxidative stress,inflammatory response and apoptosis,furthermore causing great adverse effects.Epidemiological studies mainly take the population as the research object to study the distribution of diseases and health conditions in a specific population and to focus on the identification of influencing factors.However,the mechanism by which a substance harms the health of organisms is mainly demonstrated through toxicological studies.Combining epidemiological studies with toxicological studies will provide a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of the impact of PM on the health of organisms.In this review,the sources,compositions,and morphologies of FPs and UFPs are briefly introduced in the first part.The effects and action mechanisms of exposure to FPs and UFPs on the heart,lungs,brain,liver,spleen,kidneys,pancreas,gastrointestinal tract,joints and reproductive system are systematically summarized.In addition,challenges are further pointed out at the end of the paper.This work provides useful theoretical guidance and a strong experimental foundation for investigating and preventing the adverse effects of FPs and UFPs on human health.

Real-time,single-particle chemical composition,volatility and mixing state measurements of urban aerosol particles in southwest China

To investigate the volatility of atmospheric particulates and the evolution of other particulate properties(chemical composition,particle size distribution and mixing state)with temperature,a thermodenuder coupled with a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer was used to conduct continuous observations of atmospheric fine particles in Chengdu,southwest China.Because of their complex sources and secondary reaction processes,the average mass spectra of single particles contained a variety of chemical components(including organic,inorganic and metal species).When the temperature rose from room temperature to280℃,the relative areas of volatile and semi-volatile components decreased,while the relative areas of less or non-volatile components increased.Most(>80%)nitrate and sulfate existed in the form of NH_(4)NO_(3)and(NH_(4))_(2)SO_(4),and their volatilization temperatures were50–100℃and 150–280℃,respectively.The contribution of biomass burning(BB)and vehicle emission(VE)particles increased significantly at 280℃,which emphasized the important role of regional biomass burning and local motor vehicle emissions to the core of particles.With the increase in temperature,the particle size of the particles coated with volatile or semi-volatile components was reduced,and their mixing with secondary inorganic components was significantly weakened.The formation of K-nitrate(KNO_(3))and K-sulfate(KSO_(4))particles was dominated by liquid-phase processes and photochemical reactions,respectively.Reducing KNO_(3)and BB particles is the key to improving visibility.These new results are helpful towards better understanding the initial sources,pollution formation mechanisms and climatic effects of fine particulate matter in this megacity in southwest China.

Characterization of fine organic particulate matter from Chinese cooking

PM 2.5 samples were collected by a three-stage cascade impactor at two kinds of Chinese restaurants to characterize fine organic particulate matter from Chinese cooking sources. Major individual organic compounds have been quantified by GC/MS, including series of alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanals, alkan-2-ones and PAHs. Alkanes and ketones make up a significant fraction of particle-phase organic compounds, ranging from C 11 to C 26, and C 9 to C 19, respectively. In addition, other organic compound classes have been identified, such as alkanols, esters, furans, lactones, amides, and nitriles. The mass concentrations of fine particles, alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and PAHs in air emitted from the Uigur style cooking are hundreds times higher than ambient PM 2.5in Beijing.

Progress in the technological development of oxide metallurgy for manufacturing steel plates with excellent HAZ toughness

In the present study, the market needs for the （HAZ） toughness are analyzed, and the mechanism of the development of steel plates with excellent heat affected zone decrease in the HAZ toughness during high-heat input welding is discussed.The important countermeasure for improving the HAZ toughness is to employ the technology of oxide metallurgy ,namely,to make use of fine inclusion particles for improving the microstructure of HAZ. The progress and theories of oxide metallurgy technologies developed in the Nippon Steel Corporation （ NSC）, the JFE Steel Corporation and the Kobe Steel Group are illustrated. Steel plates developed by these three companies with excellent HAZ toughness are introduced.