Determination of arsenic in air particulates and diesel exhaust particulates by spectrophotometry

A method was developed for the determination of trace arsenic by spectrophotometry. The proposed method is rapid, simple, and inexpensive. This method can be used for sensitive determination of trace arsenic in environmental samples and especially in air particulates. The results obtained by this method as a proposed method were compared with those obtained by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry as a popular reported method for the determination of arsenic and an excellent agreement was found between them. The method was also used for determination of arsenic associated with airborne particulate matter and diesel exhaust particulates. The results showed that considerable amount of arsenic are associated with diesel engine particulates. The variation in concentration of arsenic was also investigated. The atmospheric concentration of arsenic was different in different sampling stations was dependent to the traffic density.

Assessment of Benchmark Dose in BEAS-2B Cells by Evaluating the Cell Relative Viability with Particulates in Motorcycle Exhaust via the Air-liquid Interface Exposure

Objective This study aimed to use an air-liquid interface(ALI)exposure system to simulate the inhalation exposure of motorcycle exhaust particulates(MEPs)and then investigate the benchmark dose(BMD)of MEPs by evaluating cell relative viability(CRV)in lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells.Methods The MEPs dose was characterized by measuring the number concentration(NC),surface area concentration(SAC),and mass concentration(MC).BEAS-2B cells were exposed to MEPs at different concentrations via ALI and CRV was determined using Cell Counting Kit(CCK-8)assay.BMD software was applied to calculate BMD and the lower limit of benchmark dose(BMDL)according to Akaike Information Coefficient(AIC),with P-value based on Hill,Linear,Polynomial,and Power model.Results Our results reveal that BMD of NC and SAC were estimated by the best-fitting Hill model,while MC was estimated by Polynomial model.The BMDL for CRV following ALI exposure to MEPs were as follows:364.2#/cm^(3)for NC;0.662×10^(7)nm^(2)/cm^(3)for SAC;and 0.278μg/m^(3)for MC.Conclusion These results indicate that MEPs exposure via ALI system induces a dose-dependent decrease of CRV and provides the potential exposure threshold of MEPs in a lung cell model.

Mass spectral chemical fingerprints reveal the molecular dependence of exhaust particulate matters on engine speeds

Particulate matters（PMs） emitted by automobile exhaust contribute to a significant fraction of the global PMs. Extractive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry（EAPCI-MS） was developed to explore the molecular dependence of PMs collected from exhaust gases produced at different vehicle engine speeds. The mass spectral fingerprints of the organic compounds embedded in differentially sized PMs（e.g., 0.22–0.45, 0.45–1.00, 1.00–2.00, 2.00–3.00, 3.00–5.00, and 5.00–10.00 μm） generated at different engine speeds（e.g., 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 r/min） were chemically profiled in the mass range of mass to charge ratio（m/z） 50–800. Organic compounds,including alcohols, aldehydes, and esters, were detected in all the PMs tested, with varied concentration levels for each individual PM sample. At relatively low engine speeds（≤ 1500 r/min）, the total amount of organic species embedded in PMs of 0.22–1.00 μm was greater than in PMs of other sizes, while more organic species were found in PMs of5.00–10.00 μm at high engine speeds（≥ 3000 r/min）, indicating that the organic compounds distributed in different sizes of PMs strongly correlated with the engine speed. The experimental data showed that the EAPCI-MS technique enables molecular characterization of PMs in exhaust, revealing the chemical dependence of PMs on the engine speeds（i.e., the combustion conditions） of automobiles.

High NO_2/NO_X emissions downstream of the catalytic diesel particulate filter:An influencing factor study

Diesel vehicles are responsible for most of the traffic-related nitrogen oxide（NO x） emissions,including nitric oxide（NO） and nitrogen dioxide（NO2）. The use of after-treatment devices increases the risk of high NO2/NO x emissions from diesel engines. In order to investigate the factors influencing NO2/NO x emissions, an emission experiment was carried out on a high pressure common-rail, turbocharged diesel engine with a catalytic diesel particulate filter（CDPF）. NO2 was measured by a non-dispersive ultraviolet analyzer with raw exhaust sampling. The experimental results show that the NO2/NO x ratios downstream of the CDPF range around 20%–83%, which are significantly higher than those upstream of the CDPF. The exhaust temperature is a decisive factor influencing the NO2/NO x emissions. The maximum NO2/NO x emission appears at the exhaust temperature of 350°C. The space velocity,engine-out PM/NO x ratio（mass based） and CO conversion ratio are secondary factors. At a constant exhaust temperature, the NO2/NO x emissions decreased with increasing space velocity and engine-out PM/NO x ratio. When the CO conversion ratios range from 80% to 90%,the NO2/NO x emissions remain at a high level.