Exploring the relationship between ambient sulfur dioxide and semen quality parameters:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective:To investigate the relationship between ambient sulfur dioxide(SO2)exposure and semen quality parameters.Methods:A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies investigating the association between SO2 exposure and semen quality parameters.This search encompassed the timeframe from January 2000 to May 2023 and included electronic databases such as Web of Science,Google Scholar,PubMed,Cochrane,and Scopus.Pooled effect estimates with 95%confidence intervals(CI)were calculated using percent changes(PC).The meta-analysis included seven studies with 6711 participants and 15087 semen samples.Results:The results revealed a significant negative association between ambient SO2 exposure and certain semen quality parameters.In particular,SO2 exposure was associated with a significant decrease in progressive motility(PC=0.032;95%CI:-0.063 to-0.001;P=0.044)and sperm concentration(PC=-0.020;95%CI:-0.036 to-0.005;P=0.012).However,no statistically significant associations were observed for total sperm count(PC=-0.038;95%CI:-0.079 to 0.003;P=0.070),seminal fluid volume(PC=-0.009;95%CI:-0.048 to-0.030;P=0.662)and sperm motility(PC=-0.17;95%CI:-0.363 to 0.022;P=0.830).In addition,the results of the subgroup analysis revealed specific variables that were associated with the decrease in relevant sperm parameters.Conclusions:This systematic review and meta-analysis provides compelling evidence supporting a consistent negative association between exposure to ambient SO2 and semen quality parameters.

Beneficiation of coal using supercritical water and carbon dioxide extraction:sulfur removal

This work explores the use of carbon dioxide,water,and their mixtures as solvent for the precombustion beneficiation of raw coal without using any toxic mineral acids in the temperature range of 200-400℃.The fluid polarity,ionic constant,and supercritical point can be adjusted by H_(2)O/CO_(2)ratio and temperature.Adding carbon dioxide to hydrothermal fluid also increases the ionization by forming carbonic acid.Extractions with supercritical fluids have several benefits including enhanced mass transport,ease of separation and recycle,wide range of extractive capability and tunability,better inherent safety,and in the case of carbon dioxide and water-low cost.A semi-continuous extraction system was designed and built in which pressure,temperature and the relative flow rates of CO_(2)and H_(2)O can be controlled.Coal powder is kept in a packed bed and the extraction is carried out at 143 bar pressure.Using sulfur as a model heteroatom,extractive efficiency is examined as a function of the temperature,fluid composition,fluid flow,and extraction time.The results indicate that carbon dioxide,water,and supercritical water-carbon dioxide(ScWC)all can effectively extract about 50%of total sulfur from bituminous coal in 1 h.Extraction above 350℃decreased effectiveness,and extraction above the supercritical point of pure water caused hydrothermal carbonization.ScWC extraction may provide necessary control to prevent organic dissolution while removing sulfur.

Effects of Coal Rank and High Organic Sulfur on the Structure and Optical Properties of Coal-based Graphene Quantum Dots

Coal-based graphene quantum dots(GQDs) were successfully produced via a one-step chemical synthesis from six different coal ranks, from which two superhigh organic sulfur(SHOS) coals were selected as natural S-doped carbon sources for the preparation of S-doped GQDs. The effects of coal properties on coal-based GQDs were analyzed by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence emission spectra. It was shown that all coal samples can be used to prepare GQDs, which emit bluegreen and blue fluorescence under ultraviolet light. Anthracite-based GQDs have a hexagonal crystal structure without defects, the largest size, and densely arranged carbon rings in their lamellae; the highrank bituminous coal-based GQDs are relatively reduced in size, with their hexagonal crystal structure being only faintly visible; the low-rank bituminous coal-based GQDs are the smallest, with sparse lattice fringes and visible internal defects. As the metamorphism of raw coals increases, the yield decreases and the fluorescence quantum yield(QY) initially increases and then decreases. Additionally, the surface of GQDs that were prepared using high-rank SHOS coal(high-rank bituminous coal) preserves rich sulfur content even after strong oxidation, which effectively adjusts the bandgap and improves the fluorescence QY. Thus, high-rank bituminous coal with SHOS content can be used as a natural S-doped carbon source to prepare S-doped GQDs, extending the clean utilization of low-grade coal.

Speciation and thermal transformation of sulfur forms in high-sulfur coal and its utilization in coal-blending coking process:A review

The utilization of high-sulfur coal is becoming more urgent due to the excessive utilization of low-sulfur,high-quality coal resources,and sulfur removal from high-sulfur coal is the most important issue.This paper reviews the speciation,forms and distribution of sulfur in coal,the sulfur removal from raw coal,the thermal transformation of sulfur during coal pyrolysis,and the sulfur regulation during coal-blending coking of high organic-sulfur coals.It was suggested that the proper characterization of sulfur in coal cannot be obtained only by either chemical method or instrumental characterization,which raises the need of a combination of current or newly adopted characterization methods.Different from the removal of inorganic sulfur from coal,the organic sulfur can only be partly removed by chemical technologies;and the coal structure and property,particularly high-sulfur coking coals which have caking ability,may be altered and affected by the pretreatment processes.Based on the interactions among the sulfur radicals,sulfur-containing and hydrogen-containing fragments during coal pyrolysis and the reactions with minerals or nascent char,regulating the sulfur transformation behavior in the process of thermal conversion is the most effective way to utilize high organic-sulfur coals in the coke-making industry.An in-situ regulation approach of sulfur transformation during coal-blending coking has been suggested.That is,the high volatile coals with an appropriate releasing temperature range of CH4 overlapping well with that of H2 S from high organic-sulfur coals is blended with high organic-sulfur coals,and the C–S/C–C bonds in some sulfur forms are catalytically broken and immediately hydrogenated by the hydrogencontaining radicals generated from high volatile coals.Wherein,the effect of mass transfer on sulfur regulation during the coking process should be considered for the larger-scale coking tests through optimizing the ratios of different coals in the coal blend.

Correction to:Beneficiation of coal using supercritical water and carbon dioxide extraction:sulfur removal

In the original publication,there were few amendments to be made in Section 3.2 Extractive reactions involved.The updated version of the section is provided in this correction.The original article has been corrected.

Molecular simulation studies of hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide adsorption on coal

Sorption isotherms of hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide （CO2） provide crucial information for designing processes to sequester CO2 and recover natural gas from unmineable coal beds. Methane （CH4）, ethane （C2H6）, and CO2 adsorption isotherms on dry coal and the temperature effect on their maximum sorption capacity have been studied by performing combined Monte Carlo （MC） and molecular dynamics （MD） simulations at temperatures of 308 and 370 K （35 and 97 ~C） and at pressures up to 10 MPa. Simulation results demonstrate that absolute sorption （expressed as a mass basis） divided by bulk gas density has negligible temperature effect on CH4, C2H6, and CO2 sorption on dry coal when pressure is over 6 MPa. CO2 is more closely packed due to stronger interaction with coal and the stronger interaction between CO2 mole- cules compared, respectively, with the interactions between hydrocarbons and coal and between hydrocarbons. The results of this work suggest that the ＂a＂ constant （pro- portional to TcPc） in the Peng-Robinson equation of state is an important factor affecting the sorption behavior of hydrocarbons. CO2 injection pressures of lower than 8 MPa may be desirable for CH4 recovery and CO2 sequestration. This study provides a quantitative under- standing of the effects of temperature on coal sorptioncapacity for CH4, C2H6, and CO2 from a microscopic perspective.

Leaching of vanadium from stone coal with sulfuric acid

The effects of roasting, mass ratio of H2SO4 to stone coal, leaching temperature, liquid-to-solid ratio, grinding fineness of stone coal, and two-stage counter-current leaching on the vanadium leaching ratio were studied. The results show that the vanadium leaching ratio of roasted stone coal through two-stage counter-current leaching can reach 65.1% at the mass ratio of H2SO4 to stone coal of 20%, leaching temperature of 95℃, leaching time of 30 h, liquid-to-solid ratio of 1.1 mL·g^-1, and grinding fineness of 0.1 mm, which can serve as an experimental basis for the production of vanadium from stone coal.

Distribution Characteristics of Sulfur and the Main Harmful Trace Elements in China's Coal

To promote the rational development and use of clean coal resources in China, data on the regional and age distribution of sulfur, arsenic and other harmful elements in Chinese coal was broadly collected, tested for content, and analyzed. Coal in northwestern China is characterized by low to extremely low levels of sulfur; the coal of the Taiyuan Formation in northern China mainly has high-sulfur content; that of the Shanxi Formation is mainly characterized by low sulfur coal; and the Late Permian coal in southern China has overall higher sulfur content; other regions have low sulfur coal. The average content of harmful trace elements in the bulk of China＇s coal is similar to the corresponding content in the coal of the North America and the rest of the world, whereas the content of various elements （Hg, Sb and Se） is different in magnitude to the corresponding percentage in the crust. The average content of the elements Cr, Se, Co, Be, U, Br in Late Permian coal in S China ranks first in the country whereas the average content of Hg and CI in the coals of Late Carboniferous to Early Permian age in N China are the highest. The average content of Mn in Early and Middle Jurassic coal is higher in NW China. The high content of harmful elements in some coal should cause particular concern both in the development and utilization of coal.

Simulation of the interaction of methane,carbon dioxide and coal

Gas adsorption has an important influence on gas flow in a coal body.Research on the characteristics of coal and gas adsorption is the theoretical basis for studying gas flow in coal.In this paper,the interaction between methane,carbon dioxide and surface molecules of anthracite was simulated using the quantum chemistry method.Adsorption energy and adsorption configurations of different quantities of gas molecules absorbed on the coal surface were calculated.The results show that adsorption between coal and the two kinds of gas molecules is a physical adsorption process and there is an optimal configuration.Gas molecules are more easily adsorbed in the hydroxyl-containing side chain,while it is difficult for them to be adsorbed at the position of the benzene ring.Besides,carbon dioxide molecules are more readily adsorbed on the coal surface than methane molecules.The findings have an important significance in revealing the nature of gas adsorption in coal.

The Formation Models of Sulfur in the Late Permian Coal of Sichuan

On the basis of the study on the occurrence and distribution of sulfur in the Late Permiau high-sulrur coals of Sichuan .Southwest China,the paper discusses the geological ractors influencing sulfur occurrence in coals, and suggests two evolutionary motlels, i. e. a directly depositional pyrite series(euhedral crystal→aggregate→glomerocryst ) and complex genetic series (mini→granular, framboid→spherical→nodular,lumpy pyrite). They are of theoretically and actually important significance not only in the explanation to the difference in composition of varioas types of coal pyrites,but also in the understanding of the mechanism of physical properties (magnetic,surface property) of pyrites. By a comprehansive analysis,a genetic model of sulfur in the Late Permian coal of Sichuan has been established.

Removal of sulfur in coke oven gas by mixing ZnO-based additive into coal

A new technology for recycling EAF dust and removal of sulfur from coking oven gas was investigated. The new technology does not need to set up special equipment to treat COG (coke oven gas), and it is only acquired by mixing the ZnO base additive into the coke coal. In the stage of pyrolysis of the coal volatile, ZnO of the additive combines with H 2S, CS 2, COS and C 2H 2SH of coal gas, forming ZnS in coal char. In the stage of coking of the coal char, Zn is gasified with S, then the gas Zn react with H 2S, CS 2, COS and C 2H 2SH, forming ZnS in coal gas and depositing as dust. After the collected ZnS dust was regenerated, it can be recycling as the additive again. The sulfur in coal gas can be completely removed if the mole ratio of the added Zn to the volatilized S is more than 1, and the sulfur in coke is also slightly decreased comparing with the coke without the additive. The EAF dust containing ZnO and Fe 2O 3 can be the base material of the desulfurizing additive.

Mechanism of sulfur capture during coal briquette combustion

The mechanisms of sulfur capturing during coal briquette combustion was discussed. Various factors affecting sulfur removal efficiency have been studied. Characterization of the slag left after combustion has been carried out by using X ray diffraction (XRD), Messbauer spectroscopy (MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion X ray analysis (EDAX), and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). No other sulfur containing species besides CaSO 4 was found. Small amount of CaFe 3(SiO 4) 2OH, some complexes of CaO SiO 2 Fe 2O 3 and vitreous iron oxides were identified on the surface of CaSO 4 grains. This might explain the mechanism of sulfur fixation during coal briquettes combustion.

Decomposition of carbon dioxide hydrate in the samples of natural coal with different degrees of metamorphism

Methane and carbon dioxide hydrates are one of the possible forms in which these gases exist in natural coal(for more detailed discussion see Refs [1,2]). In this work, the decomposition of carbon dioxide hydrate in five samples of natural coal differing from each other in metamorphism degree was investigated experimentally. Carbon dioxide hydrate dispersed in coals was synthesized from water adsorbed in these coals. During a linear temperature rise in an autoclave with the coal + hydrate sample the hydrate decomposition manifests itself as a step of increase in gas pressure, accompanied by a decrease/stabilization of the temperature of coal sample. The dependencies of the amount of hydrate formed on initial coal humidity and on gas pressure during hydrate formation were studied. It was demonstrated that each coal sample is characterized by its own humidity threshold below which hydrate formation in natural coal is impossible. With an increase in gas pressure, the amount of water transformed into hydrate increases. For the studied coal samples, the decomposition of carbon dioxide hydrates proceeds within a definite temperature and pressure range, and this range is close to the curve of phase equilibrium for bulk hydrate.

Influence of Modified Medical Stone on Behavior of Sulfur during Pyrolysis of Longma Coal

The influence of Co Mo P/medical stone and SO_4^(2-)/medical stone on sulfur behavior during the Longma coal pyrolysis was investigated in a fixed bed reactor. Moreover, the kinetics was also studied. It is found that adding SO_4^(2-)/medical stone was favorable to removal of volatile matter, while adding Co Mo P/medical stone could inhibit the emission of volatiles. Moreover, the results also showed that adding Co Mo P/medical stone made the total sulfur retention higher, while adding SO_4^(2-)/medical stone made the total sulfur retention lower. Adding modified medical stone was beneficial to removal of sulfate sulfur and pyritic sulfur, while it was beneficial to retaining organic sulfur in the residue. Furthermore, adding Co Mo P/medical stone and SO_4^(2-)/medical stone all could increase the emission of H_2S when the temperature was higher than 450℃. Judging from the kinetics study, it also can be known that addition of the natural minerals could result in a decrease of the pre-exponential factor and also change the apparent activation energy upon comparing the apparent activation energy and the pre-exponential factor of raw Longma coal at 435—537℃.

Theoretical Study of Small Water Clusters of Sulfur Dioxide

The intermolecular clusters of sulfur dioxide with water, SO2（H2O）n （n = 2～5）, are studied by using B3LYP density functional theory and MP2 ab initio methods along with the large basis sets （6-311＋＋G（d,p） and aug-cc-pVDZ）. The equilibrium geometries, intermolecular binding energies, and anharmonic frequencies of the clusters are calculated and compared with those of pure water clusters and available experiments. SO2 tends to form cyclic hydrogen-bonded complexes with two or three water molecules. In the larger clusters, however, water molecules begin to retain the structure of pure water clusters and segregate from SO2. Infrared absorption assignments for the small clusters are discussed to resolve a possible incorrect assignment in a recent spectroscopic experiment on the clusters.

Combustion and Sulfur-fixing Performance of Pulping Black Liquor Coal-water Slurry

The effects of adding pulping black liquor and other additives to coal-water slurry(CWS) on the sulfur-fixing performance of the resultant mixture(pulping black liquor coal-water slurry) were evaluated. The experimental results demonstrated that the ash content of the black liquor coalwater slurry decreased as the addition of pulping black liquor in the mixture increased. Nevertheless, the addition amount should be appropriately selected to ensure that the black liquor coal-water slurry had a moderate calorific value. Addition of black liquor improved the combustion performance of CWS by lowering the ignition point and stabilizing the combustion process; moreover, the sulfur-fixation ratio after combustion increased by 12 to 16 percentage points than that of CWS, and the content of high-melting-point salt in the ash from CWS after adding black liquor was low. The sulfur-fixing ratio of CWS after adding a sulfur-fixing agent was effectively increased by 25 to 30 percenatge points, but with compromise of the fluidity and stability of the CWS; thus, the addition amount of a sulfur-fixing agent should be optimized.

Fe-Si promoter for sulfur capture during coal briquette combustion

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SELECTIVE SULFUR DIOXIDE DETERMINATION BY GAS DIFFUSION FLOW INJECTION ANALYSIS WITH CHEMILUMINESCENT DETECTION

Sulfur dioxide has been found to decrease the chemiluminescence of luminol-iodine system.A new determination method for sulfur dioxide in atmosphere is developed by applying this reaction to a flow injection gas diffusion separation system.This permits the determination of sulfur dioxide selectively and rapidly.

Numerical Simulation on the Rainout-Removal of Sulfur Dioxide and Acidification of Precipitation from Stratiform Clouds

The rainout-removal of SO2 and the acidification of precipitation from stratiform clouds are simulated using a one-dimensional, time-dependent model, parameterized microphysically in which dissolution and dissociation of gaseous SO2 and H2O2, and oxidation reaction in aqueous phase are taken into account. The effects of dynamic factors, including updraft flow and turbulent transport, and the concentration of gaseous SO2 and H2O2 being transported into the clouds on pH value of the precipitation, the conversion rate S(Ⅳ)-S(Ⅵ) and the wet deposition rate of SO2 are discussed.

Power industry to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions

China has published a stricter emission standard for thermal power plants in order to help reduce the power industry's sulfur dioxide emissions by over six