Ambient Temperature and Outpatient Visits for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Bronchitis in Shanghai: A Time Series Analysis

The association between ambient temperature and acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis （AECB） was still unknown. Therefore, we performed an epidemiological study in a large hospital of Shanghai to explore the relationship about temperature and outpatient visit for AECB. We adopted a quasi-Poisson generalized additive models and distributed lag nonlinear models to estimate the accumulative effects of temperature on AECB across multiple days. We found significant non-linear effects of cold temperature on hospital visits for AECB, and the potential effect of cold temperature might last more than 2 weeks. The relative risks of extreme cold （first percentiles of temperature throughout the study period） and cold （10th percentile of temperature） temperature over lags 0-14 d were 2.98 [95% confidence intervals （CI）： 1.77, 5.04] and 1.63 （95% Ch 1.21, 2.19）, compared with the 25th percentile of temperature. However, we found no positive association between hospital visits and hot weather. This study showed that exposure to both extreme cold and cold temperatures were associated with increased outpatient visits for AECB in a large hospital of Shanghai.

From highly polluted inland city of China to"Lanzhou Blue":The air-pollution characteristics

Air quality was improved considerably and the so-called"Lanzhou Blue"appeared frequently in Lanzhou due to implementation of some strict emission-control measures in recent years.To better understand whether the concentration of each air pollutant had decreased significantly and then give some suggestions as to urban air-quality improvement in the near future,the variations of the Air Quality Index(AQI)and six criterion air pollutants(PM_(2.5),PM_(10),CO,SO_2,NO_2,and O_3)at five state-controlled monitoring sites of Lanzhou were studied from 2013 to 2016.The AQI,PM_(2.5),PM_(10),and SO_2 gradually decreased from 2013 to 2016,while CO and NO_2 concentrations had slightly increasing trends,especially in urban areas,due to the large number of motor vehicles,which had an annual growth rate of 30.87%.The variations of the air pollutants in the no-domestic-heating season were more significant than those in the domestic-heating season.The increase of ozone concentration for the domestic-heating season at a background station was the most significant among the five monitoring sites.The vehicle-exhaust and ozone pollution was increasingly severe with the rapid increase in the number of motor vehicles.The particulate-matter pollution became slight in the formerly highly polluted Lanzhou City.Some synergetic measures in urban and rural areas of Lanzhou should be taken by the local government in the near future to control fine particulate-matter(PM_(2.5))and ozone pollution.

Emission and optical characteristics of brown carbon in size-segregated particles from three types of Chinese ships

Brown carbon(BrC)is one of the important light absorption substances that have high light absorption ability under short wavelength light.However,limit studies have focused on the BrC emission from ships.In this study,size-segregated particulate matters(PM)were collected from three different types of ships,light absorption characteristics and size distribution of methanol-soluble BrC and water-soluble BrC in PM from ship exhausts were investigated.Results showed that four-stroke low-power diesel fishing boat(4-LDF)had the highest mass concentrations of methanol-soluble organic carbon(MSOC)and water-soluble organic carbon(WSOC),followed by 2-stroke high-power heavy-fuel-oil vessel(2-HHV),and fourstroke high-power marine-diesel vessel(4-HMV).While 2-HHV had obviously higher light absorption coefficients of methanol-soluble BrC(Abs365,M)and water-soluble BrC(Abs365,W)in unit weight of PM than the other two types of ships.The tested ships presented comparable or higher absorption efficiency of BrC in water extracts(MAE365,W)compared with other BrC emission sources.Majority of BrC was concentrated in fine particles,and the particle size distributions of both Abs365,Mand Abs365,Wshowed bimodal patterns,peaking at0.43–0.65μm and 4.7–5.8μm,respectively.However,different particle size distributions were found for MAE365,Mbetween diesel and heavy fuel oil ships.Besides,different wavelength dependence in particles with different size were also detected.Ship exhaust could be confirmed as a non-ignorable BrC emission source,and complex influencing factor could affect the light absorption characteristics of ship emissions.Particle size should also be considered when light absorption ability of BrC was evaluated.

Association between Ambient Air Pollution and Outpatient Visits for Acute Bronchitis in a Chinese City

Objective To investigate the short-term association between outdoor air pollution and outpatient visits for acute bronchitis,which is a rare subject of research in the mainland of China.Methods A time-series analysis was conducted to examine the association of outdoor air pollutants with hospital outpatient visits in Shanghai by using two-year daily data（2010-2011）.Results Outdoor air pollution was found to be associated with an increased risk of outpatient visits for acute bronchitis in Shanghai.The effect estimates of air pollutants varied with the lag structures of the concentrations of the pollutants.For lag06,a 10 μg/m3 increase in the concentrations of PM10,SO2,and NO2 corresponded to 0.94%（95% CI：0.83%,1.05%）,11.12%（95% CI：10.76%,11.48%）,and 4.84%（95% CI：4.49%,5.18%） increases in hospital visits for acute bronchitis,respectively.These associations appeared to be stronger in females（P〈0.05）.Between-age differences were significant for SO2（P〈0.05）,and between-season differences were also significant for SO2（P〈0.05）.Conclusion Our analyses have provided the first evidence that the current air pollution level in China has an effect on acute bronchitis and that the rationale for further limiting air pollution levels in Shanghai should be strengthened.

Decomposition of Potent Greenhouse Gases SF_6,CF_4 and SF_5CF_3 by Dielectric Barrier Discharge

For their distinguished global warming potential（GWP100）and long atmosphere lifespan,CF_4,SF_6 and SF_5CF_3were significant in the field of greenhouse gas research.The details of discharging character and the optimal parameter were discussed by using a Dielectric Barrier Discharge（DBD）reactor to decompose these potent greenhouse gases in this work.The results showed that SF_6 could be decomposed by 92% under the conditions of 5 min resident time and3000 V applied voltage with the partial pressure of 2.0 k Pa,28.2 k Pa,and 1.8 k Pa for SF_6,air and water vapor,respectively.0.4 k Pa CF_4 could be decomposed by 98.2% for 4 min resident time with 30 k Pa Ar added.The decomposition of SF_5CF_3 was much more effective than that of SF_6 and CF_4and moreover,1.3 k Pa SF_5CF_3,discharged with 30 k PaO_2,Ar and air,could not be detected when the resident time was 80 s,40 s,and 120 s,respectively.All the results indicated that DBD was a feasible technique for the abatement of potent greenhouse gases.

Electrochemical Biorefinery toward Chemicals Synthesis and Bio-Oil Upgrading from Lignin

Recalcitrance and the inherent heterogeneity of lignin structure are the major bottlenecks to impede the popularization of lignin-based chemicals production processes.Recent works suggested a promising pathway for lignin depolymerization and lignin-derived bio-oil upgrading via an electrochemical biorefinery(a process in which lignin valorization is performed via electrochemical oxidation or reduction).This review presents the progress on chemicals synthesis and bio-oil upgrading from lignin by an electrochemical biorefinery,relating to the lignin biosynthesis pathway,reaction pathway of lignin electrochemical conversion,inner-sphere and outer-sphere electron transfer mechanism,basic kinetics and thermodynamics in electrochemistry,and the recent embodiments analysis with the emphasis on the respective feature and limitation for lignin electrochemical oxidative and reductive conversion.Lastly,the challenge and perspective associated with lignin electrochemical biorefinery are discussed.Present-day results indicate that more work should be performed to promote efficiency,selectivity,and stability in pursuing a lignin electrochemical biorefinery.One of the most promising developing directions appears to be integrating various types of lignin electrochemical conversion strategies and other existing or evolving lignin valorization technologies.This review aims to provide more references and discussion on the development for lignin electrochemical biorefinery.

Measurement of atmospheric nanoparticles:Bridging the gap between gas-phase molecules and larger particles

Atmospheric nanoparticles are crucial components contributing to fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5)),and therefore have significant effects on visibility,climate,and human health.Due to the unique role of atmospheric nanoparticles during the evolution process from gas-phase molecules to larger particles,a number of sophisticated experimental techniques have been developed and employed for online monitoring and characterization of the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric nanoparticles,helping us to better understand the formation and growth of new particles.In this paper,we firstly review these state-of-the-art techniques for investigating the formation and growth of atmospheric nanoparticles(e.g.,the gas-phase precursor species,molecular clusters,physicochemical properties,and chemical composition).Secondly,we present findings from recent field studies on the formation and growth of atmospheric nanoparticles,utilizing several advanced techniques.Further-more,perspectives are proposed for technique development and improvements in measuring atmospheric nanoparticles.

Pollution sources of atmospheric fine particles and secondary aerosol characteristics in Beijing

To investigate the secondary formation and pollution sources of atmospheric particles in urban Beijing,PM2.5 and its chemical components were collected and determined by URG-9000 D ambient ion monitor(AIM) from March 2016 to January 2017.Among water-soluble ions(WSIs), NO3-,SO42- and NH4+(SNA) had the largest proportion(77.8%) with the total concentration of 23.8 μg/m3.Moreover,as fine particle pollution worsened,the NO3-,SO4<sup>2- and NH4+ concentrations increased basically,which revealed that secondary aerosols were the main cause of particle pollution in Beijing.Furthermore,the particle neutralization ratio(1.1),the ammonia to sulfate molar ratio(3.4) and the nitrate to sulfate molar ratio(2.2) showed that secondary aerosols are under ammonium-rich conditions with the main chemical forms of NH4 NO3 and(NH4)2 SO4,and vehicle emission could be the main anthropogenic source of secondary aerosols in Beijing.Source analysis further indicated that secondary aerosols,solid fuel combustion,dust and marine aerosol were the principal pollution sources of PM2.5,accounting for about 46.1%,22.4% and 13.0%,respectively,and Inner Mongolia and Hebei Provinces could be considered as the main potential sources of PM2.5 in urban Beijing.In addition,secondary formation process was closely related with gaseous precursor emission amounts(SO2,NO2,NH3 and HONG),atmospheric ozone concentration(O3),meteorological conditions(temperature and relative humidity) and particle components.Sensitive analysis of the thermodynamic equilibrium model(ISORROPIA Ⅱ)revealed that controlling total nitrate(TN) is the effective measure to mitigate fine particle pollution in Beijing.

Interannual evolution of the chemical composition,sources and processes of PM_(2.5)in Chengdu,China:Insights from observations in four winters

The air quality in China has improved significantly in the last decade and,correspondingly,the characteristics of PM_(2.5)have also changed.We studied the interannual variation of PM_(2.5)in Chengdu,one of the most heavily polluted megacities in southwest China,during the most polluted season(winter).Our results show that the mass concentrations of PM_(2.5)decreased significantly year-by-year,from 195.8±91.0μg/m~3in winter 2016 to 96.1±39.3μg/m^(3)in winter 2020.The mass concentrations of organic matter(OM),SO_()4^(2-),NH_(4)^(+)and NO_(3)^(-)decreased by 49.6%,57.1%,49.7% and 28.7%,respectively.The differential reduction in the concentrations of chemical components increased the contributions from secondary organic carbon and NO_(3)^(-)and there was a larger contribution from mobile sources.The contribution of OM and NO_(3)^(-)not only increased with increasing levels of pollution,but also increased year-by-year at the same level of pollution.Four sources of PM_(2.5)were identified:combustion sources,vehicular emissions,dust and secondary aerosols.Secondary aerosols made the highest contribution and increased year-by-year,from 40.6%in winter 2016 to 46.3% in winter 2020.By contrast,the contribution from combustion sources decreased from 14.4% to 8.7%.Our results show the effectiveness of earlier pollution reduction policies and emphasizes that priority should be given to key pollutants(e.g.,OM and NO_(3)^(-))and sources(secondary aerosols and vehicular emissions)in future policies for the reduction of pollution in Chengdu during the winter months.

Investigation of formaldehyde sources and its relative emission intensity in shipping channel environment

Formaldehyde(HCHO)is considered one of the most abundant gas-phase carbonyl compounds in the atmosphere,which can be directly emitted through transportation sources.Long-Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy(LP-DOAS)was used to observe HCHO in the river channel of Wusong Wharf in Shanghai,China for the whole year of 2019.Due to the impact of ship activity,the annual average HCHO level in the channel is about2.5 times higher than that in the nearby campus environment.To explain the sources of HCHO under different meteorological conditions,the tracer-pair of CO and O_(x)(NO_(2)+O_(3))was used on the clustered air masses.The results of the source appointment show that primary,secondary and background account for 24.14%(3.34±1.19 ppbv),44.78%(6.20±2.04ppbv)and 31.09%(4.31±2.33 ppbv)of the HCHO in the channel when the air masses were from the mixed direction of the city and channel,respectively.By performing background station subtraction at times of high primary HCHO values and resolving the plume peaks,directly emitted HCHO/NO_(2)in the channel environment and plume were determined to be mainly distributed between 0.2 and 0.3.General cargo ships with higher sailing speeds or main engine powers tend to have higher HCHO/NO_(2)levels.With the knowledge of NO_(2)(or NO_(x))emission levels from ships,this study may provide data support for the establishment of HCHO emission factors.

MAX-DOAS and in-situ measurements of aerosols and trace gases over Dongying,China:Insight into ozone formation sensitivity based on secondary HCHO

This study presents a comprehensive overview of the atmospheric pollutants including Sulfur dioxide(SO_(2)),Nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2)),Formaldehyde(HCHO),Particulate Matter PM;PM_(10):diameter≤10μm,and PM_(2.5):diameter≤2.5μm,and Ozone(O_(3)),over Dongying(Shandong Province)from March-April 2018 and September-October 2019 by employing ground-based Multiple Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy(MAX-DOAS)observations along with the in-situ measurements attained by the national air quality monitoring platform.The concentrations of SO_(2)and NO_(2)were under the acceptable level,while both PM_(2.5),and PM_(10)were higher than the safe levels as prescribed by national and international air quality standards.The results depict that 21%of the total observation days were found to be complex polluted days(PM_(2.5)>35μg/m^(3) and O_(3)>160μg/m^(3)).The secondary HCHO was used for accurate analysis of O_(3)sensitivity.A difference of 11.40%and 10%during March-April 2018 and September-October 2019 respectively in O_(3)sensitivity was found between HCHO_(total)/NO_(2)and HCHO_(sec)/NO_(2).The results indicate that primary HCHO have significant contribution in HCHO.O_(3)formation predominantly remained to be in VOC-limited and transitional regime during March-April 2018 and September-October 2019 in Dongying.These results imply that concurrent control of both NO_(x) and VOCs would benefit in ozone reductions.Additionally,the criteria pollutants(PM,SO_(2),and NO_(2))depicted strong correlations with each other except for O_(3)for which weak correlation coefficient was obtained with all the species.This study will prove to be baseline for designing of air pollution control strategies.

Pollution characteristics of atmospheric dustfall and heavy metals in a typical inland heavy industry city in China

Through field sampling of atmospheric dustfall in regions of Zhuzhou City, China for a period of one year, the deposition fluxes of atmospheric dustfall and five heavy metals contained inside, including Cr, As, Cd, Hg and Pb, were analyzed. Meanwhile the enrichment factor and index methods were used to analyze the pollution characteristics of heavy metals of atmospheric dustfall in Zhuzhou. The annual deposition flux of atmospheric dustfall in Zhuzhou was 50.79 g/（m^2.year）, while the annual deposition fluxes of Cr, As, Cd, Hg and Pb were 9.80, 59.69, 140.09, 0.87 and 1074.91 mg/（m^2.year）, respectively. The pollution level of atmospheric dustfall in Zhuzhou was relatively lower compared with most other cities in China, but the deposition fluxes of As, Cd, Hg and Pb in atmospheric dustfall in Zhuzhou were much higher than that in most cities and regions around the world. Cd is the typical heavy metal element in atmospheric dustfall in Zhuzhou, and both the enrichment factor and pollution index of Cd were the highest. Cd, Hg, Pb and As in atmospheric dustfall were mainly from human activities. According to the single-factor index, Nemerow index and pollution load index analyses, the atmospheric dustfall in Zhuzhou could easily cause severe heavy metal pollution to urban soil, and the most polluting element was Cd, followed by Pb, As and Hg. Only the pollution level of Cr lay in the safety region and mainly originated from natural sources.

DBD coupled with MnOx/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the degradation of chlorobenzene

This paper investigates the degradation of chlorobenzene by dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)coupled with MnOx/γ-Al2O3 catalysts.MnOx/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using the impregnation method and were characterized in detail by N2 adsorption/desorption,x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.Compared with the single DBD reactor,the coupled reactor has a better performance on the removal rate of chlorobenzene,the selectivity of COx,and the inhibition of ozone production,especially at low discharge voltages.The degradation rate of chlorobenzene and selectivity of COx can reach 96.3%and 53.0%,respectively,at the specific energy density of 1350 J l-1.Moreover,the ozone concentration produced by the discharge is significantly reduced because the MnOx/Al2O3 catalysts contribute to the decomposition of ozone to form oxygen atoms for the oxidation of chlorobenzene.In addition,based on analysis of the byproducts,the decomposition mechanism of chlorobenzene in the coupled reactor is also discussed.

Destruction of Gaseous Styrene with a Low-Temperature Plasma Induced by a Tubular Multilayer Dielectric Barrier Discharge

The destruction of gaseous styrene was studied using a low-temperature plasma induced by tubular multilayer dielectric barrier discharge（DBD）.The results indicate that the applied voltage,gas flow rate,inlet styrene concentration and reactor configuration play important roles in styrene removal efficiency （ηstyrene） and energy yield（EY）.Values of ηstyrene and EY reached 96%and 15567 mg/kWh when the applied voltage,gas flow rate,inlet styrene concentration and layers of quartz tubes were set at 10.8 kV,5.0 m/s,229 mg/m^3 and 5 layers,respectively.A qualitative analysis of the byproducts and a detailed discussion of the reaction mechanism are also presented.The results could facilitate industrial applications of the new DBD reactor for waste gas treatment.

Decomposition of dioxin-like components in a DBD reactor combined with Hg/Ar electrodeless ultraviolet

A new combined reactor with Hg/Ar electrodeless ultraviolet(EDUV)activated by DBD for 3,4-dichlorodiphenyl ether abatement is presented.The effect of specific input energy and feeding gas component on 3,4-dichlorodiphenyl ether removal efficiency has been explored.Compared with a single DBD system,this new combined process performed a significant promotion on 3,4-dichlorodiphenyl ether abatement.Experiment results verified that active oxygen clearly contributed to the synergistic activity of DBD-EDUV system.Results of emission spectra showed that UV radiation of 253.7 nm could be detected in the DBD-EDUV system.Further,the products of DBD-EDUV process were analyzed via gas chromatographymass spectrometer(GC-MS)to reveal involved decomposition mechanism.

Designof a MT-DBD reactor for H2S control

This study aimed to discuss the removal of hydrogen sulfide （H2S） with non-thermal plasma produced by a multilayer tubular dielectric barrier discharge reactor,which is useful in the field of plasma environmental applications.We explored the influence of various factors upon H2S removal efficiency （ηH2S） and energy yield （Ey）,such as specific energy density （SED）,initial concentration,gas flow velocity and the reactor configuration.The study showed that we can achieve ηH2S of 91% and the best Ey of 3100 mg kWh-1 when we set the SED,gas flow velocity,initial H2S concentration and layers of quartz tubes at 33.2 J 1-1,8.0 m s-1,30 mg m-3 and five layers,correspondingly.The average rate constant for the decomposition of hydrogen sulfide was 0.206 g m-3 s-1.In addition,we also presented the optimized working conditions,byproduct analysis and decomposition mechanism.

A review of Space-Air-Ground integrated remote sensing techniques for atmospheric monitoring

Currently,the three-dimensional(3D)distribution and characteristics of air pollution cannot be understood based on the application of any single atmospheric monitoring technology.Long-term,high-precision and large-scale 3D atmospheric monitoring might become practical by combining heterogeneous modern technologies;for this purpose,the SpaceAir-Ground integrated system is a promising concept.In this system,optical remote sensing technologies employing fixed or mobile platforms are used as the main means for groundbased observations.Tethered balloons,unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV)and airborne platforms serve as the air-based observation segment.The final part,satellite remote sensing,corresponds to space-based observations.Aside from obtaining the 3D distribution of air pollution,research on emission estimation and pollution mechanisms has been extensively implemented based on the strengths of this system or some portion of it.Moreover,further research on the fusion of multi-source data,optimization of inversion algorithms,and coupling with atmospheric models is of great importance to the realization of this system.

Progress in quantitative research on the relationship between atmospheric oxidation and air quality

Atmospheric oxidizing capacity(AOC)is an essential driving force of troposphere chemistry and self-cleaning,but the definition of AOC and its quantitative representation remain uncertain.Driven by national demand for air pollution control in recent years,Chinese scholars have carried out studies on theories of atmospheric chemistry and have made considerable progress in AOC research.This paper will give a brief review of these developments.First,AOC indexes were established that represent apparent atmospheric oxidizing ability(AOIe)and potential atmospheric oxidizing ability(AOIp)based on aspects of macrothermodynamics and microdynamics,respectively.A closed study refined the quantitative contributions of heterogeneous chemistry to AOC in Beijing,and these AOC methods were further applied in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and key areas across the country.In addition,the detection of ground or vertical profiles for atmospheric OH·,HO_(2)·,NO_(3)·radicals and reservoir molecules can now be obtained with domestic instruments in diverse environments.Moreover,laboratory smoke chamber simulations revealed heterogeneous processes involving reactions of O_(3)and NO_(2),which are typical oxidants in the surface/interface atmosphere,and the evolutionary and budgetary implications of atmospheric oxidants reacting under multispecies,multiphase and multi-interface conditions were obtained.Finally,based on the GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model improved by Chinese scholars,simulations of key substances affecting atmospheric oxidation and secondary organic and inorganic aerosol formation have been optimized.Normalized numerical simulations of AOIe and AOIp were performed,and regional coordination of AOC was adjusted.An optimized plan for controlling O_(3)and PM2.5was analyzed by scenario simulation.

Atmospheric environment monitoring technology and equipment in China:A review and outlook

Accurate monitoring of the atmospheric environment and its evolution are important for understanding the sources,chemical mechanisms,and transport processes of air pollution and carbon emissions in China,and for regulatory and control purposes.This study gives an overview of atmospheric environment monitoring technology and equipment in China and summarizes the major achievements obtained in recent years.China has made great progress in the development of atmospheric environment monitoring technology and equipment with decades of effort.The manufacturing level of atmospheric environment monitoring equipment and the quality of products have steadily improved,and a technical&production system that can meet the requirements of routine monitoring activities has been initiated.It is expected that domestic atmospheric environment monitoring technology and equipment will be able to meet future demands for routine monitoring activities in China and provide scientific assistance for addressing air pollution problems.

Particle number concentration, size distribution and chemical composition during haze and photochemical smog episodes in Shanghai

The aerosol number concentration and size distribution as well as size-resolved particle chemical composition were measured during haze and photochemical smog episodes in Shanghai in 2009. The number of haze days accounted for 43%, of which 30% was severe （visibility 〈 2 km） and moderate （2 km 〈 visibility 〈 3 km） haze, mainly distributed in winter and spring. The mean particle number concentration was about 17,000/cm3 in haze, more than 2 times that in clean days. The greatest increase of particle number concentration was in 0.5-1μm and 1-10 μm size fractions during haze events, about 17.78 times and 8.78 times those of clean days. The largest increase of particle number concentration was within 50-100 nm and 100-200 nm fractions during photochemical smog episodes, about 5.89 times and 4.29 times those of clean days. The particle volume concentration and surface concentration in haze, photochemical smog and clean days were 102, 49, 15 μm3/cm3 and 949, 649, 206 μm2/cm3, respectively. As haze events got more severe, the number concentration of particles smaller than 50 nm decreased, but the particles of 50-200 nm and 0.5-1μm increased. The diurnal variation of particle number concentration showed a bimodal pattern in haze days. All soluble ions were increased during haze events, of which NH4, SO24- and NO3 increased great/y, followed by Na＋, IC, Ca2＋ and CI-. These ions were very different in size-resolved particles during haze and photochemical smog episodes.