Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and methanol in the gas phase and rainwater in different biomes and urban regions of Brazil.

In the context of the increasing global use of ethanol biofuel, this work investigates the concentrations of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde, in both the gaseous phase and rainwater, across six diverse urban regions and biomes in Brazil, a country where ethanol accounts for nearly half the light-duty vehicular fuel consumption. Atmospheric ethanol median concentrations in São Paulo (SP) (12.3 ± 12.

Nitrogen atmospheric deposition driven by seasonal processes in a Brazilian region with agricultural background.

Understanding the seasonal patterns and influencing factors of nitrogen atmospheric deposition is essential to evaluate human impacts on the air quality and nitrogen biogeochemical cycle. However, evaluation of the nitrogen deposition flux, especially in South America agricultural regions, has not been fully investigated. In this paper, we quantified the atmospheric wet deposition fluxes of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), in a region with agricultural and livestock predominance in the Southern Minas Gerais region, Brazil, from May 2018 to April 2019.

Isoprene in urban Atlantic forests: Variability, origin, and implications on the air quality of a subtropical megacity.

Biosphere-atmosphere interactions play a key role in urban chemistry because of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions. Of the BVOC, isoprene is the most emitted compound; however, it also has anthropogenic origins in urban areas. In this study, we aimed to investigate the spatio-temporal variability and atmospheric impacts of biogenic and anthropogenic isoprene in the subtropical megacity of São Paulo (MASP), Brazil.

Mysterious oil spill on the Brazilian coast - Part 2: A probabilistic approach to fill gaps of uncertainties.

Over 5000 tons of spilled oil reached the northeast coast of Brazil in 2019. The Laboratory for Computational Methods in Engineering (LAMCE/COPPE/UFRJ) employed time-reverse modeling and identify multiple potential source areas. As time-reverse modeling has many uncertainties, this article carried out a methodology study to mitigate them.

Atmospheric deposition chemistry in a Brazilian rural area: alkaline species behavior and agricultural inputs.

Since 2000s, several studies have been reporting an increase of alkaline species in atmospheric deposition worldwide. This study aims to evaluate and give a better understanding about atmospheric deposition chemistry collected in Lavras, a Brazilian city with rural background. Bulk atmospheric deposition samples were collected from March 2018 to February 2019 and major ionic species were quantified.

One decade of VOCs measurements in São Paulo megacity: Composition, variability, and emission evaluation in a biofuel usage context.

In South America, the observations of atmospheric pollutants are deficient, and few cities have implemented air quality monitoring programs. In addition, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) observations are still missing, and little is known about their contributions to the atmospheric composition and impacts in a large ethanol usage context like Brazil. Here, we present a wide range of VOCs that have been measured for ten years in São Paulo Megacity (SPM) in different campaigns at traffic, urban and background sites.

Gas-phase ammonia and water-soluble ions in particulate matter analysis in an urban vehicular tunnel.

Ammonia is a key alkaline species, playing an important role by neutralizing atmospheric acidity and inorganic secondary aerosol production. On the other hand, the NH3/NH4 (+) increases the acidity and eutrophication in natural ecosystems, being NH3 classified as toxic atmospheric pollutant. The present study aims to give a better comprehension of the nitrogen content species distribution in fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.

Sulphate production by Paracoccus pantotrophus ATCC 35512 from different sulphur substrates: sodium thiosulphate, sulphite and sulphide.

One of the problems in waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) is the increase in emissions of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which can cause damage to the health of human populations and ecosystems. To control emissions of this gas, sulphur-oxidizing bacteria can be used to convert H2S to sulphate. In this work, sulphate detection was performed by spectrophotometry, ion chromatography and atomic absorption spectrometry, using Paracoccus pantotrophus ATCC 35512 as a reference strain growing in an inorganic broth supplemented with sodium thiosulphate (Na2S2O3·5H2O), sodium sulphide (Na2S) or sodium sulphite (Na2SO3), separately.

Analysis of atmospheric aerosol (PM2.5) in Recife city, Brazil.

Several studies indicate that mortality and morbidity can be well correlated to atmospheric aerosol concentrations with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microm (PM2.5).

Rainwater toxicity and contamination study from São Paulo Metropolitan Region, Brazil.

Wet deposition is an important process that removes pollutants from the atmosphere and transfers them to waters and soil. The goal of this study was to assess the biological effects of the atmospheric contamination of rainwater in the metropolitan area of São Paulo (MASP) using Daphnia similis, Ceriodaphnia dubia, and Vibrio fischeri. Experimental assays were carried out according to standard toxicity methodology.

Vehicle emissions and PM(2.5) mass concentrations in six Brazilian cities.

In Brazil, the principal source of air pollution is the combustion of fuels (ethanol, gasohol, and diesel). In this study, we quantify the contributions that vehicle emissions make to the urban fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) mass in six state capitals in Brazil, collecting data for use in a larger project evaluating the impact of air pollution on human health.

Urban air pollution: a representative survey of PM(2.5) mass concentrations in six Brazilian cities.

In urban areas of Brazil, vehicle emissions are the principal source of fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)). The World Health Organization air quality guidelines state that the annual mean concentration of PM(2.

Vehicular particulate matter emissions in road tunnels in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil, ozone and particulate matter (PM) are the air pollutants that pose the greatest threat to air quality, since the PM and the ozone precursors (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) are the main source of air pollution from vehicular emissions. Vehicular emissions can be measured inside road tunnels, and those measurements can provide information about emission factors of in-use vehicles. Emission factors are used to estimate vehicular emissions and are described as the amount of species emitted per vehicle distance driven or per volume of fuel consumed.