Residential biomass combustion is a source of carbonaceous aerosol. Inefficient combustion, particularly of solid fuels produces large quantities of black and brown carbon (BC and BrC). These particle types are important as they have noted effects on climate forcing and human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the current work, we provide measurements of size-resolved particle number concentration (PNC), particle mass concentration (PMC), lung-deposited surface area (LDSA), and black carbon (BC) concentration for three biomass fired hydronic heaters during operation in four different combustion conditions. The appliances include one woodchip-fueled hydronic heater and two outdoor cordwood-fueled hydronic heaters. The operating conditions included startup, low output, high output, and burnout.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of wood as a fuel for home heating is a concern from an environmental health and safety perspective as biomass combustion appliances emit high concentrations of particulate matter. Wood burning significantly contributes to wintertime particulate matter concentrations in many states in the northern United States. Of particular concern are outdoor wood-fired hydronic heaters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere has been an increased interest in the development of green analytical methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental samples due to their toxicity and ubiquitous nature. In this work, the feasibility of on-line supercritical fluid extraction-supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was investigated for rapid and automated determination of the 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in particulate matter samples. Three specialty polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons columns with different stationary phases were screened and an octadecyl-silica column was selected for method development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated the effects of various combinations of fuels and emission control technologies on exhaust emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine tested on an engine dynamometer. Ten fuels were studied in twenty four combinations of fuel and emission control technology configurations. Emission control systems evaluated were diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), continuously regenerating diesel particulate filter (CRDPF), and the CRDPF coupled with an exhaust gas recirculation system (EGRT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA method combining 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridge sampling and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis has been used for the measurement of carbonyl and NO2 emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks and transit buses. The reaction of NO2 with DNPH allows for the simultaneous and unambiguous determination of NO2 and carbonyl concentrations in exhaust samples. The potential coelution of the NO2-DNPH derivative with the formaldehyde-DNPH derivative under certain chromatographic conditions was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to quantify the accuracy and precision of a method for in vivo measurements of lead in bone using L-shell x-ray fluorescence (LXRF), the former via comparison with independent measurements of lead in bone obtained using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) following acid digestion. Using LXRF. the lead content of adult human cadaver tibiae was measured, both as intact legs and as dissected tibiae with overlying tissue removed, the latter at several proximal-distal locations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to validate 109Cd-based K-shell x-ray fluorescence measurements against atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) measurements of core and surface tibia lead. The lead content of nine adult human cadaver tibiae was measured using 109Cd-based K-shell x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry and the results compared to measurements obtained using electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry following acid digestion. Each tibia was divided into nine cross-sectional segments, which were further separated into tibia core and surface samples for the AAS analytical measurements.
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