Ammonia (NH) contributes significantly to the formation of particulate matter, and vehicles represent a major source of NH in urban areas. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the emission characteristics of NH from vehicles. This study conducted real-world driving emission (RDE) measurements and dynamometer measurements on 33 light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) to investigate their emission characteristics and impact factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the airborne survival of viruses is important for public health and epidemiological modeling and potentially to develop mitigation strategies to minimize the transmission of airborne pathogens. Laboratory experiments typically involve investigating the effects of environmental parameters on the viability or infectivity of a target airborne virus. However, conflicting results among studies are common.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe factors governing the viability of airborne viruses embedded within respiratory particles are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the relative humidity (RH)-dependent viability of airborne respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in simulated respiratory particles suspended in various indoor air conditions. We tested airborne RSV viability in three static indoor air conditions, including sub-hysteresis (RH < 39%), hysteresis (39% < RH < 65%), and super-hysteresis (RH > 65%) air as well as in three dynamic indoor air conditions, including the transitions between the static conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMarine cloud brightening (MCB) is a potential intervention to mitigate the effects of climate change by increasing the reflectance of low-level maritime clouds, including those over the Great Barrier Reef. The technique involves dispersing a plume of submicrometer seawater droplets over the ocean, which evaporate, generating nanosized sea-salt aerosols (SSAs) that disperse through the atmosphere with some fraction incorporated into clouds. Droplet evaporation, which occurs in the immediate vicinity (meters to tens of meters) of the source, has been theorized to produce a negatively buoyant plume hindering the mixing of the sea-salt aerosol to cloud height and compromising the effectiveness of MCB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increasing share of using biofuels in vehicles (mandated by current regulations) leads to a reduction in particle size, resulting in increased particle toxicity. However, existing regulations disregarded small particles (sub-23 nm) that are more toxic. This impact is more significant during vehicle cold-start operation, which is an inevitable frequent daily driving norm where after-treatment systems prove ineffective.
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