Dataset of PAHs determined in home-made honey samples collected in Central Italy by means of DLLME-GC-MS and cluster analysis for studying the source apportionment.

This paper would like to show all the data related to an intensive field campaign focused on the characterization of the Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) composition profile in almost 60 honey samples collected in Central Italy. The analytical data here reported are the base for a study aimed to identify the pollution sources in a region. 22 PAHs were analyzed by means of ultrasound-vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction (DLLME) procedure followed by a triple quadrupole gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC-MS).

Saccharides as Particulate Matter Tracers of Biomass Burning: A Review.

The adverse effects of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) on health and ecosystems, as well as on meteorology and climate change, are well known to the scientific community. It is therefore undeniable that a good understanding of the sources of PM is crucial for effective control of emissions and to protect public health. One of the major contributions to atmospheric PM is biomass burning, a practice used both in agriculture and home heating, which can be traced and identified by analyzing sugars emitted from the combustion of cellulose and hemicellulose that make up biomass.

Assessment of the link between atmospheric dispersion and chemical composition of PM at 2-h time resolution.

The concentration of air pollutants is governed by both emission rate and atmospheric dispersion conditions. The role played by the atmospheric mixing height in determining the daily time pattern of PM components at the time resolution of 2 h was studied during 21 days of observation selected from a 2-month field campaign carried out in the urban area of Rome, Italy. Natural radioactivity was used to obtain information about the mixing properties of the lower atmosphere throughout the day and allowed the identification of advection and stability periods.

Comparative treatments of a green tattoo ink with Ruby, Nd:YAG nano- and picosecond lasers in normal and array mode.

The tattoos removal has become an issue upon spread of the tattooing practice worldwide and hindsight regrets. Lasers are typically used for the purpose, though some colours such as green are considered "recalcitrant" to the treatment. In the current investigation, we aim at determining the efficacy of removal of a green ink water dispersion, using 5 laser treatments: Nd:YAG nano- and picosecond lasers in normal and array mode and Ruby nanosecond laser, keeping the total irradiated energy constant.

Evaluation of VOCs Emitted from Biomass Combustion in a Small CHP Plant: Difference between Dry and Wet Poplar Woodchips.

The combustion of biomass is a process that is increasingly used for the generation of heat and energy through different types of wood and agricultural waste. The emissions generated by the combustion of biomass include different kinds of macro- and micropollutants whose formation and concentration varies according to the physical and chemical characteristics of the biomass, the combustion conditions, the plants, and the operational parameters of the process. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of biomass moisture content on the formation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the combustion process.

PAHs presence and source apportionment in honey samples: Fingerprint identification of rural and urban contamination by means of chemometric approach.

The quality of honey is assessed through the determination of some commodity parameters: a certain importance is to be attributed to the absence of contaminating residues, in particular of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). This paper deeply investigates the presence of 22 PAHs in 57 honey samples collected in Central Italy and identifies the possible source apportionment and fingerprint identification by DLLME-GC-MS analysis and a chemometric approach. Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis have allowed to identify the main PAHs responsible of the contamination, benzo[a]anthracene and phenanthrene, characteristics pollutants of areas constantly exposed.

Forecasting of reducing sugar yield from corncob after ultrafine grinding pretreatment based on GM(1,N) method and evaluation of biohydrogen production potential.

Pretreatment of biomass helps to enhance reducing sugar yield from biomass during enzyme hydrolysis tests. Ultrafine grinding was applied to pretreat corncob. The effect of affecting factors including milling time, initial particle size and ball to power weight on the reducing sugar yield from corncob was investigated firstly.

Indexes of tobacco smoke contribution to environmental particulates based on molecular fingerprints of alkanes.

Tobacco smoke (TS) is the source of a number of toxicants affecting the atmosphere and poses a threat to smokers and the whole community. Chemical, physical, and toxicological features of smoking products (vapors as well as mainstream, side stream, and third-hand smoke) have been investigated extensively. Special attention is paid to organic compounds (individually or in combination giving rise to peculiar molecular fingerprints), potentially able to act as "chemical signature" of TS.

The vehicle braking systems as main source of inhalable airborne magnetite particles in trafficked areas.

Magnetite (FeO) nano-particles (MNPs) have been found in human tissues and causally linked to serious illnesses. The possible negative role of MNPs has been not still fully ascertained even though MNPs might cause health effects due to their magnetic property, redox activity and surface charge. The origin of MNPs in human tissues still remains to be unambiguously identified since biological processes, natural phenomena and anthropogenic production have been proposed.

Pocket Mercury-Vapour Detection System Employing a Preconcentrator Based on Au-TiO Nanomaterials.

In environments polluted by mercury vapors that are potentially harmful to human health, there is a need to perform rapid surveys in order to promptly identify the sources of emission. With this aim, in this work, a low cost, pocket-sized portable mercury measurement system, with a fast response signal is presented. It consists of a preconcentrator, able to adsorb and subsequently release the mercury vapour detected by a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor.

Sustainable additives for the regulation of NH concentration and emissions during the production of biomethane and biohydrogen: A review.

This study reviews the recent advances and innovations in the application of additives to improve biomethane and biohydrogen production. Biochar, nanostructured materials, novel biopolymers, zeolites, and clays are described in terms of chemical composition, properties and impact on anaerobic digestion, dark fermentation, and photofermentation. These additives can have both a simple physical effect of microbial adhesion and growth, and a more complex biochemical impact on the regulation of key parameters for CH and H production: in this study, these effects in different experimental conditions are reviewed and described.

Searching Nanoplastics: From Sampling to Sample Processing.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are considered emerging pollutants, namely unregulated contaminants whose toxic effect on humans and the environment has been demonstrated or suspected. They are the result of the physical fragmentation of the plastics that over time reach smaller dimensions (<100 nm). The issues related to the characterization and quantification of NPs in the environmental matrices are mainly related to the infinitepsimal size, to the fact that they are found in bulk, and to the different physico-chemical forms in which the same polymer can evolve over time by degradation.

Effects of global warming on Mediterranean coral forests.

The effects of global warming have been addressed on coral reefs in tropical areas, while it is still unclear how coral forests are reacting, particularly at temperate latitudes. Here we show how mesophotic coral forests are affected by global warming in the Mediterranean Sea. We highlight how the current warming trend is causing the lowering of the thermocline and it is enhancing mucilaginous blooms.

Transition to turbulence in a five-mode Galerkin truncation of two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics.

The chaotic dynamics of a low-order Galerkin truncation of the two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic system, which reproduces the dynamics of fluctuations described by nearly incompressible magnetohydrodynamic in the plane perpendicular to a background magnetic field, is investigated by increasing the external forcing terms. Although this is the case closest to two-dimensional hydrodynamics, which shares some aspects with the classical Feigenbaum scenario of transition to chaos, the presence of magnetic fluctuations yields a very complex interesting route to chaos, characterized by the splitting into multiharmonic structures of the field amplitudes, and a mixing of phase-locking and free phase precession acting intermittently. When the background magnetic field lies in the plane, the system supports the presence of Alfvén waves thus lowering the nonlinear interactions.

Effects of deployment of electric vehicles on air quality in the urban area of Turin (Italy).

This study aims to evaluate and quantify the environmental, health, and economic benefits due to the penetration of electric vehicles in the fleet composition by replacing conventional vehicles in an urban area. This study has been performed for the city of Turin, where road transport represents one of the main primary emission sources. Air pollution data were evaluated by ADMS-Roads, the flow traffic data used for simulation come from a real-time monitoring.

Study of the interrelationship between nano-TiO addition and photo-fermentative bio-hydrogen production of corn straw.

This study explored the interrelationship between nano-TiO addition and photo-fermentative hydrogen production (PFHP) of corn straw. The maximum cumulative hydrogen volume (CHV) was up to 688.8 mL under the optimal photo-fermentative process conditions with nano-TiO addition of 300 mg/L.

Image Sensors for Wave Monitoring in Shore Protection: Characterization through a Machine Learning Algorithm.

Waves propagating on the water surface can be considered as propagating in a dispersive medium, where gravity and surface tension at the air-water interface act as restoring forces. The velocity at which energy is transported in water waves is defined by the group velocity. The paper reports the use of video-camera observations to study the impact of water waves on an urban shore.

Video-Sensing Characterization for Hydrodynamic Features: Particle Tracking-Based Algorithm Supported by a Machine Learning Approach.

The efficient and reliable monitoring of the flow of water in open channels provides useful information for preventing water slow-downs due to the deposition of materials within the bed of the channel, which might lead to critical floods. A reliable monitoring system can thus help to protect properties and, in the most critical cases, save lives. A sensing system capable of monitoring the flow conditions and the possible geo-environmental constraints within a channel can operate using still images or video imaging.

Analytical study on the primary and secondary organic carbon and elemental carbon in the particulate matter at the high-altitude Monte Curcio GAW station, Italy.

This study provides a thorough investigation of the trends of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in particulate matter (PM) and PM samples collected at the Monte Curcio Observatory (1780 m a.s.l.

An innovative green protocol for the quantification of benzothiazoles, benzotriazoles and benzosulfonamides in PM using microwave-assisted extraction coupled with solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry.

Benzothiazoles (BTHs), benzotriazoles (BTRs), and benzenesulfonamides (BSAs) are chemicals used in several industrial and household applications. Despite these compounds are emerging pollutants, there is still a lack of information about their presence in outdoor air samples. In this paper, we developed a new method for the quantification of BTHs, BTRs, and BSAs in airborne particulate matter (PM).

Determination of 40 Elements in Powdered Infant Formulas and Related Risk Assessment.

The aim of the study was to analyze all powdered infant formulas authorized and commercialized in Italy at the time of the study to measure the concentrations of 40 elements, and to estimate the infants' intake of some toxic heavy metals for assessing possible related health risks. For this purpose, an optimized multi-element method was used through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Be, B, Al, Zr, Nb, Sb, Te, W, V, Cr and As concentrations were View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An optimized method for sample preparation and elemental analysis of extra-virgin olive oil by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

The accurate determination of trace elements in vegetable edible oils is still an analytical challenge, owing to their low concentration levels and the complex matrix of the vegetable oils. The aim of this study was to develop a fast and simple analytical method to quantify 45 elements in small mass samples (0.5 g) of extra virgin olive oils by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Laser vs. thermal treatments of green pigment PG36: coincidence and toxicity of processes.

Comparative laser and thermal treatments were carried out on PG36, a green phthalocyanine-based pigment, permitted in European countries where legislation on tattoo composition was issued. Prior to the treatments, PG36 was characterized by SEM imaging, EDX, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopies, revealing an excess of Si and C and O as compared to the pure halogenated Cu-phthalocyanine. Laser treatments were carried out with a Nd:YAG device applied to HO and propan-2-ol dispersions.