Search results for " particulate"

Scope For Growth of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lmk., 1819) in oligotrophic coastal waters (southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

2008

The ‘scope for growth’ (SFG) tool was used to study the growth performance of cultivated populations of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lmk., 1819) in an oligotrophic area of the Southern Mediterranean Sea. The study was carried out between 1993 and 1996 by using data from four seasonal oceanographic cruises and from growth experiments. Water samples were collected and analysed for total suspended matter (TSM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), particulate lipids, proteins and carbohydrates and chloropigments. The sum of the carbon equivalents of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids is indicated as the total biopolymeric particulate organic carbon (BPC) and was converted into a …

Fission Product Activity Measurements in Air Particulate Filters Collected after Fukushima Accident at Palermo, Italy

2012

In the framework of routine operation of AGN-201 COSTANZA Nuclear research reactor, measurements of radionuclide air concentration are periodically performed by filtering an high volume of air through paper filters and by using HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry. After Fukushima accident, a series of samplings was carried out with a daily frequency so to detect the possible arrival of air radioactive contamination and to follow its evolution. Particulate collection was performed by suction of atmospheric air through 45cm × 45cm Sofiltra-Poelman HYN-75 (Bleu type) cellulose filter paper using a high-volume air sampler located on the roof of our department 20 m above ground-level. The sampling time …

Nanofibrous Polymeric Membranes for Air Filtration Application: A Review of Progress after the COVID‐19 Pandemic

2023

Air pollution is one of the major global problems causing around 7 million dead per year. In fact, a connection between infectious disease transmission, including COVID-19, and air pollution has been proved: COVID-19 consequences on human health are found to be more severe in areas characterized by high levels of particulate matter (PM). Therefore, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the production of air filtration devices with high filtration efficiency has gained more and more attention. Herein, a review of the post-COVID-19 pandemic progress in nanofibrous polymeric membranes for air filtration is provided. First, a brief discussion on the different types of filtration mechanism and the key pa…

Cardiovascular effects of occupational exposure to urban airborne pollution on a group of newsagents in the city of Palermo

2014

Aims: To verify the possible correlation between exposure to airborne particulate matter the average size less than 10 μm (PM 10) of a group of newsagents working in kiosks in Palermo and evidence of carotid intimal thickening. Materials and methods: data were collected relating to environmental monitoring of airborne pollutants. We have selected a sample of newsagents, who were submitted to some clinical investigations, including the carotid echo-color doppler examination. Results: The results show no correlation between the location of the kiosks, and the presence of intimal thickening. Conclusion: Exposition to urban pollutants in Palermo is likely homogenous in the different areas and c…

Rare earth elements distribution in seawater and suspended particulate of the Central Mediterranean Sea

2004

Rare earth element (REE) content in suspended and dissolved phases from the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea) has been measured. Vertical profiles of several dissolved REEs along the water column reflect the 3-D oceanographic features of the studied area and identifies the different water masses present there. Shale-normalized REE distribution patterns and derived parameters calculated for the suspended particulate show different atmospheric dust-surface inputs and their interactions with seawater. Finally, combined information from [La/Yb]N, ratios, REE/La ratios and Eu anomalies measured in the suspended particulate suggest an important contribution of volcanic materials from t…

Source and Nature of Inhaled Atmospheric Dust from Trace Element Analyses of Human Bronchial Fluids

2011

International audience; Rapid volcanic eruptions quickly ejecting large amounts of dust provoke the accumulation of heavy metals in people living in surrounding areas. Analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage samples (BAL) collected from people exposed to the paroxysmal 2001 Etna eruption revealed a strong enrichment of many toxic heavy metals. Comparing the BAL to the dust composition of southeastern Sicily, we found that only V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and U enrichment could be related to the volcanic event, whereas Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb contents come from the dissolution of particles of anthropogenic origin. Furthermore, the nature of these inhaled anthropogenic particles was revealed by anomalous La and…

Contribution of total suspended particulate (TSP) to the formation of black crusts on building materials in urban enviroments of Sicily (Italy)

2011

Suspended particulate matter fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates in a coastal Mediterranean area affected by min…

2016

International audience; A study of suspended particulate matter (SPM) fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates, was conducted off the Mejerda River outlet in May 2011 and in March and July 2012 at depths of 10, 20 and 40 m using sediment traps. SPM fluxes are more significant near the Mejerda outlet, especially in winter, but dissipate further offshore. Normalization reveals that the Mejerda is a major source of Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Co, all of which are the result of human activities. In contrast, Fe, Mn and N are of authigenic origin. The enrichment factor shows that Pb, Zn and especially Cd are the most highly polluting metals off the Mejerda outlet. Thi…

A probabilistic approach to radiant field modeling in dense particulate systems

2016

Radiant field distribution is an important modeling issue in many systems of practical interest, such as photo-bioreactors for algae growth and heterogeneous photo-catalytic reactors for water detoxification.In this work, a simple radiant field model suitable for dispersed systems showing particle size distributions, is proposed for both dilute and dense two-phase systems. Its main features are: (i) only physical, independently assessable parameters are involved and (ii) its simplicity allows a closed form solution, which makes it suitable for inclusion in a complete photo-reactor model, where also kinetic and fluid dynamic sub-models play a role. A similar model can be derived by making us…

Measurement of 210Pb airborne activity concentration by gamma-ray spectrometry of air particulate samplings

2009

Lead-210 (half-life 22.3 y), is a natural radionuclide, being produced in the atmosphere through radon decay. Due to its affinity for particles, it is rapidly fixed by aerosols and, with its long half-life is the most important tracer of long range atmospheric aerosol transport and removal processes. Main measurement techniques adopted to evaluate 210Pb air activity concentration differ in analysis and sample preparation methods. Some of them involved complex chemical processes or decay product detection (for example 210Po), with a long decay time period between sampling and experimental measurement. The availability of an high-volume particulate sampler (about 900 m3 h-1) combined with a l…