Search results for "air pollution"
showing 10 items of 323 documents
Estimation of air pollutant emissions in flower roundabouts and in conventional roundabouts
2013
Abstract The road pollutant emissions, above all in urban context, are correlated to many infrastructural parameters and to traffic intensity and typology. The research work on road junction geometry, carried out in European research centres, has recently allowed to design new road intersection types which are of undoubted interest, especially in terms of traffic functionality and safety, like the flower roundabouts (in which right-turn manoeuvres do not conflict with the circulating flow). The main objective of this paper is to propose a model for the estimation the capacity, delay, levels of service and the pollutant emissions into flower roundabouts. A comparative analysis between conven…
Comparison between laboratory and pilot biotrickling filtration of air emissions from painting and wood finishing
2010
BACKGROUND: Painting and wood finishing is one industrial sector affected by the European Union environmental regulations on volatile organic compound (VOC) air emissions. The painting process typically results in high flow rates with low VOC concentrations, so biotrickling filtration could be an economical alternative for controlling air emissions. This study analyses the operation of a pilot unit installed in a furniture facility, and compares its performance with the removal efficiency obtained in the laboratory using a synthetic feed composed of n-butyl acetate, toluene and m-xylene to simulate industrial air emissions. RESULTS: Laboratory studies showed that fluctuating and oscillating…
Performance of a pilot-scale biotrickling filter in controlling the volatile organic compound emissions in a furniture manufacturing facility.
2009
A 0.75-m3 pilot-scale biotrickling filter was run for over 1 yr in a Spanish furniture company to evaluate its performance in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contained in the emission of two different paint spray booths. The first one was an open front booth used to manually paint furniture, and the second focus was an automatically operated closed booth operated to paint pieces of furniture. In both cases, the VOC emissions were very irregular, with rapid and extreme fluctuations. The pilot plant was operated at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) ranging from 10 to 40 sec, and good removal efficiencies of VOCs were usually obtained. When a buffering activated carbon prefil…
Wind Turbines to Power Telecommunication Systems: A Case Study in Sicily
2011
The ever increasing problems related to air pollution and the difficulties for power lines to reach inaccessible areas are pushing to find new solutions for powering telecommunications equipments (TLC). The renewable energy sys- tems, although relatively expensive, have the required characteristics. The purpose of this work is to find a solution based on a low power wind turbine to serve a real telecommunication site located near Palermo, the main city of Sicily (Italy).
Mini Wind Plant to Power Telecommunication Systems: A Case Study in Sicily
2012
The ever increasing problems related to air pollution and the difficulties for power lines to reach inaccessible areas are pushing to find new solutions for powering telecommunications equipments (TLC). The renewable energy systems, although relatively expensive, have the required characteristics. The purpose of this work is to find a solution based on a low power wind turbine to serve a real telecommunication site located near Palermo, the main city of Sicily (Italy).
Occupational hygiene in a waste incineration plant
2003
Abstract The Turku incineration plant was renovated in 1995 to meet the emission requirements of modern waste combustion facilities. It treats presorted municipal waste from 170,000 residents in the Turku area. In the plant, the incineration process produces several types of by-products having importance in terms of occupational hygiene. Although not obligated by the law, the management of the plant has a keen interest in occupational hygiene at the plant, which was studied from 1998 to 2001. Concentrations of microbes, endotoxins, and dust and the noise level were investigated in three different working areas. Microbe measurements were conducted with a six-stage impactor and using the CAMN…
PM2.5-bound oxygenated PAHs, nitro-PAHs and parent-PAHs from the atmosphere of a Chinese megacity: Seasonal variation, sources and cancer risk assess…
2014
Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in air particulate matter contribute considerably to the health risk of air pollution. The objectives of this study were to assess the occurrence and variation in concentrations and sources of PM2.5 bound PACs [Oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) nitro PAHs and parent PAHs] sampled from the atmosphere of a typical Chinese megacity (Xi'an) to study the influence of meteorological conditions on PACs and to estimate the lifetime excess cancer risk to the residents of Xi'an (from inhalation of PM2.5 bound PACs). To achieve these objectives we sampled 24 h PM2.5 aerosols (once in every 6days from 5 July 2008 to 8 August 2009) from the atmosphere of Xi'an and measured the…
Mosses as Biomonitor of Air Pollution with Analytes Originating from Tobacco Smoke
2018
Abstract The aim of the carried out research was the assessment of the possibility to use a popular bioindicator - Pleurozium schreberi mosses as a biosensor of the air pollution in living quarters with the analytes originating from tobacco smoke. The moss bag method of active biomonitoring, popular in environmental studies, was applied; the method is based on exposing mosses collected in clean areas in the locations polluted with, for example, heavy metals. However, this experiment involved exposing mosses in living quarters, in which approximately 10 cigarettes were smoked daily (first room - kitchen). For the purpose of comparison, moss samples were also placed in another room (bedroom),…
A comparative study on the quality of air in offices and homes.
2013
The main purpose of this study was to collect data on some of the factors that contribute to indoor air quality and to discomfort, in order to take the proper actions that can reduce the level of air pollution within houses and offices. To ascertain the contamination degree total bacterial counts, total fungal counts, suspended particulate matter, air temperature, and relative humidity have been determined. Additionally, mathematical statistical models have been elaborated for the total bacterial count, respirable particulate matter and humidity. A total number of 40 indoor air samples were collected from office and houses. The results shows that approximately 45% of the air samples from ho…
Performance evaluation of a biotrickling filter treating a mixture of oxygenated VOCs during intermittent loading
2008
Laboratory scale-studies on the biodegradation of a 1:1:1 weight mixture of three oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ethanol, ethyl acetate, and methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK) in a biotrickling filter (BTF) were carried out using two identically sized columns, filled with different polypropylene rings. The performance of the BTFs was examined for a period of 10 months applying several operational strategies. Similar performance was obtained for both supports. Intermittent flow rate of trickling liquid was shown beneficial to improve the removal efficiency (RE). Continuous feeding of VOC resulted in an excessive accumulation of biomass so high pressure drop was developed in less than 2…