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Atmosphere
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Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation
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Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2019) | Viewed by 27573

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Merched Azzi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Energy, Australia
Interests: emissions science; air pollution; atmospheric chemistry; air quality modelling; fossil fuels; CO2 capture; methane control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution and climate change that are mainly associated with emissions from the existing fossil fuel-based energy systems represent the world’s most pressing problems that need to be addressed immediately to prevent substantial irreversible change in our environment. Synergies between air pollution and climate change are known to be the greatest threats to the environment but can also affect the economic and political stability of the world. Policy makers and industries are exploring different energy options to support various control and mitigation methods for emissions from energy sources.

The transition to new energy systems that consists of a combination of high-efficiency low-emission technologies and renewables would change the types and the amounts of emissions to the atmosphere. The anticipated profiles of new emissions will change the existing ambient air reactivity that will affect the spatial and temporal occurrences of air pollution episodes.

This Special Issue invites authors to submit research papers addressing topics related to the formation of photochemical smog and secondary aerosols due to the changes in emissions profiles and the ambient air-reactivity.

Dr. Merched Azzi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6754 KiB  
Article
Poor Air Quality and Its Association with Mortality in Ho Chi Minh City: Case Study
by Hoang Ngoc Khue Vu, Quang Phuc Ha, Duc Hiep Nguyen, Thi Thu Thuy Nguyen, Thoai Tam Nguyen, Thi Thuy Hang Nguyen, Ngoc Dang Tran and Bang Quoc Ho
Atmosphere 2020, 11(7), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11070750 - 15 Jul 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 8529
Abstract
Along with its rapid urban development, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in recent years has suffered a high concentration of air pollutants, especially fine particulate matters or PM2.5. A comprehensive study is required to evaluate the air quality conditions and their [...] Read more.
Along with its rapid urban development, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in recent years has suffered a high concentration of air pollutants, especially fine particulate matters or PM2.5. A comprehensive study is required to evaluate the air quality conditions and their health impact in this city. Given the lack of adequate air quality monitoring data over a large area of the size of HCMC, an air quality modeling methodology is adopted to address the requirement. Here, by utilizing a corresponding emission inventory in combination with The Air Pollution Model-Chemical Transport Model (TAPM-CTM), the predicted concentration of air pollutants is first obtained for PM2.5, NOx, and SO2. Then by associating the pollutants exposed with the mortality rate from three causes, namely Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer, the impact of air pollution on human health is obtained for this purpose. Spatial distribution has shown a high amount of pollutants concentrated in the central city with a high density of combustion vehicles (motorcycles and automobiles). In addition, a significant amount of emissions can be observed from stevedoring and harbor activities, including ferries and cargo handling equipment located along the river. Other sources such as household activities also contribute to an even distribution of emission across the city. The results of air quality modeling showed that the annual average concentrations of NO2 were higher than the standard of Vietnam National Technical Regulation on Ambient Air Quality (QCVN 05: 2013 40 µg/m3) and World Health Organization (WHO) (40 µg/m3). The annual average concentrations of PM2.5 were 23 µg/m3 and were also much higher than the WHO (10 µg/m3) standard by about 2.3 times. In terms of public health impacts, PM2.5 was found to be responsible for about 1136 deaths, while the number of mortalities from exposure to NO2 and SO2 was 172 and 89 deaths, respectively. These figures demand some stringent measures from the authorities to potentially remedy the alarming situation of air pollution in HCM City. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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19 pages, 2783 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition of PM2.5 and Its Impact on Inhalation Health Risk Evaluation in a City with Light Industry in Central China
by Na Wang, Xueyan Zhao, Jing Wang, Baohui Yin, Chunmei Geng, Dawei Niu, Wen Yang, Hao Yu and Wei Li
Atmosphere 2020, 11(4), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11040340 - 30 Mar 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3075
Abstract
A city with light industry in China was selected for the study of the chemical characteristics of PM2.5 and to assess its impact on inhalation health risks. During the period from May 2017 to February 2018, a total of 382 PM2.5 [...] Read more.
A city with light industry in China was selected for the study of the chemical characteristics of PM2.5 and to assess its impact on inhalation health risks. During the period from May 2017 to February 2018, a total of 382 PM2.5 filter samples were collected across four seasons (15–20 days for each season). The results showed that the daily average PM2.5 concentration ranged from 21 to 255 µg/m3, with an annual average of 73 ± 49 µg/m3. SO42−, NO3−, NH4+, and organic matter (OM) were the dominant components, accounting for 13%, 20%, 11%, and 20% of annual PM2.5 mass loading, respectively. Compared with the clean periods, the meteorology of the pollution periods were mostly characterized by high relatively humidity, high temperature, and low wind speeds. Based on positive matrix factorization (PMF), the major source of PM2.5 was identified as secondary aerosols, contributing 28% and 49% on clean days and polluted days, respectively. The health risk assessment of heavy metals showed that non-carcinogenic hazard is not expected to occur, while Cr contributed the highest cancer risk. This study is helpful for the advancement of our scientific understanding of PM2.5 pollution and its impact on health in cities with light industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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19 pages, 3053 KiB  
Article
Chemical Compositions and Source Analysis of PM2.5 during Autumn and Winter in a Heavily Polluted City in China
by Shasha Tian, Yingying Liu, Jing Wang, Jian Wang, Lujian Hou, Bo Lv, Xinhua Wang, Xueyan Zhao, Wen Yang, Chunmei Geng, Bin Han and Zhipeng Bai
Atmosphere 2020, 11(4), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11040336 - 30 Mar 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3332
Abstract
As one of the biggest cities in North China, Jinan has been suffering heavy air pollution in recent decades. To better characterize the ambient particulate matter in Jinan during heavy pollution periods, we collected daily PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters equal [...] Read more.
As one of the biggest cities in North China, Jinan has been suffering heavy air pollution in recent decades. To better characterize the ambient particulate matter in Jinan during heavy pollution periods, we collected daily PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters equal to or less than 2.5 μm) filter samples from 15 October 2017 to 31 January 2018 and analyzed their chemical compositions (including inorganic water-soluble ions (WSIs), carbonaceous species, and inorganic elements). The daily average concentration of PM2.5 was 83.5 μg/m3 during the sampling period. A meteorological analysis revealed that both low wind speed and high relative humidity facilitated the occurrence of high PM2.5 pollution episodes. A chemical analysis indicated that high concentrations of water-soluble ions, carbonaceous species, and elements were observed during heavy pollution days. The major constituents of PM2.5 in Jinan were secondary aerosol particles and organic matter based on the results of mass closure. Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) was used to track possible sources and identified that nitrate, sulfate, vehicle exhaust and coal fly ash were the main contributors to PM2.5 during heavy pollution days in Jinan, accounting for 25.4%, 18.6%, 18.2%, and 13.3%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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13 pages, 3476 KiB  
Article
Characteristics, Secondary Formation and Regional Contributions of PM2.5 Pollution in Jinan during Winter
by Yingying Liu, Jing Wang, Xueyan Zhao, Jian Wang, Xinhua Wang, Lujian Hou, Wen Yang, Bin Han and Zhipeng Bai
Atmosphere 2020, 11(3), 273; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11030273 - 10 Mar 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2645
Abstract
Air pollution is an increasing threat to human health in China. In this study, daily PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected simultaneously at the Jinan Environmental Monitoring Station (EMS)in Jinan, China from 15 November 2016 to 15 March 2017. The aim [...] Read more.
Air pollution is an increasing threat to human health in China. In this study, daily PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected simultaneously at the Jinan Environmental Monitoring Station (EMS)in Jinan, China from 15 November 2016 to 15 March 2017. The aim of this work was to improve the understanding of the characteristics and sources of air particles and determine different levels of PM2.5 pollution and its constituent elements, water-soluble ions and carbonaceous species. Nitrate (NO3−), organic materials (OM) and sulfate (SO42−) were identified as the three main components of PM2.5 pollution. With increasing pollution level, the contributions of SO42−, NO3− and NH4+ increased at greater rates, unlike that of OM. The proportion of SO42− exceeded that of NO3− and became predominant in severe PM2.5 pollution (SP; 250 μg m−3 ≤ PM2.5 ≤ 500 μg m−3). This work demonstrates that SO42− has a dominant role in SP level and, consequently, requires greater research attention. It is demonstrated that relative humidity (RH) enhances the rate of sulfate formation more than that of nitrate. Therefore, under the current Chinese emergency response measures, it is necessary to further reduce emissions of SO2 and NO2. Four clusters of backward trajectories identified dominant pollution vectors originating from highly industrialized areas that exacerbate the poor air quality in Jinan. It is, therefore, necessary to undertake regional control measures to reduce pollutant emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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15 pages, 1285 KiB  
Article
Representing Organic Compound Oxidation in Chemical Mechanisms for Policy-Relevant Air Quality Models under Background Troposphere Conditions
by Richard G. Derwent
Atmosphere 2020, 11(2), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11020171 - 7 Feb 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2247
Abstract
This intercomparison has taken thirteen chemical mechanisms and compared how they treat VOC oxidation and degradation and its relationship to the photochemical formation of ozone and hydroxyl radicals. Here, we have looked in some detail at the incremental responses of hydroxyl radicals to [...] Read more.
This intercomparison has taken thirteen chemical mechanisms and compared how they treat VOC oxidation and degradation and its relationship to the photochemical formation of ozone and hydroxyl radicals. Here, we have looked in some detail at the incremental responses of hydroxyl radicals to incremental additions of a range of organic compounds under conditions appropriate to the background atmosphere. Most of the time, with most organic compounds and most chemical mechanisms, incremental additions of an organic compound led to depletion of hydroxyl radical concentrations. The chemical mechanisms studied demonstrated increasingly negative incremental hydroxyl radical reactivities with increasing carbon numbers for the alkanes ethane, propane and n-butane. Hydroxyl radical incremental reactivities for the simple alkenes, ethylene and propylene, were reasonably consistent across the chemical mechanisms studied. However, this consistent representation did not extend to trans but-2-ene, where reactivity estimates spanned a range of a factor of five. Incremental reactivities were reasonably well-defined for isoprene which was encouraging in view of its importance to background tropospheric chemistry. The most serious discrepancies emerging from this study were found with the aromatics toluene and o-xylene, and with the Master Chemical Mechanism and these are discussed in some detail. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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14 pages, 8096 KiB  
Article
Modelling the Optical Properties of Soot Particles under Various Aging Conditions
by Kangwei Li, Mingming Yan, Jiandong Shen, Xin Zhang, Chunmei Geng, Wen Yang and Merched Azzi
Atmosphere 2020, 11(1), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11010086 - 10 Jan 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2651
Abstract
As atmospheric fresh soot particles age, they become coated with other chemical species. This transforms their physicochemical properties and affects their optical characteristics, which is of great importance to air quality, the environment and climate change. One of the predominantly occurring states of [...] Read more.
As atmospheric fresh soot particles age, they become coated with other chemical species. This transforms their physicochemical properties and affects their optical characteristics, which is of great importance to air quality, the environment and climate change. One of the predominantly occurring states of soot particles in the ambient environment is the core-shell mixing state. In this study, we used the core-shell model to calculate the optical absorption, scattering and extinction efficiency, absorption proportion and absorption exponent of coated soot particles. We then investigated the effects of different core sizes (D0), incident wavelengths (λ), coating materials and coating thicknesses on these optical characteristics. Absorption efficiency and absorption proportion of soot particles decreased as the coating became thicker, at core sizes of D0 = 20, 50 and 100 nm and λ = 405, 532 and 781 nm, regardless of the type of coating material. As the coating thickness increased, the absorption exponent (β) of inorganic-coated soot particles tended to rise and then fall, while the β value of organic-coated soot particles kept increasing. Our results advance our scientific understanding of the interaction of optical properties with chemical composition, mixing state, and aging processes of soot particles in the atmosphere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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18 pages, 4034 KiB  
Article
Source Apportionment of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) during Ozone Polluted Days in Hangzhou, China
by Lixia Han, Linghong Chen, Kangwei Li, Zhier Bao, Yanyun Zhao, Xin Zhang, Merched Azzi and Kefa Cen
Atmosphere 2019, 10(12), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10120780 - 5 Dec 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4220
Abstract
A field sampling campaign of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted during ozone polluted days at three sites of botanic gardens (HP), industrial areas (XS), and traffic residential mixed areas (ZH) in Hangzhou. The sampling was performed using stainless steel canisters from 6:00 [...] Read more.
A field sampling campaign of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted during ozone polluted days at three sites of botanic gardens (HP), industrial areas (XS), and traffic residential mixed areas (ZH) in Hangzhou. The sampling was performed using stainless steel canisters from 6:00 to 20:00 synchronously with a time interval of 2 h on 17 May, 26 June, 20 July, 24 August, and 26 September 2018. A total of 107 species of VOCs for each sample were quantified using two standard gases with a pre-concentrator coupled by GC/MS. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model was used to identify the major VOC sources and assess their contribution to VOC concentrations. The effects of VOCs on O3 formation were investigated, based on propylene-equivalent concentrations (Prop-E), ozone formation potential (OFP), and Smog Production Model (SPM). It was found that the concentration of ozone during the sampling days tended to be highest in the downwind area while the concentrations of VOCs and NO2 in HP were rather low. The most reactive species were isoprene, ethylene, m-xylene, toluene, and propylene. The average total VOC volume mixing ratios in HP, XS, and ZH were 32.00, 36.63, and 50.34 ppbv, respectively. Bimodal profiles of propane and n-butane were exhibited in ZH while unimodal diurnal variation of isoprene was performed in HP. Liquefied petroleum gas/natural gas (LPG/NG) usage, aged background, and secondary source were identified as the major contributors to total VOCs in Hangzhou, accounting for 19.65%, 15.53%, and 18.93%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Energy Technologies and Photochemical Smog Formation)
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