Emissions estimates of PAH from biomass fuels used in rural sector of Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Liu

et al. 2016

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

For the management of coal fly ashes (CFAs) from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs), characterization of PAHs and PCBs in CFAs is imperative. The 18 PAH and 86 PCB congeners in CFAs collected from 18 large-scale CFPPs in China were detected using GC/MS system. The PAH concentrations were in the range of 5.51-70.9 ng g -1 for 16 CFPPs with individual block power capacity as 600 MW (IBPC-600), significantly lower than 886-916 ng g -1 for 2 CFPPs with IBPC as 200 and 300 MW (IBPC-200/300). Both PAH and PCB congeners for 18 CFPPs were dominated by low molecular weight ones. The 3-and 2-ring PAHs, di-, tri-and tetra-PCBs were the predominant homologs. PAH profiles for 16 CFPPs with IBPC-600 were significantly different from other industrial stacks based on higher coefficients of divergence. The BaP-based toxic equivalency (BaPeq) concentration and BaP-based equivalent carcinogenic power (BaPE) for 16 CFPPs with IBPC-600 were 0.834 ng g -1 and 0.570, much lower than corresponding 20.5 ng g -1 and 15.4 for 2 CFPPs with IBPC-200/300. No difference existed for Σ 86 PCBs between CPFFs with IBPC-600 and -200/300, which ranged from 9.60 to 32.1 ng g -1 . Higher mean carcinogenic PAH concentrations for 2 CFPPs with IBPC-200/300 and PCBs-TEQ concentration for 18 CFPPs indicated the application of CFAs as soil amendment should be prohibited. The PAH concentrations for 18 CFPPs were well correlated with the total organic carbon (TOC) values, while PCB concentrations showed not this trend, indicated the different formation mechanism between PCBs and PAHs.

Section: Pahs Concentrations In Cfa Samples For 18 Of Chinese Cfppsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of PAHs and PCBs in Fly Ashes of Eighteen Coal-Fired Power Plants

Liu

et al. 2016

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

“…The IGP is a major regional/global emitter of organic pollutants into the atmosphere (NEERI, 2006;Singh et al, 2013;Chen et al, 2015b). It has been estimated that South Asia produced about 90 Gg y -1 of PAHs in 2004 (Zhang and Tao, 2009), and the transport of PAHs from the IGP is considered to be the most important pathway controlling the levels of PAHs over the Himalayas (Rajput et al, 2013;Gong et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Particulate-Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Atmosphere over the Central Himalayas

Kang

et al. 2017

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

PAH concentrations were measured in total suspended particle (TSP) samples collected from six sites along two southnorth transects across the central Himalayas from April 2013 to March 2014. The annual average TSP and PAH (especially 5-and 6-ring compounds) concentrations were found to decrease noticeably northwards along both transects. At rural and urban sites, the TSP and PAH concentrations showed clear seasonal variations, with the lower concentrations around the mid-monsoon season and the higher values in the winter season. Meanwhile, at the remote sites (e.g., Nyalam and Zhongba), these pollutants generally remained constant throughout the year but with relatively higher levels during the pre-monsoon season. Both IndP/(IndP + BghiP) and Fla/(Fla + Pyr) ratios suggested that atmospheric PAHs from urban and rural sites were mainly associated with emissions from biomass burning, coal burning and petroleum combustion. However, the contribution of biomass burning increased at remote sites. Similar compositions of PAHs were found at three remote sites located on both sides of the Himalayas (Jomsom, Zhongba, and Nyalam), suggesting that the northern side of the Himalayas may be affected by anthropogenic emissions from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) via long-range atmospheric transport. This work provides a database of PAHs in central Himalayas for further assessing environmental risk of air pollution in the remote regions.

“…Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a large group of organic compounds with two or more aromatic rings, are generated through incomplete combustion of organic materials such as coal, oil, gas, waste and biomass (Nielsen et al, 1996;Singh et al, 2013;Zhang and Tao, 2009). Such compounds pose serious health concerns in both developed and developing countries because of their carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties (Bhargava et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anthropogenic emissions within the mountain region are not major compared with those in the upwind adjacent regions of South Asia such as the populous, rapidly developing, and highly polluted Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), which is a major regional or global source of organic pollutants in the atmosphere (Singh et al, 2013;Zhang and Tao, 2009). For example, Delhi and Kanpur, two large cities in the IGP, exhibited extremely high PAH concentrations, with annual mean values of the sum of several PAHs being 850 and 660 ng/m 3 , respectively (Masih et al, 2010;NEERI, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric aerosols in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Science of The Total Environment

Kang

et al. 2015

• High concentrations of 4-6 ring PAHs were reported in the atmosphere of Kathmandu.• PAH concentrations in non-monsoon season were higher than those in monsoon season.• PAH ratios indicated that diesel and biomass fuels were main emission sources.• Toxic equivalent concentration of PAHs was 26 times higher than the WHO guideline. The Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the capital city of Nepal is located, has one of the most serious air pollution problems in the world. In this study, total suspended particle (TSP) samples collected over a year (April 2013-March 2014 in the Kathmandu Valley were analyzed for determining the concentrations of 15 priority particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The TSP and PAH concentrations were extremely high, with annual average concentration being 199 ± 124 μg/m 3 and 155 ± 130 ng/m 3 , respectively, which are comparable to those observed in Asian cities such as Beijing and Delhi. The TSP and PAH concentrations varied considerably, with the seasonal average concentration being maximal during the post-monsoon season followed by, in descending order, the winter, pre-monsoon, and monsoon seasons. In the winter and premonsoon seasons, ambient TSP and PAH concentrations increased because of emissions from brick kilns and the use of numerous small generators. Moreover, in the pre-monsoon season, forest fires in the surrounding regions influenced the TSP and PAH concentrations in the valley. PAHs with 4 to 6 rings constituted a predominant proportion (92.3-93.3%) of the total PAHs throughout the year. Evaluation of diagnostic molecular ratios indicated that the atmospheric PAHs in the Kathmandu Valley originated mainly from diesel and biomass G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n v combustion. The toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) of particle phase PAHs ranged between 2.74 and 81.5 ng TEQ/ m 3 , which is considerably higher than those reported in other South Asian cities, and 2-80 times higher than the World Health Organization guideline (1 ng TEQ/m 3 ). This suggests that ambient PAH levels in the Kathmandu Valley pose a serious health risk to its approximately 3.5 million residents.