Sample records for soluble aromatic hydrocarbons

  1. Hydroxypropyl cyclic β-(1 → 2)-D-glucans and epichlorohydrin β-cyclodextrin dimers as effective carbohydrate-solubilizers for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Choi, Jae Min; Jeong, Daham; Piao, Jinglan; Kim, Kyoungtea; Nguyen, Andrew Bao Loc; Kwon, Nak-Jung; Lee, Mi-Kyung; Lee, Im Soon; Yu, Jae-Hyuk; Jung, Seunho

    2015-01-12

    The removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by soil washing using water is extremely difficult due to their intrinsic hydrophobic nature. In this study, the effective aqueous solubility enhancements of seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by chemically modified hydroxypropyl rhizobial cyclic β-(1 → 2)-D-glucans and epichlorohydrin β-cyclodextrin dimer have been investigated for the first time. In the presence of hydroxypropyl cyclic β-(1 → 2)-D-glucans, the solubility of benzo[a]pyrene is increased up to 38 fold of its native solubility. The solubility of pyrene and phenanthrene dramatically increased up to 160 and 359. Coronene, chrysene, perylene, and fluoranthene also show an increase of 11, 23, 23, and 97 fold, respectively, of enhanced solubility by complexation with synthetic epichlorohydrin β-cyclodextrin dimer. The physicochemical properties of the complex are characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra and differential scanning calorimetry. Utilizing a scanning electron microscopy, the morphological structures of native benzo[a]pyrene, pyrene, phenanthrene, coronene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene and their complex with novel carbohydrate-solubilizers are studied. These results elucidate that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are able to form an efficient complex with hydroxypropyl cyclic β-(1 → 2)-D-glucans and β-cyclodextrin dimer, suggesting the potential usage of chemically modified novel carbohydrate-solubilizers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. ADSORPTION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN AGED HARBOR SEDIMENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of hydrophobic organic contaminants which have low aqueous solubilities and are common pollutants in harbor sediments. Adsorption and desorption isotherms for PAHs are conducted to study the abiotic sorption of PAHs in uncontami...

  3. Water-Sediment Partition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Nansi Lake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Guizhai; Diao, Youjiang

    2018-06-01

    Based on field data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and sediment in Nansi Lake. The concentrations and the partitioning characteristic of PAHs in the water and sediment were studied. The lgKd of high molecular weight PAHs were higher than the low molecular weight PAHs. The most of PAHs Kd values were negligible correlated with TOC, soluble salt, clay and pH of the sediment in Nansi Lake.

  4. Stimulated anoxic biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons using Fe(III) ligands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lovley, D.R.; Woodward, J.C.; Chapelle, F.H.

    1994-01-01

    Contamination of ground waters with water-soluble aromatic hydrocarbons, common components of petroleum pollution, often produces anoxic conditions under which microbial degradation of the aromatics is slow. Oxygen is often added to contaminated ground water to stimulate biodegradation, but this can be technically difficult and expensive. Insoluble Fe(III) oxides, which are generally abundant in shallow aquifers, are alternative potential oxidants, but are difficult for microorganisms to access. Here we report that adding organic ligands that bind to Fe(III) dramatically increases its bioavailability, and that in the presence of these ligands, rates of degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons in anoxic aquifer sediments are comparable to those in oxic sediments. We find that even benzene, which is notoriously refractory in the absence of oxygen, can be rapidly degraded. Our results suggest that increasing the bioavailability of Fe(III) by adding suitable ligands provides a potential alternative to oxygen addition for the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated aquifers.Contamination of ground waters with water-soluble aromatic hydrocarbons, common components of petroleum pollution, often produces anoxic conditions under which microbial degradation of the aromatics is slow. Oxygen is often added to contaminated ground water to stimulate biodegradation, but this can be technically difficult and expensive. Insoluble Fe(III) oxides, which are generally abundant in shallow aquifers, are alternative potential oxidants, but are difficult for microorganisms to access. Here we report that adding organic ligands that bind to Fe(III) dramatically increases its bioavailability, and that in the presence of these ligands, rates of degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons in anoxic aquifer sediments are comparable to those in oxic sediments. We find that even benzene, which is notoriously refractory in the absence of oxygen, can be rapidly degraded. Our results suggest that increasing the bioavailability of Fe(III) by adding suitable ligands provides a potential alternative to oxygen addition for the bioremediation of petroleum-contamined aquifers.

  5. Controlled field study on the use of nitrate and oxygen for bioremediation of a gasoline source zone

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barbaro, J.R.; Barker, J.F.

    2000-01-01

    Controlled releases of unleaded gasoline were utilized to evaluate the biotransformation of the soluble aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene isomers, trimethylbenzene isomers, and naphthalene) within a source zone using nitrate and oxygen as electron acceptors. Experiments were conducted within two 2 m ?? 2 m ?? 3.5 m deep sheet-piling cells. In each treatment cell, a gasoline-contaminated zone was created below the water table. Groundwater amended with electron acceptors was then flushed continuously through the cells for 174 day. Electron-acceptor utilization and hydrocarbon-metabolite formation were noted in both cells, indicating that some microbial activity had been induced in response to flushing. Relative to the cell residence time, nitrate utilization was slow and aromatic-hydrocarbon mass losses in response to microaerophilic dissolved oxygen addition were not obvious under these in situ conditions. There was relatively little biotransformation of the aromatic hydrocarbons over the 2-m flow path monitored in this experiment. A large denitrifying population capable of aromatic hydrocarbon biotransformation failed to develop within the gasoline source zone over a 14-mo period of nitrate exposure.

  6. Degradation of some representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by the water-soluble protein extracts from Zea mays L. cv PR32-B10.

    PubMed

    Barone, Roberto; de Biasi, Margherita-Gabriella; Piccialli, Vincenzo; de Napoli, Lorenzo; Oliviero, Giorgia; Borbone, Nicola; Piccialli, Gennaro

    2016-10-01

    The ability of the water-soluble protein extracts from Zea mais L. cv. PR32-B10 to degrade some representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), has been evaluated. Surface sterilized seeds of corn (Zea mais L. Pioneer cv. PR32-B10) were hydroponically cultivated in a growth chamber under no-stressful conditions. The water-soluble protein extracts isolated from maize tissues showed peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and catalase activities. Incubation of the extracts with naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene, led to formation of oxidized and/or degradation products. GC-MS and TLC monitoring of the processes showed that naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluorene and pyrene underwent 100%, 78%, 92% and 65% oxidative degradation, respectively, after 120 min. The chemical structure of the degradation products were determined by (1)H NMR and ESI-MS spectrometry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Comprehensive review on toxicity of persistent organic pollutants from petroleum refinery waste and their degradation by microorganisms.

    PubMed

    Varjani, Sunita J; Gnansounou, Edgard; Pandey, Ashok

    2017-12-01

    Control and prevention of environmental pollution has become a worldwide issue of concern. Aromatic hydrocarbons including benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene (BTEX) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs), released into the environment mainly by exploration activities of petroleum industry. These pollutants are mutagenic, carcinogenic, immunotoxic and teratogenic to lower and higher forms of life i.e. microorganisms to humans. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is carcinogenic in laboratory animals and humans. Aromatic hydrocarbons are highly lipid soluble and thus readily absorbed from environment in gastrointestinal tract of mammals. Treatment and remediation of petroleum refinery waste have been shown either to reduce or to eliminate genotoxicity of these pollutants. Bioremediation by using microorganisms to treat this waste is showing a promising technology as it is safe and cost-effective option among various technologies tested. The main aim of this review is to provide contemporary information on variety of aromatic hydrocarbons present in crude oil (with special focus to mono- and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons), exposure routes and their adverse effects on humans. This review also provides a synthesis of scientific literature on remediation technologies available for aromatic hydrocarbons, knowledge gaps and future research developments in this field. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Effect of dissolved aromatic hydrocarbons on the growth of marine bacteria in batch culture.

    PubMed Central

    Calder, J A; Lader, J H

    1976-01-01

    Dissolved aromatic hydrocarbons were found to decrease growth rate and maximum cell density of marine bacteria in batch cultures. The magnitude of the decrement was observed to be a function of concentration of the hydrocarbon and inherent toxicity. The inherent toxicity was observed to increase inversely with solubility such that naphthalene at 100 muM concentration demonstrated a toxic effect similar to benzopyrene at 0.02 muM. A partial oxidation product of naphthalene was found to be more effective in decreasing growth parameters than naphthalene at equivalent concentrations and to cause complete cessation of growth at the higher concentrations permitted by its polar structure. PMID:970939

  9. Physicochemical properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Aqueous solubilities, n-octanol/water partition coefficients, and Henry`s law constants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maagd, P.G.J. de; Opperhuizen, A.; Sijm, D.T.H.M.

    Aqueous solubilities, n-octanol/water partition coefficients (K{sub ow}S), and Henry`s law constants were determined for a range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using a generator-column, slow-stirring, and gas-purge method, respectively. The currently obtained data were compared to available literature data. For seven of the PAHs no K{sub ow}S previously were determined with the slow-stirring method. For four of the PAHs the present study reports the first experimental Henry`s law constants. Relationships between subcooled liquid solubilities, K{sub ow}S, and Henry`s law constants as a function of molar volume are discussed. A consistent data set was obtained, for which an excellent correlation wasmore » found between subcooled liquid solubility and molar volume. A linear fit did not accurately describe the relationship between log K{sub ow} and molar volume. This is probably due to a decreasing solubility in n-octanol with increasing molar volume. Finally, a high correlation was found between Henry`s law constant and molar volume. The presently obtained dataset can be used to predict the fate and behavior of unsubstituted homocyclic PAHs.« less

  10. Synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-protein conjugates for preparation and immunoassay of antibodies.

    PubMed

    Glushkov, Andrey N; Kostyanko, Mikhail V; Cherno, Sergey V; Vasilchenko, Ilya L

    2002-04-01

    The method is described dealing with the synthesis of conjugates protein-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), highly soluble in water, stable without special stabilizers and containing the minimum quantity of cross-linked products. The reaction of protein with PAH containing an aldehyde group, has been carried out in an alkaline solution, and stabilization of the conjugate has been achieved by reduction with sodium borohydride in the presence of a compound blocking the formation of an insoluble polymeric fraction. The efficiency of synthesized conjugates for the induction and immunoassay of Abs to PAH for benzo[a]pyrene is shown.

  11. Enhanced bioavailability of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the form of mucin complexes.

    PubMed

    Drug, Eyal; Landesman-Milo, Dalit; Belgorodsky, Bogdan; Ermakov, Natalia; Frenkel-Pinter, Moran; Fadeev, Ludmila; Peer, Dan; Gozin, Michael

    2011-03-21

    Increasing exposure of biological systems to large amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is of great public concern. Organisms have an array of biological defense mechanisms, and it is believed that mucosal gel (which covers the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal tract, etc.) provides an effective chemical shield against a range of toxic materials. However, in this work, we demonstrate, for the first time, that, upon complexation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons with mucins, enhanced bioavailability and, therefore, toxicity are obtained. This work was aimed to demonstrate how complexation of various highly hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with representative mucin glycoprotein could lead to the formation of previously undescribed materials, which exhibit increased toxicity versus pristine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the present work, we show that a representative mucin glycoprotein, bovine submaxillary mucin, has impressive and unprecedented capabilities of binding and solubilizing water-insoluble materials in physiological solution. The complexes formed between the mucin and a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were comprehensively characterized, and their toxicity was evaluated by both in vivo and in vitro assays. In addition, the bioavailability and membrane-penetration capabilities were tested using an internalization assay. Our results provide, for the first time, evidence of an unknown route by which hydrophobic materials may achieve higher bioavailability, penetrating some of the biological defense systems, in the form of water-soluble complexes with mucosal proteins.

  12. Determination of descriptors for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and related compounds by chromatographic methods and liquid-liquid partition in totally organic biphasic systems.

    PubMed

    Ariyasena, Thiloka C; Poole, Colin F

    2014-09-26

    Retention factors on several columns and at various temperatures using gas chromatography and from reversed-phase liquid chromatography on a SunFire C18 column with various mobile phase compositions containing acetonitrile, methanol and tetrahydrofuran as strength adjusting solvents are combined with liquid-liquid partition coefficients in totally organic biphasic systems to calculate descriptors for 23 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and eighteen related compounds of environmental interest. The use of a consistent protocol for the above measurements provides descriptors that are more self consistent for the estimation of physicochemical properties (octanol-water, air-octanol, air-water, aqueous solubility, and subcooled liquid vapor pressure). The descriptor in this report tend to have smaller values for the L and E descriptors and random differences in the B and S descriptors compared with literature sources. A simple atom fragment constant model is proposed for the estimation of descriptors from structure for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The new descriptors show no bias in the prediction of the air-water partition coefficient for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons unlike the literature values. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Mutagenicity of aerosols from the oxidative thermal decomposition of rigid polyurethane foam.

    PubMed

    Zitting, A; Falck, K; Skyttä, E

    1980-01-01

    The aerosol fraction of the oxidative thermal decomposition products (700 degrees C) of rigid polyurethane foam was collected on glass fiber filters and fractionated into either-soluble neutral, acidic, and basic fractions and water-soluble compounds. The fractions showed mutagenic activity in a bacterial fluctuation test with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 or Escherichia coli CM891 as the tester strains. All the fractions induced mutations in both strains after metabolic activation with rat liver S-9 mix. The basic and the water-soluble fractions were mutagenic for S. typhimurium TA 98 even without activation. Thin-layer chromatography showed the presence of several primary aromatic amines in the aerosol. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were not detected by glass capillary gas chromatogaphy.

  14. Diversity of metabolic capacities among strains degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bouchez, M.; Besnaienou, B.; Blanchet, D.

    1995-12-31

    Strains of Pseudomonas and Rhodococcus genera were isolated for their capacity to use, as a sole carbon and energy source, one of the following polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): naphthalene (NAP), fluorene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHE), anthracene (ANT), fluoranthene (FLT), and pyrene (PYR). The range of PAHs supporting growth of these pure strains was usually restricted, but several other hydrocarbons were used by Rhodococcus sp. All strains could grow on simple organic acids. Maximal specific growth rates ({mu}{sub max}) of all strains on their PAH growth substrates were determined by respirometry. No clear relationships between {mu}{sub max} values and the molecular weightmore » or water solubility of PAHs were apparent, but Pseudomonas sp. exhibited the highest {mu}{sub max} values. Carbon balances for PAH biodegradation were established. Differences between strains were observed, but high mineralization rates and low production of soluble metabolites were obtained for all PAHs. Bacterial biomass represented 16% to 35% of the carbon consumed. Strain diversity was also apparent in the interactions observed in the degradation of a mixture of two PAHs by individual strains, which often involved inhibition of PAH substrate degradation, with or without cometabolization of the second PAH.« less

  15. CONTROLLED FIELD STUDY ON THE USE OF NITRATE AND OXYGEN FOR BIOREMEDIATION OF A GASOLINE SOURCE ZONE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Controlled releases of unleaded gasoline were used to evaluate the biotransformation of the soluble aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene isomers, trimethylbenzene isomers, and naphthalene) within a source zone using nitrate and oxygen as electron accepto...

  16. A Soluble Dynamic Complex Strategy for the Solution-Processed Fabrication of Organic Thin-Film Transistors of a Boron-Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon.

    PubMed

    Matsuo, Kyohei; Saito, Shohei; Yamaguchi, Shigehiro

    2016-09-19

    The solution-processed fabrication of thin films of organic semiconductors enables the production of cost-effective, large-area organic electronic devices under mild conditions. The formation/dissociation of a dynamic B-N coordination bond can be used for the solution-processed fabrication of semiconducting films of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) materials. The poor solubility of a boron-containing PAH in chloroform, toluene, and chlorobenzene was significantly improved by addition of minor amounts (1 wt % of solvent) of pyridine derivatives, as their coordination to the boron atom suppresses the inherent propensity of the PAHs to form π-stacks. Spin-coating solutions of the thus formed Lewis acid-base complexes resulted in the formation of amorphous thin films, which could be converted into polycrystalline films of the boron-containing PAH upon thermal annealing. Organic thin-film transistors prepared by this solution process displayed typical p-type characteristics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Enhanced aqueous solubility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by green diester-linked cationic gemini surfactants and their binary solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panda, Manorama; Fatma, Nazish; Kabir-ud-Din

    2016-07-01

    Three homologues of a novel biodegradable diester-linked cationic gemini surfactant series, CmH2m+1 (CH3)2N+(CH2COOCH2)2N+(CH3)2CmH2m+1.2Cl- (m-E2-m; m = 12, 14, 16), were used for investigation of the solubilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene, anthracene and pyrene in single as well as binary surfactant solutions. Physicochemical parameters of the pure/mixed systems were derived by conductivity and surface tension measurements. Dissolution capacity of the equimolar binary surfactant solutions towards the PAHs was studied from the molar solubilization ratio (MSR), micelle-water partition coefficient (Km) and free energy of solubilization (ΔGs0) of the solubilizates. Influence of hydrophobic chain length of the dimeric surfactants on solubilization was characterized. Aqueous solubility of the PAHs was enhanced linearly with concentration of the surfactant in all the pure and mixed gemini-gemini surfactant systems.

  18. Influence of adhesion on aerobic biodegradation and bioremediation of liquid hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Abbasnezhad, Hassan; Gray, Murray; Foght, Julia M

    2011-11-01

    Biodegradation of poorly water-soluble liquid hydrocarbons is often limited by low availability of the substrate to microbes. Adhesion of microorganisms to an oil-water interface can enhance this availability, whereas detaching cells from the interface can reduce the rate of biodegradation. The capability of microbes to adhere to the interface is not limited to hydrocarbon degraders, nor is it the only mechanism to enable rapid uptake of hydrocarbons, but it represents a common strategy. This review of the literature indicates that microbial adhesion can benefit growth on and biodegradation of very poorly water-soluble hydrocarbons such as n-alkanes and large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dissolved in a non-aqueous phase. Adhesion is particularly important when the hydrocarbons are not emulsified, giving limited interfacial area between the two liquid phases. When mixed communities are involved in biodegradation, the ability of cells to adhere to the interface can enable selective growth and enhance bioremediation with time. The critical challenge in understanding the relationship between growth rate and biodegradation rate for adherent bacteria is to accurately measure and observe the population that resides at the interface of the hydrocarbon phase. © Springer-Verlag 2011

  19. Laboratory analytical methods for the determination of the hydrocarbon status of soils (a review)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pikovskii, Yu. I.; Korotkov, L. A.; Smirnova, M. A.; Kovach, R. G.

    2017-10-01

    Laboratory analytical methods suitable for the determination of the hydrocarbon status of soils (a specific soil characteristic involving information on the total content and qualitative features of soluble (bitumoid) carbonaceous substances and individual hydrocarbons (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, etc.) in bitumoid, as well as the composition and content of hydrocarbon gases) have been considered. Among different physicochemical methods of study, attention is focused on the methods suitable for the wide use. Luminescence-bituminological analysis, low-temperature spectrofluorimetry (Shpolskii spectroscopy), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography, chromatography-mass spectrometry, and some other methods have been characterized, as well as sample preparation features. Advantages and limitations of each of these methods are described; their efficiency, instrumental complexity, analysis duration, and accuracy are assessed.

  20. Solubilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in micellar nonionic surfactant solutions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Edwards, D.A.; Luthy, R.G.; Liu, Zhongbao

    1991-01-01

    Experimental data are presented on the enhanced apparent solubilities of naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene resulting from solubilization in aqueous solutions of four commercial, nonionic surfactants: an alkyl polyoxyethylene (POE) type, two octylphenol POE types, and a nonylphenol POE type. Apparent solubilities of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in surfactant solutions were determined by radiolabeled techniques. Solubilization of each PAH compound commenced at the surfactant critical micelle concentration and was proportional to the concentration of surfactant in micelle form. The partitioning of organic compounds between surfactant micelles and aqueous solution is characterized by a mole fraction micelle-phase/aqueous-phase partition coefficient, K{submore » m}. Values of log K{sub m} for PAH compounds in surfactant solutions of this study range from 4.57 to 6.53. Log K{sub m} appears to be a linear function of log K{sub ow} for a given surfactant solution. A knowledge of partitioning in aqueous surfactant systems is a prerequisite to understanding mechanisms affecting the behavior of hydrophobic organic compounds in soil-water systems in which surfactants play a role in contaminant remediation or facilitated transport.« less

  1. Yields of Bacterial Cells from Hydrocarbons

    PubMed Central

    Wodzinski, Richard S.; Johnson, Marvin J.

    1968-01-01

    A strain of Nocardia and one of Pseudomonas, both isolated on pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane), gave cell yields of approximately 100% on n-octadecane and pristane. Both organisms grew more rapidly on the n-octadecane than on the pristane. A mixed culture, isolated on 3-methylheptane, whose two components were identified as species of Pseudomonas and of Nocardia, gave approximately 100% cell yields and grew with generation times of about 5 hr on n-heptane, n-octane, and 2-methylheptane. The generation time on 3-methylheptane was 8.6 hr and the cell yield was only 79%. A strain of Pseudomonas isolated from naphthalene enrichments and one from phenanthrene enrichments both gave a cell yield of 50% on naphthalene. The phenanthrene isolate gave a cell yield of 40% on phenanthrene. A Nocardia species isolated on benzene gave a 79% cell yield on benzene. The generation times of the bacteria isolated on aromatic hydrocarbons were related to the solubility of the aromatic hydrocarbons on which they were grown; the more insoluble hydrocarbons gave slower growth. PMID:5726161

  2. BIOB: a mathematical model for the biodegradation of low solubility hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Geng, Xiaolong; Boufadel, Michel C; Personna, Yves R; Lee, Ken; Tsao, David; Demicco, Erik D

    2014-06-15

    Modeling oil biodegradation is an important step in predicting the long term fate of oil on beaches. Unfortunately, existing models do not account mechanistically for environmental factors, such as pore water nutrient concentration, affecting oil biodegradation, rather in an empirical way. We present herein a numerical model, BIOB, to simulate the biodegradation of insoluble attached hydrocarbon. The model was used to simulate an experimental oil spill on a sand beach. The biodegradation kinetic parameters were estimated by fitting the model to the experimental data of alkanes and aromatics. It was found that parameter values are comparable to their counterparts for the biodegradation of dissolved organic matter. The biodegradation of aromatics was highly affected by the decay of aromatic biomass, probably due to its low growth rate. Numerical simulations revealed that the biodegradation rate increases by 3-4 folds when the nutrient concentration is increased from 0.2 to 2.0 mg N/L. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. MINERALIZATION OF A SORBED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON IN TWO SOILS USING CATALYZED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. (R826163)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) catalyzed by soluble iron or naturally occurring soil minerals, (i.e., modified Fenton's reagent) was investigated as a basis for mineralizing sorbed and NAPL-phase benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a hydrophobic and toxic polycyclic a...

  4. Estimating the physicochemical properties of polyhalogenated aromatic and aliphatic compounds using UPPER: part 2. Aqueous solubility, octanol solubility and octanol-water partition coefficient.

    PubMed

    Admire, Brittany; Lian, Bo; Yalkowsky, Samuel H

    2015-01-01

    The UPPER (Unified Physicochemical Property Estimation Relationships) model uses additive and non-additive parameters to estimate 20 biologically relevant properties of organic compounds. The model has been validated by Lian and Yalkowsky (2014) on a data set of 700 hydrocarbons. Recently, Admire et al. (2014) expanded the model to predict the boiling and melting points of 1288 polyhalogenated benzenes, biphenyls, dibenzo-p-dioxins, diphenyl ethers, anisoles and alkanes. In this work, 19 new group descriptors are determined and used to predict the aqueous solubilities, octanol solubilities and the octanol-water coefficients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons for fullerene synthesis in flames

    DOEpatents

    Alford, J. Michael; Diener, Michael D.

    2006-12-19

    This invention provides improved methods for combustion synthesis of carbon nanomaterials, including fullerenes, employing multiple-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fuels selected for high carbon conversion to extractable fullerenes. The multiple-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fuels include those that contain polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. More specifically, multiple-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fuels contain a substantial amount of indene, methylnapthalenes or mixtures thereof. Coal tar and petroleum distillate fractions provide low cost hydrocarbon fuels containing polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, including without limitation, indene, methylnapthalenes or mixtures thereof.

  6. The use of solvent extractions and solubility theory to discern hydrocarbon associations in coal, with application to the coal-supercritical CO2 system

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kolak, Jonathan J.; Burruss, Robert A.

    2014-01-01

    Samples of three high volatile bituminous coals were subjected to parallel sets of extractions involving solvents dichloromethane (DCM), carbon disulfide (CS2), and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) (40 °C, 100 bar) to study processes affecting coal–solvent interactions. Recoveries of perdeuterated surrogate compounds, n-hexadecane-d34 and four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), added as a spike prior to extraction, provided further insight into these processes. Soxhlet-DCM and Soxhlet-CS2 extractions yielded similar amounts of extractable organic matter (EOM) and distributions of individual hydrocarbons. Supercritical CO2 extractions (40 °C, 100 bar) yielded approximately an order of magnitude less EOM. Hydrocarbon distributions in supercritical CO2 extracts generally mimicked distributions from the other solvent extracts, albeit at lower concentrations. This disparity increased with increasing molecular weight of target hydrocarbons. Five- and six-ring ring PAHs generally were not detected and no asphaltenes were recovered in supercritical CO2 extractions conducted at 40 °C and 100 bar. Supercritical CO2 extraction at elevated temperature (115 °C) enhanced recovery of four-ring and five-ring PAHs, dibenzothiophene (DBT), and perdeuterated PAH surrogate compounds. These results are only partially explained through comparison with previous measurements of hydrocarbon solubility in supercritical CO2. Similarly, an evaluation of extraction results in conjunction with solubility theory (Hildebrand and Hansen solubility parameters) does not fully account for the hydrocarbon distributions observed among the solvent extracts. Coal composition (maceral content) did not appear to affect surrogate recovery during CS2 and DCM extractions but might affect supercritical CO2 extractions, which revealed substantive uptake (partitioning) of PAH surrogates into the coal samples. This uptake was greatest in the sample (IN-1) with the highest vitrinite content. These findings indicate that hydrocarbon solubility does not exert a strong influence on hydrocarbon behavior in the systems studied. Other factors such as coal composition and maceral content, surface processes (physisorption), or other molecular interactions appear to affect the partitioning of hydrocarbons within the coal–supercritical CO2 system. Resolving the extent to which these factors might affect hydrocarbon behavior under different geological settings is important to efforts seeking to model petroleum generation, fractionation and expulsion from coal beds and to delineate potential hydrocarbon fate and transport in geologic CO2 sequestration settings.

  7. Soluble hydrocarbons uptake by porous carbonaceous adsorbents at different water ionic strength and temperature: something to consider in oil spills.

    PubMed

    Flores-Chaparro, Carlos E; Ruiz, Luis Felipe Chazaro; Alfaro-De la Torre, Ma Catalina; Rangel-Mendez, Jose Rene

    2016-06-01

    Nowadays, petrochemical operations involve risks to the environment and one of the biggest is oil spills. Low molecular aromatics like benzene, toluene, and naphthalene dissolve in water, and because of their toxicological characteristics, these produce severe consequences to the environment. The oil spill cleanup strategies are mainly designed to deal with the heavy fractions accumulated on the water surface. Unfortunately, very limited information is available regarding the treatment of dissolved fractions.A commercial (Filtrasorb 400) and modified activated carbons were evaluated to remove benzene, toluene, and naphthalene from water, which are the most soluble aromatic hydrocarbons, at different ionic strengths (I) and temperatures (0-0.76 M and 4-25 °C, respectively). This allowed simulating the conditions of fresh and saline waters when assessing the performance of these adsorbents. It was found that the hydrocarbons adsorption affinity increased 12 % at a I of 0.5 M, due to the less negative charge of the adsorbent, while at a high I (≃0.76 M) in a synthetic seawater, the adsorption capacity decreased 21 % that was attributed to the adsorbent's pores occlusion by water clusters. Approximately, 40 h were needed to reach equilibrium; however, the maximum adsorption rate occurred within the first hour in all the cases. Moreover, the hydrocarbons adsorption and desorption capacities increased when the temperature augmented from 4 to 25 °C. On the other hand, thermally and chemically modified materials showed that the interactions between adsorbent-contaminant increased with the basification degree of the adsorbent surface.

  8. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Vvvv of... - Default Organic HAP Contents of Petroleum Solvent Groups

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Spirits 150 EC, Naphtha, Mixed Hydrocarbon, Aliphatic Hydrocarbon, Aliphatic Naptha, Naphthol Spirits... Aromatic Naphtha, Light Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Light Aromatic Solvent.) 6 4% Xylene...

  9. Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by a mixed culture and its component pure cultures, obtained from PAH-contaminated soil.

    PubMed

    Trzesicka-Mlynarz, D; Ward, O P

    1995-06-01

    A mixed culture, isolated from soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), grew on and degraded fluoranthene in aqueous media supplemented with glucose, yeast extract, and peptone. Increased complex nitrogen levels in the medium promoted bacterial growth and a greater extent of fluoranthene degradation. Amendment of the media with high glucose levels also diminished specific fluoranthene degradation. The mixed culture was capable of degrading a range of other PAHs, including benzo[a]pyrene, anthracene, phenanthrene, acenaphthene, and fluorene. The mixed culture contained four predominant isolates, all of which were Gram-negative rods, three of which were identified as Pseudomonas putida, Flavobacterium sp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Better degradation of a defined PAH mixture was observed with the mixed culture than with individual isolates. A reconstituted culture, prepared by combining the four individual isolates, manifested a similar PAH biodegradation performance to the original mixed culture. When compared with the mixed culture, individual isolates exhibited a relatively good capacity to remove more water-soluble PAHs (acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene). In contrast, removal of less water-soluble PAHs (anthracene and pyrene) was low or negligible with isolated cultures compared with the mixed culture.

  10. The Organic Content of the Tagish Lake Meteorite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pizzarello, Sandra; Huang, Yongsong; Becker, Luann; Poreda, Robert J.; Nieman, Ronald A.; Cooper, George; Williams, Michael

    2001-01-01

    The Tagish Lake meteorite felt last year on a frozen take in Canada and may provide the most pristine material of its kind. Analyses have now shown this carbonaceous chondrite to contain a suite of soluble organic compounds (approximately 100 parts per million) that includes mono- and dicarboxylic acids, dicarboximides, pyridine carboxylic acids, a sulfonic acid, and both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The insoluble carbon exhibits exclusive aromatic character, deuterium enrichment, and fullerenes containing 'planetary' helium and argon. The findings provide insight into an outcome of early solar chemical evolution that differs from any seen so far in meteorites.

  11. Dielectric barrier discharge ionization for liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hayen, Heiko; Michels, Antje; Franzke, Joachim

    2009-12-15

    An atmospheric pressure microplasma ionization source based on a dielectric barrier discharge with a helium plasma cone outside the electrode region has been developed for liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). For this purpose, the plasma was realized in a commercial atmospheric pressure ionization source. Dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) was compared to conventional electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) in the positive ionization mode. Therefore, a heterogeneous compound library was investigated that covered polar compounds such as amino acids, water-soluble vitamins, and nonpolar compounds like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and functionalized hydrocarbons. It turned out that DBDI can be regarded as a soft ionization technique characterized by only minor fragmentation similar to APCI. Mainly protonated molecules were detected. Additionally, molecular ions were observed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives thereof. During DBDI, adduct formation with acetonitrile occurred. For aromatic compounds, addition of one to four oxygen atoms and to a smaller extend one nitrogen and oxygen was observed which delivered insight into the complexity of the ionization processes. In general, compounds covering a wider range of polarities can be ionized by DBDI than by ESI. Furthermore, limits of detection compared to APCI are in most cases equal or even better.

  12. The distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in shallow groundwater from an alluvial-diluvial fan of the Hutuo River in North China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jincui; Zhao, Yongsheng; Sun, Jichao; Zhang, Ying; Liu, Chunyan

    2018-06-01

    This paper has investigated the concentration and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in shallow groundwater from an alluvial-diluvial fan of the Hutuo River in North China. Results show that the concentration levels of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons range from 0 to 92.06 ng/L, do not conform to drinking water quality standards in China (GB 5749- 2006). However, the concentration figures of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are much lower than that of other studies conducted elsewhere in China. In addition, highly-concentrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (50-92 ng/L) are fragmentarily distributed. The composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from this study indicates that low molecular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are predominant in groundwater samples, medium molecular compounds occur at low concentrations, and high molecular hydrocarbons are not detected. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon composition in groundwater samples is basically the same as that of gaseous samples in the atmosphere in this study. Therefore, the atmospheric input is assumed to be an important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, no less than wastewater discharge, adhesion on suspended solids, and surface water leakage. Ratios of specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrate that they mainly originate from wood or coal combustion as well as natural gas and partially from petroleum according to the result of principal component analysis. On the whole, conclusions are drawn that the contamination sources of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are likely petrogenic and pyrolytic inputs. Future investigations by sampling topsoil, vadose soil, and the atmosphere can further verify aforementioned conclusions.

  13. The Fate of Hydrocarbon Pollution in Kebnekaise, Arctic Sweden

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosqvist, G. N.; Jarjso, J.; Clason, C.; Jansson, P.; Karlin, T.

    2013-12-01

    A C-130J-30 Super Hercules plane crashed into the west-facing wall of the Kebnekaise mountain (2103 m), Arctic Sweden, on March 15th 2012. When starting from Evenes, Narvik, Norway, the aircraft had 14100 l fuel, 50 l hydraulic oil and 170 l motor oil onboard. Best estimates are that at least 12 000 l of fuel was sprayed over the mountain most of which was buried together with the wreck in a huge snow avalanche that was triggered by the impact in a NW facing cirque on Rabots glacier between ca 1600 and 2000 m. Fuel decontamination was not possible because of the extreme impact site conditions. The Hercules airplane was fueled with JET A-1 which is a hydrocarbon product in the Kerosene/Jet Fuel category consisting of sweetened kerosene and hydrotreated light distillates. The major components of all 'kerosene's' are branched- and straight-chain paraffins and naphthenes (cycloparaffins or cycloalkanes), which normally account for 70% by volume. Aromatic hydrocarbons, such as alkyl benzenes (single ring) and alkylnaphthalenes (double ring) do not exceed 25 % by volume of kerosene. The fuel also contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), but in very small volumes compared to the major components. The physical and chemical properties of each component (or block) of the hydrocarbon mixture influence its migration rate and fate. Some components of the fuel will volatilize, some are soluble in water but the vast majority are non-soluble. Although the solubility of these so called Light Nonaqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPL) in water is small they are highly toxic. We need to consider transport of the soluble components of the LNAPL in the melt-water, and transport of the non-soluble components with the melt-water system. Transport and storage can occur through and in snow (or firn), crevasses, and cavities on, in or under the glacier. Storage in, and contamination of, basal sediments, located below the glacier, or pro-glacial sediments, in front of the glacier are also possible. We have traced and determined the chemical evolution of the polluted snow and firn at the source zone during two summer melt seasons (2012 and 2013). We have estimated the transit time of polluted melt-water through the glacier by dye-trace experiments. We have assessed the potential of biodegradation by microorganisms and we monitor possible eco-hydrological effects in streams and lakes. Results will be used to estimate the full recovery time of the glacier and pro-glacial environment. This project provides a unique opportunity to formulate and test critical hypotheses regarding hydrocarbon spreading in a polar environment. We are today surprisingly unprepared to answer the basic question on how such pristine environments are influenced by hydrocarbon pollution. However, with the increasing pressures in polar environments, there is a dire need and a rare opportunity to now create such knowledge base.

  14. [Analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons in cracking products of jet fuel by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Li, Haijing; Zhang, Xiangwen

    2017-08-08

    As coking precursors, aromatic hydrocarbons have an effect on the cracking stability of fuels. A method for identifying and quantitating aromatics in the supercritical cracking products of jet fuel was established by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS). The effects of main chromatographic conditions such as initial oven temperature and modulation period on the separation of supercritical cracking products were studied. The method has good separation ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) isomers. A total of 27 aromatics, including monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tricyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tetracyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc., were identified based on standard mass spectra, the retention times of standards and literature reports. Moreover, the corresponding quantitative determination was achieved by external standard method of GC×GC-FID. The results showed that the contents of aromatics increased with the increase of gas yield. When gas yield reached 22%, the bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons began to produce, and their contents increased exponentially with the increase of gas yield. Compared with the traditional GC-MS, the method has better separation and qualitative ability, and can be applied to the separation of complex samples and qualitative and quantitative analyses of cracking products.

  15. Gum and deposit formation from jet turbine and diesel fuels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mayo, F.R.; Lan, B.Y.

    1983-09-01

    The present paper describes measurements of rates of oxidation and soluble gum formation in both pure hydrocarbons and in mixed hydrocarbon fuels. Some patterns which appear can be explained on the basis of what is known about co-oxidation of hydrocarbon mixtures. The oxidations were conducted in an oil bath at 130/sup 0/C. Gum formation is closely associated with oxidation. The compounds that copolymerize with oxygen to produce polyperoxides require the least amount of oxygen to yield a mg of gum; among other pure hydrocarbons and fuels, the rates of gum formation and oxygen absorption decrease together. The most useful approachmore » to understanding and reducing gum and deposit formation will come through understanding the effects of condensed aromatic and heterocyclic compounds on the oxidation rates of fuels. 4 figures. 4 tables.« less

  16. Role of methyl group number on SOA formation from aromatic hydrocarbons photooxidation under low NOx conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, L.; Tang, P.; Nakao, S.; Chen, C.-L.; Cocker, D. R., III

    2015-11-01

    Substitution of methyl groups onto the aromatic ring determines the SOA formation from the aromatic hydrocarbon precursor. This study links the number of methyl groups on the aromatic ring to SOA formation from aromatic hydrocarbons photooxidation under low NOx conditions (HC / NO > 10 ppb C : ppb). Aromatic hydrocarbons with increasing numbers of methyl groups are systematically studied. SOA formation from pentamethylbenzene and hexamethylbenzene are reported for the first time. A decreasing SOA yield with increasing number of methyl groups is observed. Linear trends are found in both f44 vs. f43 and O / C vs. H / C for SOA from aromatic hydrocarbons with zero to six methyl groups. An SOA oxidation state predictive method based on benzene is used to examine the effect of added methyl groups on aromatic oxidation under low NOx conditions. Further, the impact of methyl group number on density and volatility of SOA from aromatic hydrocarbons is explored. Finally, a mechanism for methyl group impact on SOA formation is suggested. Overall, this work suggests as more methyl groups are attached on the aromatic ring, SOA products from these aromatic hydrocarbons become less oxidized per mass/carbon.

  17. Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in soil of suburban areas in Tianjin, China.

    PubMed

    Lv, Jungang; Shi, Rongguang; Cai, Yanming; Liu, Yong

    2010-07-01

    Soil contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is an increasing problem and has aroused more and more concern in many countries, including China. In this study, representative soil samples (n = 87) of suburban areas in Tianjin (Xiqing, Dongli, Jinnan, Beichen) were evaluated for 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Surface soil samples were air-dried and sieved. Microwave assisted extraction was used for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons preparation prior to analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of tested polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Xiqing, Dongli, Jinnan, Beichen ranged in 58.5-2,748.3, 36.1-6,734.7, 58.5-4,502.5, 29.7-852.5 ng/g and the averages of total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 600.5, 933.6, 640.8, 257.3 ng/g, respectively. Spatial variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil was illustrated; Pollution status and comparison to other cities were also investigated. Serious polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons soil pollution was found in Dongli district, on the contrary, Bap in most sites in Beichen did not exceed relative standards and most sites in Beichen should be classified as non-contaminated soil. Principal component analysis was used to identify the possible sources of different districts. It turned out that coal combustion still was the most important sources in three districts except Beichen. Coking, traffic, cooking, biomass combustion also accounted for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution to certain extent in different districts. These data can be further used to assess the health risk associated with soils polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and help local government find proper way to reduce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution in soils.

  18. Influence of Cadmium and Mercury on Activities of Ligninolytic Enzymes and Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Pleurotus ostreatus in Soil

    PubMed Central

    Baldrian, Petr; in der Wiesche, Carsten; Gabriel, Jiří; Nerud, František; Zadražil, František

    2000-01-01

    The white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus was able to degrade the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, and benzo[ghi]perylene in nonsterile soil both in the presence and in the absence of cadmium and mercury. During 15 weeks of incubation, recovery of individual compounds was 16 to 69% in soil without additional metal. While soil microflora contributed mostly to degradation of pyrene (82%) and benzo[a]anthracene (41%), the fungus enhanced the disappearance of less-soluble polycyclic aromatic compounds containing five or six aromatic rings. Although the heavy metals in the soil affected the activity of ligninolytic enzymes produced by the fungus (laccase and Mn-dependent peroxidase), no decrease in PAH degradation was found in soil containing Cd or Hg at 10 to 100 ppm. In the presence of cadmium at 500 ppm in soil, degradation of PAHs by soil microflora was not affected whereas the contribution of fungus was negligible, probably due to the absence of Mn-dependent peroxidase activity. In the presence of Hg at 50 to 100 ppm or Cd at 100 to 500 ppm, the extent of soil colonization by the fungus was limited. PMID:10831426

  19. USSR Report, Chemistry

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-07-02

    Samples by Kinetic Methods (N. M. Ushakova, I. F. Dolmanova; VESTNIK M0SK0VSK0G0 UNIVERSITETA: KHIMIYA, No 6, Nov-Dec 84 4 -a - [III - USSR...Properties of Catalyst Pt/Si02 Using Method of Determining ’Soluble’ Form of Platinum (V. I. Shekhobalova, T. I. Mochalova; ZHURNAL FIZICHESKOY...TEKHNOLOGIYA TOPLIV I MASEL, No 2, Feb 85) 79 •Chromatographie Method for Determining Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Aviation Gasolines (L. V

  20. Components of Particle Emissions from Light-Duty Spark-Ignition Vehicles with Varying Aromatic Content and Octane Rating in Gasoline.

    PubMed

    Short, Daniel Z; Vu, Diep; Durbin, Thomas D; Karavalakis, Georgios; Asa-Awuku, Akua

    2015-09-01

    Typical gasoline consists of varying concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons and octane ratings. However, their impacts on particulate matter (PM) such as black carbon (BC) and water-soluble and insoluble particle compositions are not well-defined. This study tests seven 2012 model year vehicles, which include one port fuel injection (PFI) configured hybrid vehicle, one PFI vehicle, and six gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicles. Each vehicle was driven on the Unified transient testing cycle (UC) using four different fuels. Three fuels had a constant octane rating of 87 with varied aromatic concentrations at 15%, 25%, and 35%. A fourth fuel with higher octane rating, 91, contained 35% aromatics. BC, PM mass, surface tension, and water-soluble organic mass (WSOM) fractions were measured. The water-insoluble mass (WIM) fraction of the vehicle emissions was estimated. Increasing fuel aromatic content increases BC emission factors (EFs) of transient cycles. BC concentrations were higher for the GDI vehicles than the PFI and hybrid vehicles, suggesting a potential climate impact for increased GDI vehicle production. Vehicle steady-state testing showed that the hygroscopicity of PM emissions at high speeds (70 mph; κ > 1) are much larger than emissions at low speeds (30 mph; κ < 0.1). Iso-paraffin content in the fuels was correlated to the decrease in WSOM emissions. Both aromatic content and vehicle speed increase the amount of hygroscopic material found in particle emissions.

  1. Role of methyl group number on SOA formation from monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons photooxidation under low-NOx conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, L.; Tang, P.; Nakao, S.; Chen, C.-L.; Cocker, D. R., III

    2016-02-01

    Substitution of methyl groups onto the aromatic ring determines the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon precursor (SOA yield and chemical composition). This study links the number of methyl groups on the aromatic ring to SOA formation from monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons photooxidation under low-NOx conditions (HC/NO > 10 ppbC : ppb). Monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with increasing numbers of methyl groups are systematically studied. SOA formation from pentamethylbenzene and hexamethylbenzene are reported for the first time. A decreasing SOA yield with increasing number of methyl groups is observed. Linear trends are found in both f44 vs. f43 and O / C vs. H / C for SOA from monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with zero to six methyl groups. An SOA oxidation state predictive method based on benzene is used to examine the effect of added methyl groups on aromatic oxidation under low-NOx conditions. Further, the impact of methyl group number on density and volatility of SOA from monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is explored. Finally, a mechanism for methyl group impact on SOA formation is suggested. Overall, this work suggests that, as more methyl groups are attached on the aromatic ring, SOA products from these monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons become less oxidized per mass/carbon on the basis of SOA yield or chemical composition.

  2. Partition characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on soils and sediments

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chiou, C.T.; Mcgroddy, S.E.; Kile, D.E.

    1998-01-01

    The partition behavior was determined for three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e., naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, from water to a range of soil and sediment samples. The measured partition coefficients of the individual PAHs between soil/sediment organic matter (SOM) and water (i.e., K(oc) values) are relatively invariant either for the 'clean' (uncontaminated) soils or for the clean sediments; however, the mean K(oc) values on the sediments are about twice the values on the soils. This disparity is similar to the earlier observation for other nonpolar solutes and reflects the compositional differences between soil and sediment organic matters. No significant differences in K(oc) are observed between a clean coastal marine sediment and freshwater sediments. The coastal sediments that are significantly impacted by organic contaminants exhibit higher K(oc) values. At given K(ow) values (octanol-water), the PAHs exhibit much higher K(oc) values than other relatively nonpolar solutes (e.g., chlorinated hydrocarbons). This effect is shown to result from the enhanced partition of PAHs to SOM rather than from lower K(ow) values of PAHs at given supercooled liquid solute solubilities in water. The enhanced partition of PAHs over other nonpolar solutes in SOM provides an account of the markedly different correlations between log K(oc) and log K(ow) for PAHs and for other nonpolar solutes. The improved partition of PAHs in SOM stems apparently from the enhanced compatibility of their cohesive energy densities with those of the aromatic components in SOM. The approximate aromatic fraction in soil/sediment organic matter has been assessed by solid-state 13C-NMR spectroscopy.The partition behavior was determined for three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e., naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, from water to a range of soil and sediment samples. The measured partition coefficients of the individual PAHs between soil/sediment organic matter (SOM) and water (i.e., Koc values) are relatively invariant either for the `clean' (uncontaminated) soils or for the clean sediments; however, the mean Koc values on the sediments are about twice the values on the soils. This disparity is similar to the earlier observation for other nonpolar solutes and reflects the compositional differences between soil and sediment organic matters. No significant differences in Koc are observed between a clean coastal marine sediment and freshwater sediments. The coastal sediments that are significantly impacted by organic contaminants exhibit higher Koc values. At given Kow values (octanol-water), the PAHs exhibit much higher Koc values than other relatively nonpolar solutes (e.g., chlorinated hydrocarbons). This effect is shown to result from the enhanced partition of PAHs to SOM rather than from lower Kow values of PAHs at given supercooled liquid solute solubilities in water. The enhanced partition of PAHs over other nonpolar solutes in SOM provides an account of the markedly different correlations between log Koc and log Kow for PAHs and for other nonpolar solutes. The improved partition of PAHs in SOM stems apparently from the enhanced compatibility of their cohesive energy densities with those of the aromatic components in SOM. The approximate aromatic fraction in soil/sediment organic matter has been assessed by solid-state 13C-NMR spectroscopy.

  3. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae contribute to the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by plant roots.

    PubMed

    Gao, Yanzheng; Cheng, Zhaoxia; Ling, Wanting; Huang, Jing

    2010-09-01

    The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) hyphae-mediated uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by the roots of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was investigated using three-compartment systems. Glomus mosseae and Glomus etunicatum were chosen, and fluorene and phenanthrene were used as representative PAHs. When roots were grown in un-spiked soils, AM hyphae extended into PAH-spiked soil and clearly absorbed and transported PAHs to roots, resulting in high concentrations of fluorene and phenanthrene in roots. This was further confirmed by the batch equilibration experiment, which revealed that the partition coefficients (K(d)) of tested PAHs by mycorrhizal hyphae were 270-356% greater than those by roots, suggesting the great potential of hyphae to absorb PAHs. Because of fluorene's lower molecular weight and higher water solubility, its translocation by hyphae was greater than that of phenanthrene. These results provide new perspectives on the AM hyphae-mediated uptake by plants of organic contaminants from soil. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Extracellular polymeric substances govern the development of biofilm and mass transfer of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for improved biodegradation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yinping; Wang, Fang; Zhu, Xiaoshu; Zeng, Jun; Zhao, Qiguo; Jiang, Xin

    2015-10-01

    The hypothesis that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) affect the formation of biofilms for subsequent enhanced biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was tested. Controlled formation of biofilms on humin particles and biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene were performed with bacteria and EPS-extracted bacteria of Micrococcus sp. PHE9 and Mycobacterium sp. NJS-P. Bacteria without EPS extraction developed biofilms on humin, in contrast the EPS-extracted bacteria could not attach to humin particles. In the subsequent biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene, the biodegradation rates by biofilms were significantly higher than those of EPS-extracted bacteria. Although, both the biofilms and EPS-extracted bacteria showed increases in EPS contents, only the EPS contents in biofilms displayed significant correlations with the biodegradation efficiencies of phenanthrene and pyrene. It is proposed that the bacterial-produced EPS was a key factor to mediate bacterial attachment to other surfaces and develop biofilms, thereby increasing the bioavailability of poorly soluble PAH for enhanced biodegradation. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. FORMATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND CARBONACEOUS SOLIDS IN GAS-PHASE CONDENSATION EXPERIMENTS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jaeger, C.; Huisken, F.; Henning, Th.

    2009-05-01

    Carbonaceous grains represent a major component of cosmic dust. In order to understand their formation pathways, they have been prepared in the laboratory by gas-phase condensation reactions such as laser pyrolysis and laser ablation. Our studies demonstrate that the temperature in the condensation zone determines the formation pathway of carbonaceous particles. At temperatures lower than 1700 K, the condensation by-products are mainly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are also the precursors or building blocks for the condensing soot grains. The low-temperature condensates contain PAH mixtures that are mainly composed of volatile three to five ring systems. At condensation temperatures highermore » than 3500 K, fullerene-like carbon grains and fullerene compounds are formed. Fullerene fragments or complete fullerenes equip the nucleating particles. Fullerenes can be identified as soluble components. Consequently, condensation products in cool and hot astrophysical environments such as cool and hot asymptotic giant branch stars or Wolf-Rayet stars should be different and should have distinct spectral properties.« less

  6. Role of environmental factors and microorganisms in determining the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the marine environment

    PubMed Central

    Duran, Robert; Cravo-Laureau, Cristiana

    2016-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread in marine ecosystems and originate from natural sources and anthropogenic activities. PAHs enter the marine environment in two main ways, corresponding to chronic pollution or acute pollution by oil spills. The global PAH fluxes in marine environments are controlled by the microbial degradation and the biological pump, which plays a role in particle settling and in sequestration through bioaccumulation. Due to their low water solubility and hydrophobic nature, PAHs tightly adhere to sediments leading to accumulation in coastal and deep sediments. Microbial assemblages play an important role in determining the fate of PAHs in water and sediments, supporting the functioning of biogeochemical cycles and the microbial loop. This review summarises the knowledge recently acquired in terms of both chronic and acute PAH pollution. The importance of the microbial ecology in PAH-polluted marine ecosystems is highlighted as well as the importance of gaining further in-depth knowledge of the environmental services provided by microorganisms. PMID:28201512

  7. The effect of humic acids on biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons depends on the exposure regime.

    PubMed

    Tejeda-Agredano, Maria-Carmen; Mayer, Philipp; Ortega-Calvo, Jose-Julio

    2014-01-01

    Binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to dissolved organic matter (DOM) can reduce the freely dissolved concentration, increase apparent solubility or enhance diffusive mass transfer. To study the effects of DOM on biodegradation, we used phenanthrene and pyrene as model PAHs, soil humic acids as model DOM and a soil Mycobacterium strain as a representative degrader organism. Humic acids enhanced the biodegradation of pyrene when present as solid crystals but not when initially dissolved or provided by partitioning from a polymer. Synchronous fluorescence spectrophotometry, scintillation counting and a microscale diffusion technique were applied in order to determine the kinetics of dissolution and diffusive mass transfer of pyrene. We suggest that humic acids can enhance or inhibit biodegradation as a result of the balance of two opposite effects, namely, solubilization of the chemicals on the one hand and inhibition of cell adhesion to the pollutant source on the other. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Quantifying the biodegradation of phenanthrene by Pseudomonas stutzeri P16 in the presence of a nonionic surfactant.

    PubMed Central

    Grimberg, S J; Stringfellow, W T; Aitken, M D

    1996-01-01

    The low water solubility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is believed to limit their availability to microorganisms, which is a potential problem for bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated sites. Surfactants have been suggested to enhance the bioavailability of hydrophobic compounds, but both negative and positive effects of surfactants on biodegradation have been reported in the literature. Earlier, we presented mechanistic models of the effects of surfactants on phenanthrene dissolution and on the biodegradation kinetics of phenanthrene solubilized in surfactant micelles. In this study, we combined the biodegradation and dissolution models to quantify the influence of the surfactant Tergitol NP-10 on biodegradation of solid-phase phenanthrene by Pseudomonas stutzeri P16. Although micellized phenanthrene does not appear to be available directly to the bacterium, the ability of the surfactant to increase the phenanthrene dissolution rate resulted in an overall increase in bacterial growth rate in the presence of the surfactant. Experimental observations could be predicted well by the derived model with measured biokinetic and dissolution parameters. The proposed model therefore can serve as a base case for understanding the physical-chemical effects of surfactants on nonaqueous hydrocarbon bioavailability. PMID:8779577

  9. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon formation during the gasification of sewage sludge in sub- and supercritical water: Effect of reaction parameters and reaction pathways.

    PubMed

    Gong, Miao; Wang, Yulan; Fan, Yujie; Zhu, Wei; Zhang, Huiwen; Su, Ying

    2018-02-01

    The formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is a widespread issue during the supercritical water gasification of sewage sludge, which directly reduces the gasification efficiency and restricts the technology practical application. The changes of the concentrations and forms as well as the synthesis rate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the residues from supercritical water gasification of dewatered sewage sludge were investigated to understand influence factors and the reaction pathways. Results showed that the increase of reaction temperature during the heating period favours directly concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (especially higher-molecular-weight), especially when it raise above 300 °C. Lower heating and cooling rate essentially extend the total reaction time. Higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration and higher number of rings were generally promoted by lower heating and cooling rate, longer reaction time and higher reaction temperature. The lower-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can be directly generated through the decomposition of aromatic-containing compounds in sewage sludge, as well as 3-ring and 4-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can be formed by aromatization of steroids. Possible mechanisms of reaction pathways of supercritical water gasification of sewage sludge were also proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. THE PHOTOTOXICITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to be interested in developing methods for the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) in the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) are common contaminants in our environment. Being major product...

  11. Procedure for and results of simultaneous determination of aromatic hydrocarbons and fatty acid methyl esters in diesel fuels by high performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Kamiński, M; Gilgenast, E; Przyjazny, A; Romanik, G

    2006-07-28

    The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels is regulated by appropriate standards, and a further reduction in the allowed concentration of these hazardous substances in these fuels is expected. The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels is most often determined using standard methods EN-12916 or ASTM D-6591. The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is determined from a single peak obtained using normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC), a column of the NH2 type, n-heptane as the eluent, refractive index detector (RID) and backflushing of the eluent. However, the methods mentioned above cannot be applied when the fuel contains fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), which lately has become more common. The content of FAME in diesel oils is determined using mid-IR spectrophotometry based on the absorption of carbonyl group. However, no standard procedure for the determination of classes of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels containing FAME is yet available. The present work describes such a modification of methods EN-12916/ASTM D-6591 that provides a simultaneous determination of individual groups of aromatic hydrocarbons, total content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the FAME content in diesel fuels. The refractive index detector (RID) and n-heptane as the mobile phase are still used, but backflushing of the eluent is applied after the elution of all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Additionally, ultraviolet diode array detection is used for the exact determination of low contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and to confirm the presence of FAME in the analyzed fuel.

  12. Aromatic ring generation as a dust precursor in acetylene discharges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Bleecker, Kathleen; Bogaerts, Annemie; Goedheer, Wim

    2006-04-01

    Production of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds as an intermediate step for particle formation in low-pressure acetylene discharges is investigated via a kinetic approach. The detailed chemical reaction mechanism contains 140 reactions among 55 species. The cyclic hydrocarbon chemistry is mainly based on studies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon formation in cosmic environments. The model explicitly includes organic chain, cyclic molecules, radicals, and ions up to a size of 12 carbon atoms. The calculated density profiles show that the aromatic formation yields are quite significant, suggesting that aromatic compounds play a role in the underlying mechanisms of particle formation in hydrocarbon plasmas.

  13. Effect of rhamnolipid biosurfactant on solubilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Li, Shudong; Pi, Yongrui; Bao, Mutai; Zhang, Cong; Zhao, Dongwei; Li, Yiming; Sun, Peiyan; Lu, Jinren

    2015-12-15

    Rhamnolipid biosurfactant-producing bacteria, Bacillus Lz-2, was isolated from oil polluted water collected from Dongying Shengli oilfield, China. The factors that influence PAH solubilization such as biosurfactant concentration, pH, ionic strength and temperature were discussed. The results showed that the solubilities of naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene increased linearly with the rise of rhamnolipid biosurfactant dose above the biosurfactant critical micelle concentration (CMC). Furthermore, the molar solubilization ratio (MSR) values decreased in the following order: naphthalene>phenanthrene>pyrene. However, the solubility percentage increased and followed the opposite order: pyrene>phenanthrene>naphthalene. The solubilities of PAHs in rhamnolipid biosurfactant solution increased with the rise of pH and ionic strength, and reached the maximum values under the conditions of pH11 and NaCl concentration 8 g · L(-1). The solubility of phenanthrene and pyrene increased with the rise of temperature. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Catalytic copyrolysis of cork oak and bio-oil distillation residue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Yejin; Oh, Daejun; Kim, Young-Min; Jae, Jungho; Jung, Sang-Chul; Jeon, Jong-Ki; Kim, Sang Chai; Park, Young-Kwon

    2018-01-01

    The atmospheric distillation residue (ADR) of cork oak (CO) pyrolysis oil was used as the co-feeding material for the catalytic pyrolysis of CO over HZSM-5 catalysts to improve the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Although the non-catalytic copyrolysis of CO and ADR did not improve the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons, the catalytic copyrolysis of CO and ADR promoted the synergistic formation of aromatic hydrocarbons. HZSM-5(30), having a lower SiO2/Al2O3(30), showed better performance for the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons than HZSM-5(80) because of its higher acidity. The catalytic copyrolysis of CO and ADR also decreased the formation of coke. The largest quantity of aromatic hydrocarbons was obtained from the catalytic copyrolysis of CO and ADR over HZSM-5 (30) at 600 °C, whereas the lowest coke yield was achieved at 700 °C. When the catalyst to sample ratio was increased from 2:1 to 5:1, the synergistic formation of aromatic hydrocarbons was limited, resulting in a lower experimental yield of aromatic hydrocarbons than the theoretical yield. A lower coke yield was also achieved at a high catalyst to sample ratio (5:1).

  15. Bone marrow stromal-B cell interactions in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced pro/pre-B cell apoptosis.

    PubMed

    Allan, Lenka L; Mann, Koren K; Matulka, Raymond A; Ryu, Heui-Young; Schlezinger, Jennifer J; Sherr, David H

    2003-12-01

    Environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and related halogenated hydrocarbons are immunotoxic in a variety of systems. In a model system of B lymphopoiesis, PAH exposure rapidly induces apoptosis in CD43- pre-B and CD43+ pro/pre-B cells. Apoptosis induction by 7,12-dimethylbenzo[a]anthracene (DMBA) is dependent upon AhR+ bone marrow stromal cells and likely involves DMBA metabolism within the stromal cell. However, it is not known if PAH-treated stromal cells release free metabolites or soluble factors that may directly induce B cell death or if the effector death signal is delivered by stromal cell-B cell contact. Here, we demonstrate that supernatants from DMBA-treated bone marrow stromal cells contain an activity capable of inducing apoptosis in pro/pre-B cells cocultured with stromal cells. This activity (1) is not produced when stromal cells are cotreated with DMBA and alpha-naphthoflavone (alpha-NF), an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, (2) is > or = 50 kDa, (3) is trypsin and heat sensitive, and (4) is dependent on AhR+ stromal cells, which in turn deliver the effector death signal to pro/pre-B cells. The results (1) argue against a role for a soluble, stromal cell-derived cytokine as the effector of PAH-induced pro/pre-B cell death, (2) exclude the possibility of a free metabolite acting directly on AhR- pro/pre-B cell targets, and (3) suggest the elaboration by stromal cells of a relatively stable, DMBA metabolite-protein complex capable of acting on other stromal cells at some distance. Collectively, these studies suggest that, while stromal cell products, e.g., metabolite-protein complexes, may affect the function of distant stromal cells, the effector death signal delivered by stromal cells to bone marrow B cells is mediated by cell-cell contact.

  16. Determination of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water by solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xianli; Kang, Haiyan; Wu, Junfeng

    2016-05-01

    Given the potential risks of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the analysis of their presence in water is very urgent. We have developed a novel procedure for determining chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water based on solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The extraction parameters of solid-phase extraction were optimized in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method showed wide linear ranges (1.0-1000 ng/L) with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9952 to 0.9998. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification were in the range of 0.015-0.591 and 0.045-1.502 ng/L, respectively. Recoveries ranged from 82.5 to 102.6% with relative standard deviations below 9.2%. The obtained method was applied successfully to the determination of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in real water samples. Most of the chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected and 1-monochloropyrene was predominant in the studied water samples. This is the first report of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples in China. The toxic equivalency quotients of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the studied tap water were 9.95 ng the toxic equivalency quotient m(-3) . 9,10-Dichloroanthracene and 1-monochloropyrene accounted for the majority of the total toxic equivalency quotients of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Bio-Oil Hydrotreatment for Enhancing Solubility in Biodiesel and the Oxydation Stability of Resulting Blends.

    PubMed

    Botella, Lucía; Stankovikj, Filip; Sánchez, José L; Gonzalo, Alberto; Arauzo, Jesús; Garcia-Pérez, Manuel

    2018-01-01

    The major challenge for the pyrolytic conversion of lignocellulosic materials into crude bio-oil is the poor quality of the final product. Several strategies (addition of solvents, production of emulsions, and extraction with biodiesel) have been studied to improve its fuel properties. The extraction with biodiesel is an interesting solution because it allows direct utilization of some bio-oil fractions as fuels. However, fraction extracted with biodiesel is typically between 10 and 18 wt. %. In this paper we studied mild hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil to enhance its solubility in biodiesel. The study was conducted with BTG and Amaron oils hydrotreated at temperatures between 200 and 325°C in the presence of Ru/C catalyst. Hydrotreated oils generated three phases: top oil (light hydrocarbons), middle aqueous phase and bottom heavy oil phase. Each of the phases was characterized and the content of acetic acid, phenols, aromatic compounds, and linear alkane hydrocarbons quantified. The upgraded bio-oils were more soluble in biodiesel than the crude bio-oils, obtaining blends with up to 48 and 38 wt. % for the BTG and Amaron bio-oil, respectively. Some of the fuel properties of the resulting blends are also reported here.

  18. Bio-oil Hydrotreatment for Enhancing Solubility in Biodiesel and the Oxydation Stability of Resulting Blends

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Botella, Lucía; Stankovikj, Filip; Sánchez, José L.; Gonzalo, Alberto; Arauzo, Jesús; Garcia-Pérez, Manuel

    2018-04-01

    The major challenge for the pyrolytic conversion of lignocellulosic materials into crude bio-oil is the poor quality of the final product. Several strategies (addition of solvents, production of emulsions, and extraction with biodiesel) have been studied to improve its fuel properties. The extraction with biodiesel is an interesting solution because it allows direct utilization of some bio-oil fractions as fuels. However, fraction extracted with biodiesel is typically between 10 and 18 wt. %. In this paper we studied mild hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil to enhance its solubility in biodiesel. The study was conducted with BTG and Amaron oils hydrotreated at temperatures between 200 and 325 °C in the presence of Ru/C catalyst. Hydrotreated oils generated three phases: top oil (light hydrocarbons), middle aqueous phase and bottom heavy oil phase. Each of the phases was characterized and the content of acetic acid, phenols, aromatic compounds and linear alkane hydrocarbons quantified. The upgraded bio-oils were more soluble in biodiesel than the crude bio-oils, obtaining blends with up to 48 and 38 wt. % for the BTG and Amaron bio-oil, respectively. Some of the fuel properties of the resulting blends are also reported here.

  19. Bio-Oil Hydrotreatment for Enhancing Solubility in Biodiesel and the Oxydation Stability of Resulting Blends

    PubMed Central

    Botella, Lucía; Stankovikj, Filip; Sánchez, José L.; Gonzalo, Alberto; Arauzo, Jesús; Garcia-Pérez, Manuel

    2018-01-01

    The major challenge for the pyrolytic conversion of lignocellulosic materials into crude bio-oil is the poor quality of the final product. Several strategies (addition of solvents, production of emulsions, and extraction with biodiesel) have been studied to improve its fuel properties. The extraction with biodiesel is an interesting solution because it allows direct utilization of some bio-oil fractions as fuels. However, fraction extracted with biodiesel is typically between 10 and 18 wt. %. In this paper we studied mild hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil to enhance its solubility in biodiesel. The study was conducted with BTG and Amaron oils hydrotreated at temperatures between 200 and 325°C in the presence of Ru/C catalyst. Hydrotreated oils generated three phases: top oil (light hydrocarbons), middle aqueous phase and bottom heavy oil phase. Each of the phases was characterized and the content of acetic acid, phenols, aromatic compounds, and linear alkane hydrocarbons quantified. The upgraded bio-oils were more soluble in biodiesel than the crude bio-oils, obtaining blends with up to 48 and 38 wt. % for the BTG and Amaron bio-oil, respectively. Some of the fuel properties of the resulting blends are also reported here. PMID:29675406

  20. Process for detoxifying coal tars

    DOEpatents

    Longwell, John P.; Peters, William A.

    1983-01-01

    A process for treating liquid hydrocarbons to remove toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons comprises feeding the hydrocarbons into a reactor where vapors are thermally treated in contact with a catalyst consisting essentially of calcium oxide or a calcium oxide containing mineral. Thermally treating liquid hydrocarbons in contact with calcium oxide preferentially increases the cracking of aromatics thus producing a product having a reduced amount of aromatic compounds.

  1. Predicting the equilibrium solubility of solid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dibenzothiophene using a combination of MOSCED plus molecular simulation or electronic structure calculations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phifer, Jeremy R.; Cox, Courtney E.; da Silva, Larissa Ferreira; Nogueira, Gabriel Gonçalves; Barbosa, Ana Karolyne Pereira; Ley, Ryan T.; Bozada, Samantha M.; O'Loughlin, Elizabeth J.; Paluch, Andrew S.

    2017-06-01

    Methods to predict the equilibrium solubility of non-electrolyte solids are important for the design of novel separation processes. Here we demonstrate how conventional molecular simulation free energy calculations or electronic structure calculations in a continuum solvent, here SMD or SM8, can be used to predict parameters for the MOdified Separation of Cohesive Energy Density (MOSCED) method. The method is applied to the solutes naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene and dibenzothiophene, compounds of interested to the petroleum industry and for environmental remediation. Adopting the melting point temperature and enthalpy of fusion of these compounds from experiment, we are able to predict equilibrium solubilities. Comparing to a total of 422 non-aqueous and 193 aqueous experimental solubilities, we find the proposed method is able to well correlate the data. The use of MOSCED is additionally advantageous as it is a solubility parameter-based method useful for intuitive solvent selection and formulation.

  2. Insight into unresolved complex mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons in heavy oil via two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis.

    PubMed

    Weng, Na; Wan, Shan; Wang, Huitong; Zhang, Shuichang; Zhu, Guangyou; Liu, Jingfu; Cai, Di; Yang, Yunxu

    2015-06-12

    The aromatic hydrocarbon fractions of five crude oils representing a natural sequence of increasing degree of biodegradation from the Liaohe Basin, NE, China, were analyzed using conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC). Because of the limited peak capability and low resolution, compounds in the aromatic fraction of a heavily biodegraded crude oil that were analyzed by GC-MS appeared as unresolved complex mixtures (UCMs) or GC "humps". They could be separated based on their polarity by GC×GC. UCMs are composed mainly of aromatic biomarkers and aromatic hydrocarbons with branched alkanes or cycloalkanes substituents. The quantitative results achieved by GC×GC-FID were shown that monoaromatic hydrocarbons account for the largest number and mass of UCMs in the aromatic hydrocarbon fraction of heavily biodegraded crude oil, at 45% by mass. The number and mass of diaromatic hydrocarbons ranks second at 33% by mass, followed by the aromatic biomarker compounds, triaromatic, tetraaromatic, and pentaaromatic hydrocarbons, that account for 10%, 6%, 1.5%, and 0.01% of all aromatic compounds by mass, respectively. In the heavily biodegraded oil, compounds with monocyclic cycloalkane substituents account for the largest proportion of mono- and diaromatic hydrocarbons, respectively. The C4-substituted compounds account for the largest proportion of naphthalenes and the C3-substituted compounds account for the largest proportion of phenanthrenes, which is very different from non-biodegraded, slightly biodegraded, and moderately biodegraded crude oil. It is inferred that compounds of monoaromatic, diaromatic and triaromatic hydrocarbons are affected by biodegradation, that compounds with C1-, C2-substituents are affected by the increase in degree of biodegradation, and that their relative content decreased, whereas compounds with C3-substituents or more were affected slightly or unaffected, and their relative content also increased. The varying regularity of relative content of substituted compounds may be used to reflect the degree of degradation of heavy oil. Moreover, biomarkers for the aromatic hydrocarbons of heavily biodegraded crude oil are mainly aromatic steranes, aromatic secohopanes, aromatic pentacyclotriterpanes, and benzohopanes. According to resultant data, aromatic secohopanes could be used as a specific marker because of their relatively high concentration. This aromatic compound analysis of a series of biodegraded crude oil is useful for future research on the quantitative characterization of the degree of biodegradation of heavy oil, unconventional oil maturity evaluation, oil source correlation, depositional environment, and any other geochemical problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during Sphagnum litters decay.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zucheng; Liu, Shasha; Bu, Zhao-Jun; Wang, Shengzhong

    2018-04-28

    The dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation in Sphagnum litters and the decomposition of the litters were investigated. PAH concentration decreased to approximately half of the initial concentration as Sphagnum litters decayed. The initial PAH concentration was 489.2 ± 72.2 ng g -1 , and the concentration after 120 days of incubation was 233.0 ± 5.8 ng g -1 . The different PAH compositions changed concentrations at different times. The low-molecular-weight (LMW) and high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs started to be degraded after incubation and after 40 days of incubation, respectively. PAH concentrations in the Sphagnum litters correlated with the total organic carbon (TOC) content (p < 0.05), indicating that PAHs were associated with the TOC of the Sphagnum litters and were degraded as organic matter decayed. The positive relationship between LMW PAH concentration and the soluble carbohydrate content (p < 0.05) indicated that LMW PAHs and the readily decomposed organic carbon fractions were cometabolized, or that LMW PAHs were mainly absorbed by soluble carbohydrate. The weak negative correlation between fulvic acid (FA) and PAH concentrations (p < 0.1) indicated that FA may enhance PAH degradation. Redundancy analysis suggested that the contents of both soluble carbohydrate and cellulose significantly affected the changes in PAH concentrations (p < 0.05), and that FA content and C/N ratios may also contribute to the changes in PAH concentrations (p < 0.1). However, the polyphenol that was related to microbial activities was not associated with changes in PAH concentrations. These results suggested that litter quality is more important than microbial activities in PAH degradation in Sphagnum litters.

  4. [Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soluble organic fraction in fine particles from solid fraction of biodiesel exhaust fumes].

    PubMed

    Szewczyńska, Małgorzata; Pośniak, Małgorzata

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents the results of investigations into the distribution of fine particles in the biodiesel exhaust fumes (bio-DEP), as well as into the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soluble organic fraction (SOF) in the study fractions. Samples of biodiesel B20 and B40 exhaust combustion fumes were generated at the model station composed of a diesel engine from Diesel TDI 2007 Volkswagen. Sioutas personal cascade impactor (SPCI) with Teflon filters and low-pressure impactor ELIPI (Dekati Low Pressure Impactor) were used for sampling diesel exhaust fine particles. The analysis of PAHs adsorbed on particulate fractions was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC/FL). For the determination of dry residue soluble organic fraction of biodiesel exhaust particles the gravimetric method was used. The combustion exhaust fumes of 100% ON contained mainly naphthalene, acenaphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene, whilst the exhaust of B40-single PAHs of 4 and 5 rings, such as chrysene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, dibenzo (ah)anthracene and benzo(ghi)perylene. The total content of PAHs in diesel exhaust particles averaged 910 ng/m3 for 100% ON and 340 ng/m3 for B40. The concentrations of benzo(a)antarcene were at the levels of 310 ng/m3 (100% ON) and 90 ng/m3 (B40). The investigations indicated that a fraction < 025 microm represents the main component of diesel exhaust particles, regardless of the used fuel. Bioester B 100 commonly added to diesel fuel (ON) causes a reduction of the total particulates emission and thus reduces the amount of toxic substances adsorbed on their surface.

  5. Quantification of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke condensate using stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography with atmospheric-pressure photoionization tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaotao; Hou, Hongwei; Chen, Huan; Liu, Yong; Wang, An; Hu, Qingyuan

    2015-09-17

    A stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke condensate was developed and validated. Compared with previously reported methods, this method has lower limits of detection (0.04-1.35 ng/cig). Additionally, the proposed method saves time, reduces the number of separation steps, and reduces the quantity of solvent needed. The new method was applied to evaluate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content in 213 commercially available cigarettes in China, under the International Standardization Organization smoking regime and the Health Canadian intense smoking regime. The results showed that the total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content was more than two times higher in samples from the Health Canadian intense smoking regime than in samples from the International Standardization Organization smoking regime (1189.23 vs. 2859.50 ng/cig, p<0.05). Meanwhile, the concentration of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) increased with labeled tar content in both of the tested smoking regimes. There was a positive correlation between total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under the International Standardization Organization smoking regime with that under the Health Canadian intense smoking regime. The proposed liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method is satisfactory for the rapid, sensitive, and accurately quantitative evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content in cigarette smoke condensate, and it can be applied to assess potential health risks from smoking. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  6. Quantification of isomerically summed hydrocarbon contributions to crude oil by carbon number, double bond equivalent, and aromaticity using gas chromatography with tunable vacuum ultraviolet ionization.

    PubMed

    Nowak, Jeremy A; Weber, Robert J; Goldstein, Allen H

    2018-03-12

    The ability to structurally characterize and isomerically quantify crude oil hydrocarbons relevant to refined fuels such as motor oil, diesel, and gasoline represents an extreme challenge for chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. This work incorporates two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to a tunable vacuum ultraviolet soft photoionization source, the Chemical Dynamics Beamline 9.0.2 of the Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC × GC-VUV-TOF) to directly characterize and isomerically sum the contributions of aromatic and aliphatic species to hydrocarbon classes of four crude oils. When the VUV beam is tuned to 10.5 ± 0.2 eV, both aromatic and aliphatic crude oil hydrocarbons are ionized to reveal the complete chemical abundance of C 9 -C 30 hydrocarbons. When the VUV beam is tuned to 9.0 ± 0.2 eV only aromatic hydrocarbons are ionized, allowing separation of the aliphatic and aromatic fractions of the crude oil hydrocarbon chemical classes in an efficient manner while maintaining isomeric quantification. This technique provides an effective tool to determine the isomerically summed aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon compositions of crude oil, providing information that goes beyond typical GC × GC separations of the most dominant hydrocarbon isomers.

  7. Laboratory Investigation of Organic Aerosol Formation from Aromatic Hydrocarbons

    DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

    Molina, Luisa T.; Molina, Mario J.; Zhang, Renyi

    2006-08-23

    Our work for this DOE funded project includes: (1) measurements of the kinetics and mechanism of the gas-phase oxidation reactions of the aromatic hydrocarbons initiated by OH; (2) measurements of aerosol formation from the aromatic hydrocarbons; and (3) theoretical studies to elucidate the OH-toluene reaction mechanism using quantum-chemical and rate theories.

  8. Magnetic nanoparticles-nylon 6 composite for the dispersive micro solid phase extraction of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples.

    PubMed

    Reyes-Gallardo, Emilia M; Lucena, R; Cárdenas, S; Valcárcel, M

    2014-06-06

    In this article, the easy synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles-nylon 6 composite is presented, characterized and applied in the microextraction field. The one-step synthesis of the composite is performed by a solvent changeover playing with the different solubility of the polymeric network in formic acid and water. The new material has been characterized by different techniques including infrared spectroscopy, transmission and scanning microscopy. The extraction performance of the composite under a dispersive micro solid phase extraction format has been evaluated by determining four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzo[b]fluoranthene, fluoranthene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene and phenanthrene) in water using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) combined with photo diode array detection. The developed methodology allows the determination of the analytes with limits of detection in the range from 0.05 μg/L (benzo[b]fluoranthene) to 0.58 μg/L (phenanthrene). The repeatability of the method was better than 6.9% at the limit of quantification level. The relative recoveries varied in the interval 80-111%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Process for crosslinking methylene-containing aromatic polymers with ionizing radiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bell, Vernon L. (Inventor); Havens, Stephen J. (Inventor)

    1990-01-01

    A process for crosslinking aromatic polymers containing radiation-sensitive methylene groups (-CH2-) by exposing the polymers to ionizing radiation thereby causing crosslinking of the polymers through the methylene groups is described. Crosslinked polymers are resistant to most organic solvents such as acetone, alcohols, hydrocarbons, methylene, chloride, chloroform, and other halogenated hydrocarbons, to common fuels and to hydraulic fluids in contrast to readily soluble uncrosslinked polymers. In addition, the degree of crosslinking of the polymers depends upon the percentage of the connecting groups which are methylene which ranges from 5 to 50 pct and preferably from 25 to 50 pct of the connecting groups, and is also controlled by the level of irradiation which ranges from 25 to 1000 Mrads and preferably from 25 to 250 Mrads. The temperature of the reaction conditions ranges from 25 to 200 C and preferably at or slightly above the glass transition temperature of the polymer. The crosslinked polymers are generally more resistant to degradation at elevated temperatures such as greater than 150 C, have a reduced tendency to creep under load, and show no significant embrittlement of parts fabricated from the polymers.

  10. Semi-empirical estimation of organic compound fugacity ratios at environmentally relevant system temperatures.

    PubMed

    van Noort, Paul C M

    2009-06-01

    Fugacity ratios of organic compounds are used to calculate (subcooled) liquid properties, such as solubility or vapour pressure, from solid properties and vice versa. They can be calculated from the entropy of fusion, the melting temperature, and heat capacity data for the solid and the liquid. For many organic compounds, values for the fusion entropy are lacking. Heat capacity data are even scarcer. In the present study, semi-empirical compound class specific equations were derived to estimate fugacity ratios from molecular weight and melting temperature for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated benzenes, biphenyls, dibenzo[p]dioxins and dibenzofurans. These equations estimate fugacity ratios with an average standard error of about 0.05 log units. In addition, for compounds with known fusion entropy values, a general semi-empirical correction equation based on molecular weight and melting temperature was derived for estimation of the contribution of heat capacity differences to the fugacity ratio. This equation estimates the heat capacity contribution correction factor with an average standard error of 0.02 log units for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated benzenes, biphenyls, dibenzo[p]dioxins and dibenzofurans.

  11. Aromatic hydrocarbons from the Middle Jurassic fossil wood of the Polish Jura

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smolarek, Justyna; Marynowski, Leszek

    2013-09-01

    Aromatic hydrocarbons are present in the fossil wood samples in relatively small amounts. In almost all of the tested samples the dominating aromatic hydrocarbon is perylene and its methyl and dimethyl derivatives. The most important biomarkers present in the aromatic fraction are dehydroabietane, siomonellite and retene, compounds characteristic for conifers. The distribution of discussed compounds is highly variable due to such early diagenetic processes affecting the wood as oxidation and the activity of microorganisms. MPI1 parameter values (methylphenanthrene index) for the majority of the samples are in the range of 0.1 to 0.5, which results in the highly variable values of Rc (converted value of vitrinite reflectance) ranging from 0.45 to 0.70%. Such values suggest that MPI1 parameter is not useful as maturity parameter in case of Middle Jurassic ore-bearing clays, even if measured strictly on terrestrial organic matter (OM). As a result of weathering processes (oxidation) the distribution of aromatic hydrocarbons changes. In the oxidized samples the amount of aromatic hydrocarbons, both polycyclic as well as aromatic biomarkers decreases.

  12. [Effects of smoking on the concentrations of urinary 10 metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coke oven workers].

    PubMed

    He, Yun-feng; Zhang, Wang-zhen; Kuang, Dan; Deng, Hua-xin; Li, Xiao-hai; Lin, Da-feng; Deng, Qi-fei; Huang, Kun; Wu, Tang-chun

    2012-12-01

    To explore the effects of smoking on urinary 10 metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coke oven workers. Occupational health examination was performed on 1401 coke oven workers in one coking plant, their urine were collected respectively. The concentrations of the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The 1401 workers were divided into four groups, namely control, adjunct workplaces, bottom and side, top group according to their workplaces and the different concentrations of PAHs in the environment. The concentrations of the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons between smokers and nonsmokers in each workplace group were compared using analysis of covariance, respectively. The levels of concentrations of the sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons we detected at control were significantly higher than those at other areas (P < 0.05). Comparing the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels between smokers and nonsmokers, the levels of 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 2-hydroxynaphthalene among smokers were higher than nonsmokers with statistically significance in control, adjunct workplaces, bottom and side and top groups (P < 0.05). However, the levels of 1-hydroxypyrene had no statistically significant differences between the four areas. Urinary 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 2-hydroxynaphthalene may be used as biomarkers for the impact of smoking on monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the coke oven workers.

  13. Magnetic graphene oxide as adsorbent for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in human urine.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Linli; Xu, Hui

    2014-09-01

    Detection of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites in urine is an advisable and valid method to assess human environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this work, novel Fe3O4/graphene oxide composites were prepared and their application in the magnetic solid-phase extraction of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine was investigated by coupling with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. In the hybrid material, superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles provide fast separation to simplify the analytical process and graphene oxide provides a large functional surface for the adsorption. The prepared magnetic nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The experimental conditions were optimized systematically. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of these compounds were in the range of 98.3-125.2%, the relative standard deviations ranged between 6.8 and 15.5%, and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.01-0.15 ng/mL. The simple, quick, and affordable method was successfully used in the analysis of human urinary monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two different cities. The results indicated that the monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons level in human urine can provide useful information for environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Synthesis of condensed phases containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons fullerenes and nanotubes

    DOEpatents

    Reilly, Peter T. A.

    2004-10-19

    The invention relates to methods for producing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, and nanotubes, comprising: a. heating at least one carbon-containing material to form a condensed phase comprising at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; b. collecting at least some of the condensed phase; c. reacting the condensed phase to form fullerenes and/or nanotubes.

  15. 40 CFR Table 2c to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures Bin Boiling range (degrees F) Criteria Reactivityfactor 21 280-290 Aromatic...

  16. 40 CFR Table 2c to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures Bin Boiling range (degrees F) Criteria Reactivityfactor 21 280-290 Aromatic...

  17. Preliminary Investigation into Pyrotechnic Chemical Products via Mass Spectrometry Techniques

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-11

    i m u m ) Py/GC/MS: PVC 11 • Pyrolysis of PVC exclusively yield cyclic hydrocarbons – 24.3% benzyl derivatives and 75.6% polycyclic aromatic ...Determination of EPA’s priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking waters by solid phase extraction-HPLC” Bruzzoniti et al., Anal... aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) – 42.3% hydrocarbons , 53.5% phenols, 4.7% nitrogen-containing O NH OH OH N DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public

  18. Model compound study of the pathways for aromatic hydrocarbon formation in soot.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tomczyk, N. A.; Hunt, J. E.; Winans, R. E.

    2002-04-29

    To explore the mechanisms for formation of aromatic hydrocarbons as precursors to soot, a model system using combustion of biphenyl in a fuel rich flame is studied. The soots acquired at three different temperatures are solvent extracted and the extract characterized by both GCMS and high resolution mass spectrometry. A description of the NMR results for the whole soots has been published (1). The production of most products could be rationalized from the coupling of biphenyls and subsequent aromatic species and the addition of acetylenes to existing aromatic molecules. Early work by Badger on pyrolysis of hydrocarbons is used inmore » developing these schemes (2). The reaction schemes to produce larger aromatic hydrocarbons will be discussed. Richter and Howard have discussed in detail potential reaction mechanisms in the formation of aromatics as precursors to soot (3).« less

  19. Strong CH/O interactions between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and water: Influence of aromatic system size.

    PubMed

    Veljković, Dušan Ž

    2018-03-01

    Energies of CH/O interactions between water molecule and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with a different number of aromatic rings were calculated using ab initio calculations at MP2/cc-PVTZ level. Results show that an additional aromatic ring in structure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons significantly strengthens CH/O interactions. Calculated interaction energies in optimized structures of the most stable tetracene/water complex is -2.27 kcal/mol, anthracene/water is -2.13 kcal/mol and naphthalene/water is -1.97 kcal/mol. These interactions are stronger than CH/O contacts in benzene/water complex (-1.44 kcal/mol) while CH/O contacts in tetracene/water complex are even stronger than CH/O contacts in pyridine/water complexes (-2.21 kcal/mol). Electrostatic potential maps for different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were calculated and used to explain trends in the energies of interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. AROMATIC AND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON FORMATION IN A LAMINAR PREMIXED N-BUTANE FLAME. (R825412)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    Experimental and detailed chemical kinetic modeling work has been performed to investigate aromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation pathways in a premixed, rich, sooting, n-butane¯oxygen¯argon burner s...

  1. Microwave pyrolysis of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) for biofuel production.

    PubMed

    Lei, Hanwu; Ren, Shoujie; Wang, Lu; Bu, Quan; Julson, James; Holladay, John; Ruan, Roger

    2011-05-01

    Microwave pyrolysis of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) was investigated to determine the effects of pyrolytic conditions on the yields of bio-oil, syngas, and biochar. Pyrolysis process variables included reaction temperature, time, and power input. Microwave pyrolysis of DDGS was analyzed using response surface methodology to find out the effect of process variables on the biofuel (bio-oil and syngas) conversion yield and establish prediction models. Bio-oil recovery was in the range of 26.5-50.3 wt.% of the biomass. Biochar yields were 23.5-62.2% depending on the pyrolysis conditions. The energy content of DDGS bio-oils was 28 MJ/kg obtained at the 650°C and 8 min, which was about 66.7% of the heating value of gasoline. GC/MS analysis indicated that the biooil contained a series of important and useful chemical compounds: aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. At least 13% of DDGS bio-oil was the same hydrocarbon compounds found in regular unleaded gasoline. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Microwave pyrolysis of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) for biofuel production

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lei, Hanwu; Ren, Shoujie; Wang, Lu

    2011-05-01

    Microwave pyrolysis of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) was investigated to determine the effects of pyrolytic conditions on the yields of bio-oil, syngas, and biochar. Pyrolysis process variables included reaction temperature, time, and power input. Microwave pyrolysis of DDGS was analyzed using response surface methodology to find out the effect of process variables on the biofuel (bio-oil and syn- gas) conversion yield and establish prediction models. Bio-oil recovery was in the range of 26.5–50.3 wt.% of the biomass. Biochar yields were 23.5–62.2% depending on the pyrolysis conditions. The energy con- tent of DDGS bio-oils was 28 MJ/kg obtained atmore » the 650 oC and 8 min, which was about 66.7% of the heat- ing value of gasoline. GC/MS analysis indicated that the biooil contained a series of important and useful chemical compounds: aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. At least 13% of DDGS bio-oil was the same hydrocarbon compounds found in regular unleaded gasoline.« less

  3. Air Quality measurements near the Gulf of Mexico Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill site in July 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schade, G. W.; Rasmussen, R.; Conlee, D.; Seroka, G.; Delao, D.

    2010-12-01

    Eight whole air samples were acquired within several kilometers of the Deepwater Horizon well head location between 5 and 13 July 2010. A Teflon coated pump was used to pressurize 0.8 L volume stainless steel canisters to approximately 2 bar. Various amounts of oil were visible on the water surface during most sampling times, and some samples were accompanied by strong hydrocarbon smells. The air samples were analyzed over the next two months using high sensitivity GC-FID and GC-MS methods for C1-C30 hydrocarbons and selected hetero-atomic compounds. Highest concentrations reached several ppm for total hydrocarbons, comparable to concentrations in highway road tunnels. None of the samples showed elevated concentrations suggestive of hazardous concentrations, or near OSHA PEL or NIOSH REL levels. Consistent with studies of seawater methane concentrations at different depths, atmospheric methane mixing ratios were close to background abundances at 1.75-1.78 ppm, suggesting that the spill’s methane emissions had not reached the surface at that time. Non-methane hydrocarbons presented a highly complex mixture (100+ species) of dominantly alkanes, as expected. Linear alkanes were detected at elevated mixing ratios from C4 up to C30, and were dominated by nonane (C9). Aromatic hydrocarbons showed a pattern suggestive of a significant retention by seawater of benzene and toluene, the compounds with the highest water solubilities. While benzene was hardly and toluene only slightly elevated, lower solubility compounds such as the xylenes and naphthalene were clearly elevated. Data will be presented relative to an upwind sample taken on 5 July.

  4. Characterization of black carbon and organic contaminants in wood ash from different feedstocks and types of furnaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merino, Agustin; Rey-Salgueiro, Ledicia; Omil, Beatriz; Martinez-Carballo, Elena; Simal-Gandara, Jesus

    2015-04-01

    Due to their important concentration of nutrient and charcoal, wood ash from biomass power plants (WA) can be used as a fertilizer and organic amendment in intensively managed soils. Unlike biochar produced in under anoxic conditions, the nature of the organic compounds present in wood ash has been scarcely studied. Due to the incomplete combustion, wood ash may contain a wide range of organic compounds, from charred to highly condensed refractory biomass, which determines the possibilities of WA as an organic amendment. In addition, the possible environmental risk of this practice must be assessed by determining the content of water-soluble and insoluble organic contaminants. due to the incomplete combustion of organic matter, organic pollutants, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), can be formed and can remain in the combustion residue. Also, the four alkyl benzene volatile organic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the ortho, para, and meta xylenes) can be formed, depending on certain conditions during combustion. For this study 15 biomass power stations in Spain were selected. In all of them the feedstock is pine or eucalyptus branches and bark. Nine of them were bottom wood ash generated from wood fires furnaces, obtained from grate-fired or water-tube boilers. Whereas four of them were fly ash, obtained in cyclone separators. The samples were collected following a common procedure to ensure the representiveness of the sampling. Bottom ash samples were fraccionated in three fractions: < 2mm, 2-5 mm and > 5mm. Each fraction was characterized for organic matter and BTEX, styrene and total petroleum hydrocarbons Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. For each analyzes, three replicates were analyzed per sample. Mixes wood ash shows higher amounts of charred material than fly ash. The 13 C CPMAS NMR, DSC/TG and FTIR analysis showed the loss of carbohydrates and aliphatic constituents and revealed the formation of aromatic compounds. The atomic H/C ratios, NMR spectra, DSC and FTIR confirmed the presence of condensed structures, specially in the coarse particles. However, the different wood ash showed an important range of properties revealing the presence from charred material to charcoal containing condensed structures (H/C ratios lower than 0.6; aromaticity higher than 80 % and T50-DSC higher than 500 °C). Typical organic pollutants including those water-soluble such as BTEX plus styrene, but also those water-insoluble such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), together with aliphatic hydrocarbons, were examined in the ash. Their contents were related to degree of combustion of the biomass, determined through the content and composition of the organic matter in the wood ash. The sum of BTEX plus styrene varied from non-detected to 30 mg/kg, and the total amounts of PAHs (total PAHs) ranged between non-detected and 422 µg/kg, not exceeding the regulated limits. This research provides basic information for the evaluation of the environmental risk and potential uses of WW incinerator bottom ash The results demonstrate the important variability in the charred material properties of the different power plants and size-particles. The organic compounds contents are also variable, but in all cases were levels of pollutants in all the samples were below the limits for both soil and industrial use (Environmental Protection Agency in the European Union and the USA.

  5. Polyether-polyester graft copolymer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bell, Vernon L. (Inventor)

    1987-01-01

    Described is a polyether graft polymer having improved solvent resistance and crystalline thermally reversible crosslinks. The copolymer is prepared by a novel process of anionic copolymerization. These polymers exhibit good solvent resistance and are well suited for aircraft parts. Previous aromatic polyethers, also known as polyphenylene oxides, have certain deficiencies which detract from their usefulness. These commercial polymers are often soluble in common solvents including the halocarbon and aromatic hydrocarbon types of paint thinners and removers. This limitation prevents the use of these polyethers in structural articles requiring frequent painting. In addition, the most popular commercially available polyether is a very high melting plastic. This makes it considerably more difficult to fabricate finished parts from this material. These problems are solved by providing an aromatic polyether graft copolymer with improved solvent resistance and crystalline thermally reversible crosslinks. The graft copolymer is formed by converting the carboxyl groups of a carboxylated polyphenylene oxide polymer to ionic carbonyl groups in a suitable solvent, reacting pivalolactone with the dissolved polymer, and adding acid to the solution to produce the graft copolymer.

  6. Coconut endocarp and mesocarp as both biosorbents of dissolved hydrocarbons in fuel spills and as a power source when exhausted.

    PubMed

    Luis-Zarate, Victor Hugo; Rodriguez-Hernandez, Mayra Cecilia; Alatriste-Mondragon, Felipe; Chazaro-Ruiz, Luis Felipe; Rangel-Mendez, Jose Rene

    2018-04-01

    Health and environmental problems associated with the presence of toxic aromatic compounds in water from oil spills have motivated research to develop effective and economically viable strategies to remove these pollutants. In this work, coconut shell (endocarp), coconut fiber (mesocarp) and coconut shell with fiber (endocarp and mesocarp) obtained from coconut (Cocos nucifera) waste were evaluated as biosorbents of benzene, toluene and naphthalene from water, considering the effect of the solution pH (6-9) and the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural water (14 mg/L). In addition, the heat capacity of saturated biosorbents was determined to evaluate their potential as an alternative power source to conventional fossil fuels. Tests of N 2 physisorption, SEM, elemental and fiber analysis, ATR-FTIR and acid-based titrations were performed in order to understand the materials' characteristics, and to elucidate the biosorbents' hydrocarbon adsorption mechanism. Coconut fiber showed the highest adsorption capacities (222, 96 and 5.85 mg/g for benzene, toluene and naphthalene, respectively), which was attributed to its morphologic characteristics and to its high concentration of phenolic groups, associated with the lignin structure. The pH of the solution did not have a significant influence on the removal of the contaminants, and the presence of DOM improved the adsorption capacities of aromatic hydrocarbons. The adsorption studies showed biphasic isotherms, which highlighted the strong affinity between the molecules adsorbed on the biosorbents and the aromatic compounds remaining in the solution. Finally, combustion heat analysis of coconut waste saturated with soluble hydrocarbons showed that the heat capacity increased from 4407.79 cal/g to 5064.43 ± 11.6 cal/g, which is comparable with that of woody biomass (3400-4000 cal/g): this waste biomass with added value could be a promising biofuel. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Luminescent Carbon Dot Mimics Assembled on DNA

    PubMed Central

    Chan, Ke Min; Xu, Wang; Kwon, Hyukin; Kietrys, Anna M.; Kool, Eric T.

    2018-01-01

    Nanometer-sized fragments of carbon in the form of multilayer graphene (“carbon dots”) have been under highly active study for applications in imaging. While offering advantages of low toxicity and photostability, such nanomaterials are inhomogeneous and have limited wavelengths of emission. Here we address these issues by assembling luminescent aromatic C16–C38 hydrocarbons together on a DNA scaffold in homogeneous, soluble molecular compounds. Monomer deoxyribosides of five different aromatic hydrocarbons were synthesized and assembled into a library of 1296 different tetramer compounds on PEG-polystyrene beads. These were screened for photostability and a range of emission colors using 365 nm excitation, observing visible light (>400 nm) emission. We identified a set of six oligomers (DNA-carbon assemblies, DNA-CAs) with exceptional photostability that emit from 400 to 680 nm in water, with Stokes shifts of up to 110 nm, quantum yields ranging from 0.01 to 0.29, and fluorescence lifetimes from 3 to 42 ns. In addition, several of these DNA-CAs exhibited white emission in aqueous solution. The molecules were used in multispectral cell imaging experiments and were taken up into cells passively. The results expand the range of emission properties that can be achieved in water with all-hydrocarbon chromophores and establish the use of the DNA scaffold to arrange carbon layers in homogeneous, rapidly synthesized assemblies. PMID:28841010

  8. Early life stages of an arctic keystone species (Boreogadus saida) show high sensitivity to a water-soluble fraction of crude oil.

    PubMed

    Nahrgang, Jasmine; Dubourg, Paul; Frantzen, Marianne; Storch, Daniela; Dahlke, Flemming; Meador, James P

    2016-11-01

    Increasing anthropogenic activities in the Arctic represent an enhanced threat for oil pollution in a marine environment that is already at risk from climate warming. In particular, this applies to species with free-living pelagic larvae that aggregate in surface waters and under the sea ice where hydrocarbons are likely to remain for extended periods of time due to low temperatures. We exposed the positively buoyant eggs of polar cod (Boreogadus saida), an arctic keystone species, to realistic concentrations of a crude oil water-soluble fraction (WSF), mimicking exposure of eggs aggregating under the ice to oil WSF leaking from brine channels following encapsulation in ice. Total hydrocarbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels were in the ng/L range, with most exposure concentrations below the limits of detection throughout the experiment for all treatments. The proportion of viable, free-swimming larvae decreased significantly with dose and showed increases in the incidence and severity of spine curvature, yolk sac alterations and a reduction in spine length. These effects are expected to compromise the motility, feeding capacity, and predator avoidance during critical early life stages for this important species. Our results imply that the viability and fitness of polar cod early life stages is significantly reduced when exposed to extremely low and environmentally realistic levels of aqueous hydrocarbons, which may have important implications for arctic food web dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  9. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Critical Review of Environmental Occurrence and Bioremediation.

    PubMed

    Alegbeleye, Oluwadara Oluwaseun; Opeolu, Beatrice Oluwatoyin; Jackson, Vanessa Angela

    2017-10-01

    The degree of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination of environmental matrices has increased over the last several years due to increase in industrial activities. Interest has surrounded the occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for many decades because they pose a serious threat to the health of humans and ecosystems. The importance of the need for sustainable abatement strategies to alleviate contamination therefore cannot be overemphasised, as daily human activities continue to create pollution from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and impact the natural environment. Globally, attempts have been made to design treatment schemes for the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites. Several techniques and technologies have been proposed and tested over time, the majority of which have significant limitations. This has necessitated research into environmentally friendly and cost-effective clean-up techniques. Bioremediation is an appealing option that has been extensively researched and adopted as it has been proven to be relatively cost-effective, environmentally friendly and is publicly accepted. In this review, the physicochemical properties of some priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the pathways and mechanisms through which they enter the soil, river systems, drinking water, groundwater and food are succinctly examined. Their effects on human health, other living organisms, the aquatic ecosystem, as well as soil microbiota are also elucidated. The persistence and bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are discussed as well, as they are important factors that influence the rate, efficiency and overall success of remediation. Bioremediation (aerobic and anaerobic), use of biosurfactants and bioreactors, as well as the roles of biofilms in the biological treatment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also explored.

  10. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Critical Review of Environmental Occurrence and Bioremediation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alegbeleye, Oluwadara Oluwaseun; Opeolu, Beatrice Oluwatoyin; Jackson, Vanessa Angela

    2017-10-01

    The degree of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination of environmental matrices has increased over the last several years due to increase in industrial activities. Interest has surrounded the occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for many decades because they pose a serious threat to the health of humans and ecosystems. The importance of the need for sustainable abatement strategies to alleviate contamination therefore cannot be overemphasised, as daily human activities continue to create pollution from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and impact the natural environment. Globally, attempts have been made to design treatment schemes for the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites. Several techniques and technologies have been proposed and tested over time, the majority of which have significant limitations. This has necessitated research into environmentally friendly and cost-effective clean-up techniques. Bioremediation is an appealing option that has been extensively researched and adopted as it has been proven to be relatively cost-effective, environmentally friendly and is publicly accepted. In this review, the physicochemical properties of some priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the pathways and mechanisms through which they enter the soil, river systems, drinking water, groundwater and food are succinctly examined. Their effects on human health, other living organisms, the aquatic ecosystem, as well as soil microbiota are also elucidated. The persistence and bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are discussed as well, as they are important factors that influence the rate, efficiency and overall success of remediation. Bioremediation (aerobic and anaerobic), use of biosurfactants and bioreactors, as well as the roles of biofilms in the biological treatment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also explored.

  11. BIODEGRADATION OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS UNDER MIXED OXYGEN/DENITRIFYING CONDITIONS: A REVIEW

    EPA Science Inventory

    Bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater and sediments is often limited by dissolved oxygen. Many aromatic hydrocarbons degrade very slowly or not at all under anaerobic conditions. Nitrate is a good alternative electron acceptor to oxygen, and denitrifying bacteria...

  12. Biodiesel presence in the source zone hinders aromatic hydrocarbons attenuation in a B20-contaminated groundwater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramos, Débora Toledo; Lazzarin, Helen Simone Chiaranda; Alvarez, Pedro J. J.; Vogel, Timothy M.; Fernandes, Marilda; do Rosário, Mário; Corseuil, Henry Xavier

    2016-10-01

    The behavior of biodiesel blend spills have received limited attention in spite of the increasing and widespread introduction of biodiesel to the transportation fuel matrix. In this work, a controlled field release of biodiesel B20 (100 L of 20:80 v/v soybean biodiesel and diesel) was monitored over 6.2 years to assess the behavior and natural attenuation of constituents of major concern (e.g., BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylenes) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)) in a sandy aquifer material. Biodiesel was preferentially biodegraded compared to diesel aromatic compounds with a concomitant increase in acetate, methane (near saturation limit (≈ 22 mg L- 1)) and dissolved BTEX and PAH concentrations in the source zone during the first 1.5 to 2.0 years after the release. Benzene and benzo(a)pyrene concentrations remained above regulatory limits in the source zone until the end of the experiment (6.2 years after the release). Compared to a previous adjacent 100-L release of ethanol-amended gasoline, biodiesel/diesel blend release resulted in a shorter BTEX plume, but with higher residual dissolved hydrocarbon concentrations near the source zone. This was attributed to greater persistence of viscous (and less mobile) biodiesel than the highly-soluble and mobile ethanol in the source zone. This persistence of biodiesel/diesel NAPL at the source zone slowed BTEX and PAH biodegradation (by the establishment of an anaerobic zone) but reduced the plume length by reducing mobility. This is the first field study to assess biodiesel/diesel blend (B20) behavior in groundwater and its effects on the biodegradation and plume length of priority groundwater pollutants.

  13. Effects of simulated solar radiation on the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by the duckweed, Lemna gibba

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Duxbury, C.L.; Dixon, D.G.; Greenberg, B.M.

    1997-08-01

    Light (particularly ultraviolet B) results in photomodification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to products with increased polarity and water solubility and enhanced toxicity relative to the parent compounds. The uptake and depuration kinetics of three representative PAHs, anthracene (ANT), phenanthrene (PHE), and benzo[a]pyrene (BAP), and their photomodified products were determined for Lemna gibba. The {sup 14}C-labeled PAHs were delivered to the plants in their aqueous growth medium either via a dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) carrier or adsorbed directly to sand placed in the medium. Assimilation was carried out under simulated solar radiation (SSR) and in darkness. The potential sites of PAH actionmore » within the plants were defined by identifying the subcellular location of both intact and photomodified PAHs following assimilation. Lemna gibba had a high capacity for intact ANT, PHE, and BAP in the dark regardless of the two routes of delivery. Depuration was also rapid. Net assimilation of all three PAHs in the dark was always higher when the chemicals were delivered with DMSO than from sand, although first-order kinetics were apparent with both delivery systems. The relative levels of assimilation were PHE > ANT > BAP. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were rapidly assimilated under SSR, albeit net assimilation for both the intact and photomodified forms was generally lower under SSR compared with darkness. This was also reflected in the bioconcentration factors, which were highest in darkness for each PAH and dropped significantly under SSR and after photomodification. Both intact and photooxidized PAHs accumulated preferentially in the thylakoids and microsomes of L. gibba, suggesting these to be the subcellular compartments most at risk from PAH damage.« less

  14. Biodiesel presence in the source zone hinders aromatic hydrocarbons attenuation in a B20-contaminated groundwater.

    PubMed

    Ramos, Débora Toledo; Lazzarin, Helen Simone Chiaranda; Alvarez, Pedro J J; Vogel, Timothy M; Fernandes, Marilda; do Rosário, Mário; Corseuil, Henry Xavier

    2016-10-01

    The behavior of biodiesel blend spills have received limited attention in spite of the increasing and widespread introduction of biodiesel to the transportation fuel matrix. In this work, a controlled field release of biodiesel B20 (100L of 20:80 v/v soybean biodiesel and diesel) was monitored over 6.2years to assess the behavior and natural attenuation of constituents of major concern (e.g., BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylenes) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)) in a sandy aquifer material. Biodiesel was preferentially biodegraded compared to diesel aromatic compounds with a concomitant increase in acetate, methane (near saturation limit (≈22mgL -1 )) and dissolved BTEX and PAH concentrations in the source zone during the first 1.5 to 2.0years after the release. Benzene and benzo(a)pyrene concentrations remained above regulatory limits in the source zone until the end of the experiment (6.2years after the release). Compared to a previous adjacent 100-L release of ethanol-amended gasoline, biodiesel/diesel blend release resulted in a shorter BTEX plume, but with higher residual dissolved hydrocarbon concentrations near the source zone. This was attributed to greater persistence of viscous (and less mobile) biodiesel than the highly-soluble and mobile ethanol in the source zone. This persistence of biodiesel/diesel NAPL at the source zone slowed BTEX and PAH biodegradation (by the establishment of an anaerobic zone) but reduced the plume length by reducing mobility. This is the first field study to assess biodiesel/diesel blend (B20) behavior in groundwater and its effects on the biodegradation and plume length of priority groundwater pollutants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Method of upgrading oils containing hydroxyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds to highly aromatic gasoline

    DOEpatents

    Baker, Eddie G.; Elliott, Douglas C.

    1993-01-01

    The present invention is a multi-stepped method of converting an oil which is produced by various biomass and coal conversion processes and contains primarily single and multiple ring hydroxyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds to highly aromatic gasoline. The single and multiple ring hydroxyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds in a raw oil material are first deoxygenated to produce a deoxygenated oil material containing single and multiple ring aromatic compounds. Then, water is removed from the deoxygenated oil material. The next step is distillation to remove the single ring aromatic compouns as gasoline. In the third step, the multiple ring aromatics remaining in the deoxygenated oil material are cracked in the presence of hydrogen to produce a cracked oil material containing single ring aromatic compounds. Finally, the cracked oil material is then distilled to remove the single ring aromatics as gasoline.

  16. Method of upgrading oils containing hydroxyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds to highly aromatic gasoline

    DOEpatents

    Baker, E.G.; Elliott, D.C.

    1993-01-19

    The present invention is a multi-stepped method of converting an oil which is produced by various biomass and coal conversion processes and contains primarily single and multiple ring hydroxyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds to highly aromatic gasoline. The single and multiple ring hydroxyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds in a raw oil material are first deoxygenated to produce a deoxygenated oil material containing single and multiple ring aromatic compounds. Then, water is removed from the deoxygenated oil material. The next step is distillation to remove the single ring aromatic compounds as gasoline. In the third step, the multiple ring aromatics remaining in the deoxygenated oil material are cracked in the presence of hydrogen to produce a cracked oil material containing single ring aromatic compounds. Finally, the cracked oil material is then distilled to remove the single ring aromatics as gasoline.

  17. Putting corannulene in its place. Reactivity studies comparing corannulene with other aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    George, Stephen R D; Frith, Thomas D H; Thomas, Donald S; Harper, Jason B

    2015-09-14

    A series of aromatic hydrocarbons were investigated so as to compare the reactivity of corannulene with planar aromatic hydrocarbons. Corannulene was found to be more reactive than benzene, naphthalene and triphenylene to Friedel-Crafts acylation whilst electrophilic aromatic bromination was also used to confirm that triphenylene was less reactive than corannulene and that pyrene, perylene and acenaphthene were more so. The stabilisation of a neighbouring carbocation by the various aromatic systems was investigated through consideration of the rates of methanolysis of a series of benzylic alcohols. The reactivity series was found to parallel that observed for the electrophilic aromatic substitutions and both series are supported by computational studies. As such, a reactivity scale was devised that showed that corannulene was less reactive than would be expected for an aromatic planar species of similar pi electron count.

  18. Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived ethanol to liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock: Effect of light gas recirculation

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Zhenglong; Lepore, Andrew W.; Davison, Brian H.; ...

    2016-01-01

    Here, we describe a light gas recirculation (LGR) method to increase the liquid hydrocarbon yield with reduced aromatic content from catalytic conversion of ethanol to hydrocarbons. The previous liquid hydrocarbon yield is ~40% from one-pass ethanol conversion over V-ZSM-5 at 350 C and atmospheric pressure where the remaining ~60% yield is light gas hydrocarbons. In comparison, the liquid hydrocarbon yield increases to 80% when a simulated light gas hydrocarbon stream is co-fed at a rate of 0.053 mol g-1 h-1 with ethanol due to the conversion of most of the light olefins. The LGR also significantly improves the quality ofmore » the liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock by reducing aromatic content and overall benzene concentration. For 0.027 mol g-1 h-1 light gas mixture co-feeding, the average aromatic content in liquid hydrocarbons is 51.5% compared with 62.5% aromatic content in ethanol only experiment. Average benzene concentration decreases from 3.75% to 1.5% which is highly desirable since EPA limits benzene concentration in gasoline to 0.62%. As a result of low benzene concentration, the blend-wall for ethanol derived liquid hydrocarbons changes from ~18% to 43%. The remaining light paraffins and olefins can be further converted to valuable BTX products (94% BTX in the liquid) over Ga-ZSM-5 at 500 C. Thus, the LGR is an effective approach to convert ethanol to liquid hydrocarbons with higher liquid yield and low aromatic content, especially low benzene concentration, which could be blended with gasoline in a much higher ratio than ethanol or ethanol derived hydrocarbon blend-stock.« less

  19. Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived ethanol to liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock: Effect of light gas recirculation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Zhenglong; Lepore, Andrew W.; Davison, Brian H.

    Here, we describe a light gas recirculation (LGR) method to increase the liquid hydrocarbon yield with reduced aromatic content from catalytic conversion of ethanol to hydrocarbons. The previous liquid hydrocarbon yield is ~40% from one-pass ethanol conversion over V-ZSM-5 at 350 C and atmospheric pressure where the remaining ~60% yield is light gas hydrocarbons. In comparison, the liquid hydrocarbon yield increases to 80% when a simulated light gas hydrocarbon stream is co-fed at a rate of 0.053 mol g-1 h-1 with ethanol due to the conversion of most of the light olefins. The LGR also significantly improves the quality ofmore » the liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock by reducing aromatic content and overall benzene concentration. For 0.027 mol g-1 h-1 light gas mixture co-feeding, the average aromatic content in liquid hydrocarbons is 51.5% compared with 62.5% aromatic content in ethanol only experiment. Average benzene concentration decreases from 3.75% to 1.5% which is highly desirable since EPA limits benzene concentration in gasoline to 0.62%. As a result of low benzene concentration, the blend-wall for ethanol derived liquid hydrocarbons changes from ~18% to 43%. The remaining light paraffins and olefins can be further converted to valuable BTX products (94% BTX in the liquid) over Ga-ZSM-5 at 500 C. Thus, the LGR is an effective approach to convert ethanol to liquid hydrocarbons with higher liquid yield and low aromatic content, especially low benzene concentration, which could be blended with gasoline in a much higher ratio than ethanol or ethanol derived hydrocarbon blend-stock.« less

  20. Improving the hydrocarbon production via co-pyrolysis of bagasse with bio-plastic and dual-catalysts layout.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Huiyan; Likun, Peter Keliona Wani; Xiao, Rui

    2018-03-15

    Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of bagasse and bio-plastic (chicken feather keratin) and their mixtures were conducted to produce aromatic hydrocarbons over a HZSM-5, USY, and dual-catalysts layout. The effects of temperature, co-feeding ratios, feed-to-catalyst ratios and dual catalysts on hydrocarbon yields and selectivities were investigated. The results show a general improvement in the aromatic hydrocarbons yields in all cases compared to non-catalytic and pure biomass pyrolysis. The aromatic hydrocarbons increased by 10 fold with the increase of temperature from 400°C to 700°C. The aromatic yields increased 1.5 times at co-feeding, 2.0 greater at feed/HZSM-5 ratio of 1:6, 1.2 times at feed/USY ratio of 1:16, and 2.66 times at USY/HZSM-5 scenario. The selectivities towards benzene increased, at higher co-feeding ratios, while that of toluene shows an opposite trend. Xylenes selectivities were less sensitive to the changes of co-feeding ratios. In contrast, the USY catalyst only produced little amount of toluene and xylenes. The dual catalyst design (USY/HZSM-5) resulted in the highest aromatic yields, than other catalyst design scenarios. The pyrolysis temperature is a significant parameter for hydrocarbon production. Co-feeding bagasse and bio-plastic enhanced biomass conversion to aromatic compounds. For any type of zeolite catalyst, there was an optimum feed-to-catalyst ratio that generated maximum hydrocarbons. Dual catalyst layout shows a new opportunity for efficient conversion of biomass materials into hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Storm Water Toxicity Evaluation Conducted at Naval Station San Diego, Naval Submarine Base San Diego, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, and Naval Air Station North Island

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-05-01

    Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Petroleum to Marine Invertebrate Larvae and Juveniles,” Environ. Toxicol. Chem., vol. 16, pp. 2190–2199...aromatic hydrocarbons , polychlorinated biphenyls, and chlorinated pesticides. Seventeen plume mapping surveys, including an on-site floating bioassay...Non-point Source NS&T National Status and Trends PAH Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyl PMSD Percent

  2. Biodegradation of aliphatic vs. aromatic hydrocarbons in fertilized arctic soils

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Braddock, J.F.

    1999-01-01

    A study was carried out to test a simple bioremediation treatment strategy in the Arctic and analyze the influence of fertilization the degradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g., pristine, n-tetradecane, n-pentadecane, 2-methylnaphthalene, naphthalene, and acenaphthalene. The site was a coarse sand pad that once supported fuel storage tanks. Diesel-range organics concentrations were 250-860 mg/kg soil at the beginning of the study. Replicate field plots treated with fertilizer yielded final concentrations of 0, 50, 100, or 200 mg N/kg soil. Soil pH and soil-water potentials decreased due to fertilizer application. The addition of fertilizer considerably increased soil respiration potentials, but not the populations of microorganisms measured. Fertilizer addition also led to ??? 50% loss of measured aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in surface and subsurface soils. For fertilized plots, hydrocarbon loss was not associated with the quantity of fertilizer added. Losses of aliphatic hydrocarbons were ascribed to biotic processes, while losses of aromatic hydrocarbons were due to biotic and abiotic processes.

  3. Reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene to tri- and dichlorobenzenes in anaerobic sewage sludge.

    PubMed Central

    Fathepure, B Z; Tiedje, J M; Boyd, S A

    1988-01-01

    Hexachlorobenzene was dechlorinated to tri- and dichlorobenzenes in anaerobic sewage sludge. The complete biotransformation of 190 microM hexachlorobenzene (approximately 50 ppm) occurred within 3 weeks. The calculated rate of hexachlorobenzene dechlorination was 13.6 mumol liter-1 day-1. Hexachlorobenzene was dechlorinated via two routes, both involving the sequential removal of chlorine from the aromatic ring. The major route was hexachlorobenzene----pentachlorobenzene----1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene--- -1,3,5- trichlorobenzene. Greater than 90% of the added hexachlorobenzene was recovered as 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene, and there was no evidence for further dechlorination of 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene. The minor route was hexachlorobenzene----pentachlorobenzene----1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene--- -1,2,4- trichlorobenzene----dichlorobenzenes. These results extend reductive dechlorination to poorly water soluble aromatic hydrocarbons which could potentially include other important environmental pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls. PMID:3355129

  4. Relationship between weathered coal deposits and the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Feder, G.L.; Radovanovic, Z.; Finkelman, R.B.

    1991-01-01

    Field studies in epidemiology and environmental geochemistry in areas in Yugoslavia containing villages with a high incidence of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), indicate a possible relationship between the presence of low-rank coal deposits and the etiology of BEN. Preliminary results from qualitative chemical analyses of drinking water from shallow farm wells indicate the presence of soluble polar aromatic and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. These compounds may be derived from weathering of low-rank coals occurring in the vicinity of the endemic villages. All of the endemic villages are in alluvial valleys of tributaries to the Danube River. All except one of the clusters of endemic villages are located in the vicinity of known Pliocene age coals. Detailed sampling of the drinking waters and the nearby coals are being undertaken to identify a possible etiologic factor.

  5. Altering the Polymorphic Accessibility of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Fluorination

    DOE PAGES

    Hiszpanski, Anna M.; Woll, Arthur R.; Kim, Bumjung; ...

    2017-04-25

    Here, substituting hydrogen with fluorine is an extensively employed strategy to improve the macroscopic properties of compounds for use in fields as diverse as pharmaceutics and optoelectronics. The role fluorine substitution plays on polymorphism—the ability of a compound to adopt more than one crystal structure—has not been previously studied. Yet, this understanding is important as different polymorphs of the same compound can result in drastically different bulk properties (e.g., solubility, absorptivity, and conductivity). Strategies to either promote or suppress the crystallization of particular polymorphs are thus desired. Here, we show that substituting hydrogen with fluorine affects the polymorphic behavior ofmore » contorted hexabenzocoronene (cHBC). A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and molecular semiconductor, cHBC exhibits two polymorphs (i.e., P2 1/c crystal structure which we refer to as polymorph I and a triclinic crystal structure which we refer to as polymorph II) that are accessible through postdeposition processing of amorphous films. While the same two polymorphs remain accessible in fluorinated derivatives of cHBC, fluorination appears to favor the formation of polymorph I, with progressively smaller energy barrier for transformation from polymorph II to polymorph I with fluorination.« less

  6. Altering the Polymorphic Accessibility of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Fluorination

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hiszpanski, Anna M.; Woll, Arthur R.; Kim, Bumjung

    Here, substituting hydrogen with fluorine is an extensively employed strategy to improve the macroscopic properties of compounds for use in fields as diverse as pharmaceutics and optoelectronics. The role fluorine substitution plays on polymorphism—the ability of a compound to adopt more than one crystal structure—has not been previously studied. Yet, this understanding is important as different polymorphs of the same compound can result in drastically different bulk properties (e.g., solubility, absorptivity, and conductivity). Strategies to either promote or suppress the crystallization of particular polymorphs are thus desired. Here, we show that substituting hydrogen with fluorine affects the polymorphic behavior ofmore » contorted hexabenzocoronene (cHBC). A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and molecular semiconductor, cHBC exhibits two polymorphs (i.e., P2 1/c crystal structure which we refer to as polymorph I and a triclinic crystal structure which we refer to as polymorph II) that are accessible through postdeposition processing of amorphous films. While the same two polymorphs remain accessible in fluorinated derivatives of cHBC, fluorination appears to favor the formation of polymorph I, with progressively smaller energy barrier for transformation from polymorph II to polymorph I with fluorination.« less

  7. Simulation of SOA formation and composition from oxidation of toluene and m-xylene in chamber experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, J.; Liu, Y.; Nakao, S.; Cocker, D.; Griffin, R. J.

    2013-12-01

    Aromatic hydrocarbons contribute an important fraction of anthropogenic reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the urban atmosphere. Photo-oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons leads to secondary organic products that have decreased volatilities or increased solubilities and can form secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Despite the crucial role of aromatic-derived SOA in deteriorating air quality and harming human health, its formation mechanism is not well understood and model simulation of SOA formation still remains difficult. The dependence of aromatic SOA formation on nitrogen oxides (NOx) is not captured fully by most SOA formation models. Most models predict SOA formation under high NOx levels well but underestimate SOA formation under low NOx levels more representative of the ambient atmosphere. Thus, it is crucial to investigate the NOx-dependent chemistry in aromatic photo-oxidation systems and correspondingly update SOA formation models. In this study, NOx-dependent mechanisms of toluene and m-xylene SOA formation are updated using the gas-phase Caltech Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (CACM) coupled to a gas/aerosol partitioning model. The updated models were optimized by comparing to eighteen University of California, Riverside United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chamber experiment runs under both high and low NOx conditions. Correction factors for vapor pressures imply uncharacterized aerosol-phase association chemistry. Simulated SOA speciation implies the importance of ring-opening products in governing SOA formation (up to 40%~60% for both aromatics). The newly developed model can predict strong decreases of m-xylene SOA yield with increasing NOx. Speciation distributions under varied NOx levels implies that the well-known competition between RO2 + HO2 and RO2 + NO (RO2 = peroxide bicyclic radical) may not be the only factor influencing SOA formation. The reaction of aromatic peroxy radicals with NO competing with its self-cyclization also affects NOx-dependence of SOA formation. Comparison of SOA formation yield and composition between two aromatics implies aldehyde/ketone chemistry from ring-opening route and chemistry for phenolic route play important roles in governing SOA formation and that ring-opening aldehydes and phenolic nitrates are produced to a greater extent in the toluene system, leading to higher SOA yields for toluene than for m-xylene.

  8. Biodegradation of complex hydrocarbons in spent engine oil by novel bacterial consortium isolated from deep sea sediment.

    PubMed

    Ganesh Kumar, A; Vijayakumar, Lakshmi; Joshi, Gajendra; Magesh Peter, D; Dharani, G; Kirubagaran, R

    2014-10-01

    Complex hydrocarbon and aromatic compounds degrading marine bacterial strains were isolated from deep sea sediment after enrichment on spent engine (SE) oil. Phenotypic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed the isolates were related to members of the Pseudoalteromonas sp., Ruegeria sp., Exiguobacterium sp. and Acinetobacter sp. Biodegradation using 1% (v/v) SE oil with individual and mixed strains showed the efficacy of SE oil utilization within a short retention time. The addition of non-ionic surfactant 0.05% (v/v) Tween 80 as emulsifying agent enhanced the solubility of hydrocarbons and renders them more accessible for biodegradation. The degradation of several compounds and the metabolites formed during the microbial oxidation process were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. The potential of this consortium to biodegrade SE oil with and without emulsifying agent provides possible application in bioremediation of oil contaminated marine environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic products by solid-phase extraction and GC-MS.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qiying; Guo, Yuanming; Sun, Xiumei; Hao, Qing; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Lu

    2018-02-22

    We propose a method for the simultaneous determination of 15 kinds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine samples (muscle) employing gas chromatography with mass spectrometry after saponification with ultrasound-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction. The experimental conditions were optimized by the response surface method. In addition, the effects of different lyes and extractants on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction were discussed, and saturated sodium carbonate was first used as the primary saponification reaction and extracted with 10 mL of ethyl acetate and secondly 1 mol/L of sodium hydroxide and 10 mL of n-hexane were used to achieve better results. The average recovery was 67-112%. Satisfactory data showed that the method has good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of <13%. The detection limits of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 0.02-0.13 ng/g. Compared with other methods, this method has the advantages of simple pretreatment, low solvent consumption, maximum polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction, the fast separation speed, and the high extraction efficiency. It is concluded that this method meets the batch processing requirements of the sample and can also be used to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in other high-fat (fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish) biological samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Optimization and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar-based fertilizers.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ping; Zhou, Hui; Gan, Jay; Sun, Mingxing; Shang, Guofeng; Liu, Liang; Shen, Guoqing

    2015-03-01

    The agronomic benefit of biochar has attracted widespread attention to biochar-based fertilizers. However, the inevitable presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar is a matter of concern because of the health and ecological risks of these compounds. The strong adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to biochar complicates their analysis and extraction from biochar-based fertilizers. In this study, we optimized and validated a method for determining the 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar-based fertilizers. Results showed that accelerated solvent extraction exhibited high extraction efficiency. Based on a Box-Behnken design with a triplicate central point, accelerated solvent extraction was used under the following optimal operational conditions: extraction temperature of 78°C, extraction time of 17 min, and two static cycles. The optimized method was validated by assessing the linearity of analysis, limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery, and application to real samples. The results showed that the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibited good linearity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The limits of detection varied between 0.001 (phenanthrene) and 0.021 mg/g (benzo[ghi]perylene), and the limits of quantification varied between 0.004 (phenanthrene) and 0.069 mg/g (benzo[ghi]perylene). The relative recoveries of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 70.26-102.99%. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Geochemical interpretation of distribution of aromatic hydrocarbons in components of geologic environment of Pechora, Barents and Kara seas.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kursheva, Anna; Petrova, Vera; Litvinenko, Ivan; Morgunova, Inna

    2017-04-01

    Information about the hydrocarbons content (including aromatic ones) in components of geologic environment allows to define common factors in distribution and correlation both nature and technogenic component, and also to reveal the sources of contamination. At that, it should be noted, that hydrocarbons are widely spread in lithosphere and create steady geochemical background, variations are caused here by specifics of initial organic matter, conditions of its accumulation and transformation. The basis of the study are the samples of sea water and deep sea sediments (more than 600 stations), collected in western sector of Arctic region (Pechora, Barents and Kara seas) during the scientific-research expeditions of FSBI "VNIIOkeangeologia" for the period 2000-2010. Total content of aromatic hydrocarbons was defined by spectrofluorometric method using analyzer «FLUORAT-Panorama-02». Certification of data was performed on representative samples based on contents and molecule structure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using GC-MS (Agilent 5973/6850 GC-MS System). Results of spectrofluorometric analysis of lipid fraction of organic matter of bottom sediments allowed to define specific parameters, which characterize various lithofacies groups of sediments. Thus, sandy residues are characterized by low level of aromatic hydrocarbons (ca. 4.3 μg/g) with prevalence of bi- and tri-aromatic compounds (λmax 270-310 nm). This correlates with low sorption capacity of coarse-grained sediments and absence of organic-mineral component, containing the breakdown products of initial organic matter. Tetra- and penta- aromatic structures prevail in clay sediments (ca. 13.0 μg/g), which are typical components of lipid fraction of organic matter of post sedimentation and early diagenetic stages of transformation. At that, changes of spectral characteristic of sediments in stratigraphic sequence completely reflect processes of diagenetic transformation of organic matter, including aromatization and new formation of number of compounds, for example perylene (λmax 405,435 nm). The presence in sediments of highly transformed (post-diagenetic) organic material forms special (for naphthides) type of spectrum (λmax 370-380 nm), which interface is fundamentally different from recent marine sediments. Similar type of spectrum in combination with anomalously high content of aromatic hydrocarbons (ca. 349.1 μg/g) is typical, in particular, for shelf of Spitsbergen archipelago, whose erosion and redeposition of carboniferous rocks play important role in deposits formation. Similar content of aromatic hydrocarbons was noted in sediments of shelf of the Island Kolguev, where exogenous anomaly is caused mainly by anthropogenic factors. This assumption correlates with the results of aromatic hydrocarbons examination where pyrogenic components dominate. The influence of endogenous processes (seepage of hydrocarbons) also may lead to substantial deformation of background spectrum due to formation of intensive peak in short-wave region (λmax max 240-260 nm). Credibility of collected results is proven by significant correlation of quantitative estimation of aromatic hydrocarbons contents conducted using both dispersed organic matter extraction and fractionation and spectrofluorimetry methods. Results, received during GC-MS analysis also prove spectrofluorometric information.

  12. Sources and distribution of aromatic hydrocarbons in a tropical marine protected area estuary under influence of sugarcane cultivation.

    PubMed

    Arruda-Santos, Roxanny Helen de; Schettini, Carlos Augusto França; Yogui, Gilvan Takeshi; Maciel, Daniele Claudino; Zanardi-Lamardo, Eliete

    2018-05-15

    Goiana estuary is a well preserved marine protected area (MPA) located on the northeastern coast of Brazil. Despite its current state, human activities in the watershed represent a potential threat to long term local preservation. Dissolved/dispersed aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in water and sediments across the estuarine salt gradient. Concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons was low in all samples. According to results, aromatic hydrocarbons are associated to suspended particulate matter (SPM) carried to the estuary by river waters. An estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) was identified in the upper estuary, indicating that both sediments and contaminants are trapped prior to an occasional export to the adjacent sea. PAHs distribution in sediments were associated with organic matter and mud content. Diagnostic ratios indicated pyrolytic processes as the main local source of PAHs that are probably associated with sugarcane burning and combustion engines. Low PAH concentrations probably do not cause adverse biological effects to the local biota although their presence indicate anthropogenic contamination and pressure on the Goiana estuary MPA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. 75 FR 54628 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public Teleconference of the Science...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-08

    ... a Public Teleconference of the Science Advisory Board; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH... Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures Review Panel to discuss its draft report on EPA's Development of a Relative Potency Factor (RPF) Approach for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures. DATES: The SAB PAH Mixtures...

  14. Embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hoffman, D.J.

    1979-01-01

    Egg surface applications of microliter quantities of crude and refined oils of high aromatic content are embryotoxic to mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and other avian species; applications of aliphatic hydrocarbons have virtually no effect. Mallard eggs at 72 h of development were exposed to a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons or to aromatic compounds representative to those present in crude oil to assess their toxicity. The class composition of the mixture was similar to that of South Louisiana crude oil, an American Petroleum Institute reference oil. Application of 20 microliter of the mixture reduced embryonic survival by nearly 70%. The temporal pattern of embryonic death was similar to that after exposure to South Louisiana crude oil. Embryonic growth was stunted, as reflected by weight, crown-rump length, and bill length, and there was a significant increase in the incidence of abnormal survivors. When individual classes of aromatic hydrocarbons were tested, tetracyclics caused some embryonic death at the concentrations in the mixture. When classes were tested in all possible combinations of two, no combination appeared to be as toxic as the entire mixture. Addition of the tetracyclic compound chrysene to the aromatic mixture considerably enhanced embryotoxicity, but could not completely account for the toxicity of the crude oil. The presence of additional unidentified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as methylated derivatives of polycyclic aromatic compounds such as chrysene may further account for the embryotoxicity of the crude oil.

  15. Emissions of organic compounds from produced water ponds I: Characteristics and speciation.

    PubMed

    Lyman, Seth N; Mansfield, Marc L; Tran, Huy N Q; Evans, Jordan D; Jones, Colleen; O'Neil, Trevor; Bowers, Ric; Smith, Ann; Keslar, Cara

    2018-04-01

    We measured fluxes of methane, a suite of non-methane hydrocarbons (C2-C11), light alcohols, and carbon dioxide from oil and gas produced water storage and disposal ponds in Utah (Uinta Basin) and Wyoming (Upper Green River Basin) United States during 2013-2016. In this paper, we discuss the characteristics of produced water composition and air-water fluxes, with a focus on flux chamber measurements. In companion papers, we will (1) report on inverse modeling methods used to estimate emissions from produced water ponds, including comparisons with flux chamber measurements, and (2) discuss the development of mass transfer coefficients to estimate emissions and place emissions from produced water ponds in the context of all regional oil and gas-related emissions. Alcohols (made up mostly of methanol) were the most abundant organic compound group in produced water (91% of total volatile organic concentration, with upper and lower 95% confidence levels of 89 and 93%) but accounted for only 34% (28 to 41%) of total organic compound fluxes from produced water ponds. Non-methane hydrocarbons, which are much less water-soluble than methanol and less abundant in produced water, accounted for the majority of emitted organics. C6-C9 alkanes and aromatics dominated hydrocarbon fluxes, perhaps because lighter hydrocarbons had already volatilized from produced water prior to its arrival in storage or disposal ponds, while heavier hydrocarbons are less water soluble and less volatile. Fluxes of formaldehyde and other carbonyls were low (1% (1 to 2%) of total organic compound flux). The speciation and magnitude of fluxes varied strongly across the facilities measured and with the amount of time water had been exposed to the atmosphere. The presence or absence of ice also impacted fluxes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. [Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopic Analysis of Aromatics from One Ring to Four Rings].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Peng; Liu, Hai-feng; Yue, Zong-yu; Chen, Bei-ling; Yao, Ming-fa

    2015-06-01

    In order to distinguish small aromatics preferably, a Nd : YAG Laser was used to supply an excitation laser, which was adjusted to 0.085 J x cm(-2) at 266 nm. Benzene, toluene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene and chrysene were used as the representative of different rings aromatics. The fluorescence emission spectra were researched for each aromatic hydrocarbon and mixtures by Laser induced fluorescence (LIF). Results showed that the rings number determined the fluorescence emission spectra, and the structure with same rings number did not affect the emission fluorescence spectrum ranges. This was due to the fact that the absorption efficiency difference at 266 nm resulted in that the fluorescence intensities of each aromatic hydrocarbon with same rings number were different and the fluorescence intensities difference were more apparently with aromatic ring number increasing. When the absorption efficiency was similar at 266 nm and the concentrations of each aromatic hydrocarbon were same, the fluorescence intensities were increased with aromatic ring number increasing. With aromatic ring number increasing, the fluorescence spectrum and emission peak wavelength were all red-shifted from ultraviolet to visible and the fluorescence spectrum range was also wider as the absorption efficiency was similar. The fluorescence emission spectra from one to four rings could be discriminated in the following wavelengths, 275 to 320 nm, 320 to 375 nm, 375 to 425 nm, 425 to 556 nm, respectively. It can be used for distinguish the type of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as it exists in single type. As PAHs are usually exist in a variety of different rings number at the same time, the results for each aromatic hydrocarbon may not apply to the aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures. For the aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures, results showed that the one- or two-ring PAHs in mixtures could not be detected by fluorescence as three- or four-ring PAHs existed in mixture. This was caused by radiation energy transfer mechanism, in which the ultraviolet light was lost in mixtures but the fluorescence intensities were increased with the one- or two-ring PAHs adding. When the mixture only contained three- and four-ring PAHs, the fluorescence emission spectrum showed the both characteristics of three- and four-ring PAHs fluorescence. When three- and four-ring PAHs existed in mixtures at the same time, the fluorescence emission spectra were related to each concentration, so the rings number could be discriminated to a certain extent.

  17. UV irradiation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ices: production of alcohols, quinones, and ethers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bernstein, M. P.; Sandford, S. A.; Allamandola, L. J.; Gillette, J. S.; Clemett, S. J.; Zare, R. N.

    1999-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water ice were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation under astrophysical conditions, and the products were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Peripheral carbon atoms were oxidized, producing aromatic alcohols, ketones, and ethers, and reduced, producing partially hydrogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, molecules that account for the interstellar 3.4-micrometer emission feature. These classes of compounds are all present in carbonaceous meteorites. Hydrogen and deuterium atoms exchange readily between the PAHs and the ice, which may explain the deuterium enrichments found in certain meteoritic molecules. This work has important implications for extraterrestrial organics in biogenesis.

  18. THE EFFECTS OF EQUIVALENCE RATIO ON THE FORMATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND SOOT IN PREMIXED ETHANE FLAMES. (R825412)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    The formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot has been investigated in atmospheric-pressure, laminar, ethane/oxygen/argon premixed flames as a function of mixture equivalence ratio. Mole fraction profiles of major products, trace aromatics, ...

  19. Tunable recognition of the steroid α-face by adjacent π-electron density

    PubMed Central

    Friščić, T.; Lancaster, R. W.; Fábián, L.; Karamertzanis, P. G.

    2010-01-01

    We report a previously unknown recognition motif between the α-face of the steroid hydrocarbon backbone and π-electron-rich aromatic substrates. Our study is based on a systematic and comparative analysis of the solid-state complexation of four steroids with 24 aromatic molecules. By using the solid state as a medium for complexation, we circumvent solubility and solvent competition problems that are inherent to the liquid phase. Characterization is performed using powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared solid-state spectroscopy and is complemented by a comprehensive cocrystal structure prediction methodology that surpasses earlier computational approaches in terms of realism and complexity. Our combined experimental and theoretical approach reveals that the α⋯π stacking is of electrostatic origin and is highly dependent on the steroid backbone’s unsaturated and conjugated character. We demonstrate that the α⋯π stacking interaction can drive the assembly of molecules, in particular progesterone, into solid-state complexes without the need for additional strong interactions. It results in a marked difference in the solid-state complexation propensities of different steroids with aromatic molecules, suggesting a strong dependence of the steroid-binding affinity and even physicochemical properties on the steroid’s A-ring structure. Hence, the hydrocarbon part of the steroid is a potentially important variable in structure-activity relationships for establishing the binding and signaling properties of steroids, and in the manufacture of pharmaceutical cocrystals. PMID:20624985

  20. Absorption of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by biomembrane models: effect of the medium lipophilicity.

    PubMed

    Castelli, Francesco; Micieli, Dorotea; Ottimo, Sara; Minniti, Zelica; Sarpietro, Maria Grazia; Librando, Vito

    2008-10-01

    To demonstrate the relationship between the structure of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their effect on biomembranes, we have investigated the influence of three structurally different nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 2-nitrofluorene, 2,7-dinitrofluorene and 3-nitrofluoranthene, on the thermotropic behavior of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine multilamellar vesicles, used as biomembrane models, by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The obtained results indicate that the studied nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons affected the thermotropic behavior of multilamellar vesicles to various extents, modifying the pretransition and the main phase transition peaks and shifting them to lower temperatures. The effect of the aqueous and lipophilic medium on the absorption process of these compounds by the biomembrane models has been also investigated revealing that the process is hindered by the aqueous medium but strongly allowed by the lipophilic medium.

  1. [Simultaneous determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette filter by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaotao; Zhang, Li; Ruan, Yibin; Wang, Weiwei; Ji, Houwei; Wan, Qiang; Lin, Fucheng; Liu, Jian

    2017-10-08

    A method for the simultaneous determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette filter was developed by isotope internal standard combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The cigarette filters were extracted with dichloromethane, and the extract was filtered with 0.22 μm organic phase membrane. The samples were isolated by DB-5MS column (30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm) and detected using multiple reaction monitoring mode of electron impact source under positive ion mode. The linearities of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (acenapthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, ben[ a ]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[ b ]fluoranthene, benzo[ k ]fluoranthene, benzo[ a ]pyrene, dibenzo[ a,h ]anthracene, benzo[ g,h,i ]perylene and indeno[1,2,3- c,d ]pyrene) were good, and the correlation coefficients ( R 2 ) ranged from 0.9914 to 0.9999. The average recoveries of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 81.6%-109.6% at low, middle and high spiked levels, and the relative standard deviations were less than 16%, except that the relative standard deviation of fluorene at the low spiked level was 19.2%. The limits of detection of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 0.02 to 0.24 ng/filter, and the limits of quantification were 0.04 to 0.80 ng/filter. The method is simple, rapid, accurate, sensitive and reproducible. It is suitable for the quantitative analysis of the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette filters.

  2. Solubilization of phenanthrene above cloud point of Brij 30: a new application in biodegradation.

    PubMed

    Pantsyrnaya, T; Delaunay, S; Goergen, J L; Guseva, E; Boudrant, J

    2013-06-01

    In the present study a new application of solubilization of phenanthrene above cloud point of Brij 30 in biodegradation was developed. It was shown that a temporal solubilization of phenanthrene above cloud point of Brij 30 (5wt%) permitted to obtain a stable increase of the solubility of phenanthrene even when the temperature was decreased to culture conditions of used microorganism Pseudomonas putida (28°C). A higher initial concentration of soluble phenanthrene was obtained after the cloud point treatment: 200 against 120μM without treatment. All soluble phenanthrene was metabolized and a higher final concentration of its major metabolite - 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid - (160 against 85μM) was measured in the culture medium in the case of a preliminary cloud point treatment. Therefore a temporary solubilization at cloud point might have a perspective application in the enhancement of biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Illinois basin coal fly ashes. 1. Chemical characterization and solubility

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Roy, W.R.; Griffin, R.A.; Dickerson, D.R.; Schuller, R.M.; Martin, S.M.C.

    1984-01-01

    Twelve precipitator-collected fly ash samples (nine derived from high-sulfur Illinois Basin coals and three from Western U.S. coals) were found to contain a variety of paraffins, aryl esters, phenols, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons including phenanthrene, pyrene, and chrysene but all at very low concentrations. Less than 1% of the organic carbon in the samples was extractable into benzene. Solubility studies with a short-term (24-h) extraction procedure and a long-term (20-week) procedure indicate that the inorganic chemical composition of some types of fly ash effluent is time dependent and may be most toxic to aquatic ecosystems when initially mixed with water and pumped to disposal ponds. Some acidic, high-Cd fly ashes would be classified as hazardous wastes if coal ash was included in this waste category by future RCRA revisions. ?? 1984 American Chemical Society.

  4. Emulsifier of Arthrobacter RAG-1: specificity of hydrocarbon substrate.

    PubMed Central

    Rosenberg, E; Perry, A; Gibson, D T; Gutnick, D L

    1979-01-01

    The purified extracellular emulsifying factor produced by Arthrobacter RAG-1 (EF-RAG) emulsified light petroleum oil, diesel oil, and a variety of crude oils and gas oils. Although kerosine and gasoline were emulsified poorly by EF-RAG, they were converted into good substrates for emulsification by addition of aromatic compounds, such as 2-methylnaphthalene. Neither aromatic nor aliphatic fractions of crude oil were emulsified by EF-RAG; however, mixtures containing both fractions were emulsified. Pure aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons were emulsified poorly by EF-RAG. Binary mixtures containing an aliphatic and an aromatic hydrocarbon, however, were excellent substrates for EF-RAG-induced emulsification. Of a variety of alkylcyclohexane and alkylbenzene derivatives tested, only hexyl- or heptylbenzene and octyl- or decylcyclohexane were effectively emulsified by EF-RAG. These data indicate that for EF-RAG to induce emulsification of hydrocarbons in water, the hydrocarbon substrate must contain both aliphatic and cyclic components. With binary mixtures of methylnaphthalene and hexadecane, maximum emulsion was obtained with 25% hexadecane. PMID:453821

  5. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals in the Cispata Bay, Colombia: A marine tropical ecosystem.

    PubMed

    Burgos-Núñez, Saudith; Navarro-Frómeta, Amado; Marrugo-Negrete, José; Enamorado-Montes, Germán; Urango-Cárdenas, Iván

    2017-07-15

    The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals were evaluated in shallow sediments, water, fish and seabird samples from the Cispata Bay, Colombia. The heavy metals concentrations in the sediment was in the following order: Cu>Pb>Hg>Cd. The heavy metal concentration was different (p<0.05) in juvenile and adult birds. High concentrations of mercury were registered in the seabird (10.19±4.99mgkg -1 ) and fish (0.67μgg -1 ) samples. The total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from 7.0-41ngg -1 in sediment, 0.03-0.34ngmL -1 in water samples, 53.24ngg -1 in fish, and 66ngg -1 in seabirds. The high concentrations of heavy metals in seabirds may be explained by their feeding habits. The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Cispata Bay may be due to hydrocarbon spills during oil transport at the nearby oil port. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Aquatic hazard and biodegradability of light and middle atmospheric distillate petroleum streams.

    PubMed

    Swigert, James P; Lee, Carol; Wong, Diana C L; Podhasky, Paula

    2014-08-01

    Light and middle atmospheric distillate petroleum substances are blended to produce fuels used in transportation and heating. These substances represent the majority by volume of crude oil refined products in the United States. The goal of this research was to develop biodegradability and aquatic toxicity data for four substances; heavy, straight-run naphtha (HSRN), hydro-desulfurized kerosene (HDK), hydro-cracked gas oil (HCGO), and catalytic-cracked gas oil (CCGO). Ready biodegradability tests demonstrated rapid and extensive microbial oxidation of these test substances, indicating a lack of persistence in the aquatic environment. Differences in biodegradation patterns reflected compositional differences in the constituent hydrocarbons. Results of aquatic toxicity tests on alga, cladocera, and fish demonstrated that toxicity was greatest for catalytic-cracked gas oil, which contained a high proportion of aromatic hydrocarbons. Aromatic hydrocarbons are more soluble, and hence more bioavailable, resulting in higher toxicity. When expressed on the basis of loading rates, acute toxicity values (LL/EL50) ranged between 0.3 and 5.5 mg L(-1) for all three species, while chronic no-observed-effect loading rates (NOELR) ranged between 0.05 and 0.64 mg L(-1). PETROTOX estimates for acute and chronic toxicity ranged from 0.18 to 2.3 mg L(-1) and 0.06 to 0.14 mg L(-1), respectively, which were generally more conservative than experimental data. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as building blocks for nanoelectronics: a theoretical study.

    PubMed

    Dral, Pavlo O; Kivala, Milan; Clark, Timothy

    2013-03-01

    Density functional theory (DFT) and semiempirical UHF natural orbital configuration interaction (UNO-CI) calculations are used to investigate the effect of heteroatom substitution at the central position of a model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. The effects of the substitution on structure, strain, electronic and spectral properties, and aromaticity of the compounds are discussed.

  8. MULTISUBSTRATE BIODEGRADATION KINETICS FOR BINARY AND COMPLEX MIXTURES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Biodegradation kinetics were studied for binary and complex mixtures of nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, 2-ethylnaphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene, fluorene and fluoranthene. Discrepancies between the ...

  9. Cytokine responses induced by diesel exhaust particles are suppressed by PAR-2 silencing and antioxidant treatment, and driven by polar and non-polar soluble constituents.

    PubMed

    Bach, Nicolai; Bølling, Anette Kocbach; Brinchmann, Bendik C; Totlandsdal, Annike I; Skuland, Tonje; Holme, Jørn A; Låg, Marit; Schwarze, Per E; Øvrevik, Johan

    2015-10-14

    Adsorbed soluble organics seem to be the main drivers of inflammatory responses induced by diesel exhaust particles (DEP). The specific compounds contributing to this process and the cellular mechanisms behind DEP-induced inflammation are not well known. We have assessed pro-inflammatory effects of DEP and various soluble DEP fractions, in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). DEP increased the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and CXCL8. Silencing of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) by siRNA or pretreatment with AhR-antagonists did not attenuate DEP-induced IL-6 and CXCL8 responses. However, the halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon (HAH)-selective AhR antagonist CH223191 caused a considerable reduction in DEP-induced CYP1A1 expression indicating that this response may be due to dioxin or dioxin-like constituents in DEP. Knock-down of protease activated receptor (PAR)-2 attenuated IL-6 responses without affecting CXCL8. Antioxidants did not affect IL-6 expression after 4h DEP-exposure and only partly reduced CXCL8 expression. However, after 24h exposure antioxidant treatment partly suppressed IL-6 protein release and completely blocked CXCL8 release. Furthermore, a heptane-soluble (non-polar) extract of DEP induced both IL-6 and CXCL8 release, whereas a PBS-soluble (highly polar) extract induced only IL-6. Thus, pro-inflammatory responses in DEP-exposed epithelial cells appear to be the result of both reactive oxygen species and receptor signaling, mediated through combinatorial effects between both non-polar and polar constituents adhered to the particle surface. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Exploring petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater by double solid phase extraction coupled to gas chromatography-flame ionization detector.

    PubMed

    Pindado Jiménez, Oscar; Pérez Pastor, Rosa Ma; Escolano Segovia, Olga; del Reino Querencia, Susana

    2015-01-01

    This work proposes an analytical procedure for measuring aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons fractions present in groundwater. In this method, hydrocarbons are solid phase extracted (SPE) twice from the groundwater and the resulting fractions are analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. The first SPE disposes the hydrocarbons present in groundwater in organic solvents and the second SPE divides them into aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The validation study is carried out and its uncertainties are discussed. Identifying the main sources of uncertainty is evaluated through applying the bottom-up approach. Limits of detection for hydrocarbons ranges are below 5 µg L(-1), precision is not above of 30%, and acceptable recoveries are reached for aliphatic and aromatic fractions studied. The uncertainty due to volume of the sample, factor of calibration and recovery are the highest contributions. The expanded uncertainty range from 13% to 26% for the aliphatic hydrocarbons ranges and from 14% to 23% for the aromatic hydrocarbons ranges. As application, the proposed method is satisfactorily applied to a set of groundwater samples collected in a polluted area where there is evidence to present a high degree of hydrocarbons. The results have shown the range of aliphatic hydrocarbons >C21-C35 is the most abundant, with values ranging from 215 µg L(-1) to 354 µg L(-1), which it is associated to a contamination due to diesel. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Provisional Guidance for Quantitative Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are products of incomplete combustion of organic materials; sources are, thus, widespread,including cigarette smoke, municipal waste incineration, wood stove emissions, coal conversion, energy production form fossil fuels, and automobile an...

  12. Infrared Spectra of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Bakes, E. L. O.

    2000-01-01

    We have computed the synthetic infrared spectra of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons containing up to 54 carbon atoms. The species studied include ovalene, circumcoronene, dicoronylene, and hexabenzocoronene. We report spectra for anions, neutrals, cations, and multiply charged cations.

  13. Determination of total and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aviation jet fuel.

    PubMed

    Bernabei, M; Reda, R; Galiero, R; Bocchinfuso, G

    2003-01-24

    The aviation jet fuel widely used in turbine engine aircraft is manufactured from straight-run kerosene. The combustion quality of jet fuel is largely related to the hydrocarbon composition of the fuel itself; paraffins have better burning properties than aromatic compounds, especially naphthalenes and light polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are characterised as soot and smoke producers. For this reason the burning quality of fuel is generally measured as smoke fermation. This evaluation is carried out with UV spectrophotometric determination of total naphthalene hydrocarbons and a chromatographic analysis to determine the total aromatic compounds. These methods can be considered insufficient to evaluate the human health impact of these compounds due to their inability to measure trace (ppm) amounts of each aromatic hyrcarbon and each PAH in accordance with limitations imposed because of their toxicological properties. In this paper two analytical methods are presented. Both are based on a gas chromatographic technique with a mass detector operating in be selected ion monitoring mode. The first method was able to determine more than 60 aromatic hydrocarbons in a fuel sample in a 35-min chromatographic run, while the second was able to carry out the analysis of more than 30 PAHs in a 40-min chromatographic run. The linearity and sensitivity of the methods in measuring these analytes at trace levels are described.

  14. Asphaltene-bearing mantle xenoliths from Hyblean diatremes, Sicily

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scirè, Salvatore; Ciliberto, Enrico; Crisafulli, Carmelo; Scribano, Vittorio; Bellatreccia, Fabio; Ventura, Giancarlo Della

    2011-08-01

    Microscopic blebs of sulfur-bearing organic matter (OM) commonly occur between the secondary calcite grains and fibrous phyllosilicates in extensively serpentinized and carbonated mantle-derived ultramafic xenoliths from Hyblean nephelinite diatremes, Sicily, Italy. Rarely, coarse bituminous patches give the rock a blackish color. Micro Fourier transform infrared spectra (μ-FTIR) point to asphaltene-like structures in the OM, due to partially condensed aromatic rings with aliphatic tails consisting of a few C atoms. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicates the occurrence of minor S═O (either sulphonyl or sulphoxide) functional groups in the OM. Solubility tests in toluene, thermo-gravimetric (TGA) and differential thermal (DTA) analyses confirm the presence of asphaltene structures. It is proposed that asphaltenes derive from the in situ aromatization (with decrease in H/C ratio) of previous light aliphatic hydrocarbons. Field evidence excludes that hydrocarbon from an external source percolated through the xenolith bearing tuff-breccia. The discriminating presence of hydrocarbon in a particular type of xenolith only and the lack of hydrocarbon in the host breccia matrix, are also inconsistent with an interaction between the ascending eruptive system and a supposed deep-seated oil reservoir. Assuming that the Hyblean unexposed basement consists of mantle ultramafics and mafic intrusive rocks having hosted an early abyssal-type hydrothermal system, one can put forward the hypothesis that the hydrocarbon production was related to hydrothermal activity in a serpentinite system. Although a bacteriogenesis or thermogenesis cannot be ruled out, the coexisting serpentine, Ni-Fe ores and hydrocarbon strongly suggest a Fischer-Tropsch-type (FTT) synthesis. Subsequent variations in the chemical and physical conditions of the system, for example an increase in the water/rock ratio, gave rise to partial oxidation and late carbonation of the serpentinite hosted hydrocarbon. Admitting an authigenic origin for most of the modal calcite (30-50% by volume) in these rocks, one can conclude as a general rule that un-carbonated serpentinites tectonically emplaced at shallow crustal levels are potential reservoir rocks (as well putative source rocks) for exploitable petroleum reserves.

  15. Dermal exposure to jet fuel suppresses delayed-type hypersensitivity: a critical role for aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Ramos, Gerardo; Limon-Flores, Alberto Yairh; Ullrich, Stephen E

    2007-12-01

    Dermal exposure to military (JP-8) and/or commercial (Jet-A) jet fuel suppresses cell-mediated immune reactions. Immune regulatory cytokines and biological modifiers, including platelet activating factor (PAF), prostaglandin E(2), and interleukin-10, have been implicated in the pathway of events leading to immune suppression. It is estimated that approximately 260 different hydrocarbons are found in jet fuel, and the exact identity of the active immunotoxic agent(s) is unknown. The recent availability of synthetic jet fuel (S-8), which is refined from natural gas, and is devoid of aromatic hydrocarbons, made it feasible to design experiments to address this problem. Here we tested the hypothesis that the aromatic hydrocarbons present in jet fuel are responsible for immune suppression. We report that applying S-8 to the skin of mice does not upregulate the expression of epidermal cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) nor does it induce immune suppression. Adding back a cocktail of seven of the most prevalent aromatic hydrocarbons found in jet fuel (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, 1,2,4-trimethlybenzene, cyclohexylbenzene, and dimethylnaphthalene) to S-8 upregulated epidermal COX-2 expression and suppressed a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction. Injecting PAF receptor antagonists, or a selective cycloozygenase-2 inhibitor into mice treated with S-8 supplemented with the aromatic cocktail, blocked suppression of DTH, similar to data previously reported using JP-8. These findings identify the aromatic hydrocarbons found in jet fuel as the agents responsible for suppressing DTH, in part by the upregulation of COX-2, and the production of immune regulatory factors and cytokines.

  16. Synthesis and characterization of a molecularly imprinted polymer for the isolation of the 16 US-EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in solution.

    PubMed

    Ncube, Somandla; Kunene, Phumlile; Tavengwa, Nikita T; Tutu, Hlanganani; Richards, Heidi; Cukrowska, Ewa; Chimuka, Luke

    2017-09-01

    A smart sorbent consisting of benzo[k]fluoranthene-imprinted and indeno[1 2 3-cd]pyrene-imprinted polymers mixed at 1:1 (w/w) was successfully screened from several cavity-tuning experiments and used in the isolation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from spiked solution. The polymer mixture showed high cross selectivity and affinity towards all the 16 US-EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The average extraction efficiency from a cyclohexane solution was 65 ± 13.3% (n = 16, SD). Batch adsorption and kinetic studies confirmed that the binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto the polymer particles resulted in formation of a monolayer and that the binding process was the rate limiting step. The imprinted polymer performance studies confirmed that the synthesized polymer had an imprinting efficiency of 103.9 ± 3.91% (n = 3, SD). A comparison of the theoretical number of cavities and the experimental binding capacity showed that the overall extent of occupation of the imprinted cavities in the presence of excess polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was 128 ± 6.45% (n = 3, SD). The loss of selectivity was estimated at 2.9% with every elution cycle indicating that the polymer can be re-used several times with limited loss of selectivity and sensitivity. The polymer combination has shown to be an effective adsorbent that can be used to isolate all the 16 US-EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in solution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Chemical fingerprinting applied to the evaluation of marine oil pollution in the coasts of Canary Islands (Spain).

    PubMed

    Peña-Méndez, E M; Astorga-España, M S; García-Montelongo, F J

    2001-01-01

    Chemical fingerprinting approach to environmental assessment is illustrated in the evaluation of marine oil pollution in the coasts using two limpet species as bioindicator organisms, and based on profiles and concentrations of n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons in their tissues. Accidental and chronic releases of hydrocarbons can contaminate the marine environment of the Canary Islands not only because of their geographical situation but also because of the very dense tanker traffic around. This situation affects coastal areas, fishing activities, tourism resort, etc. Concentrations of n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and methyl-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in the soft tissues of the marine intertidal and subtidal limpets, Patella crenata and Patella ullysiponensis aspera, were evaluated. Limpet samples were collected at monthly intervals, at three locations on the southeast coast of Tenerife over a 3-year period (1991-93). Levels of hydrocarbons found in limpets are similar to concentrations found in unpolluted areas around the world. From application of principal component analysis, the interpretation of variable loading plots gives information on variable correlation and can be used to distinguish among potential sources of pollution and the ability of studied molluscs to be used as bioindicator organisms.

  18. Webinar Presentation: Prenatal Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and Childhood Body Mass Index Trajectories

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This presentation, Prenatal Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and Childhood Body Mass Index Trajectories, was given at the NIEHS/EPA Children's Centers 2015 Webinar Series held on Feb. 11, 2015.

  19. PHOTOTOXICITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN COASTAL GREAT LAKES WATERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Photoinduced toxicity is the exacerbated toxicity of environmental contaminants by UV radiation. Photoinduced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been well established in the laboratory for numerous aquatic species including larval fish. The contaminants sub-p...

  20. Ambient aromatic hydrocarbon measurements at Welgegund, South Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaars, K.; Beukes, J. P.; van Zyl, P. G.; Venter, A. D.; Josipovic, M.; Pienaar, J. J.; Vakkari, V.; Aaltonen, H.; Laakso, H.; Kulmala, M.; Tiitta, P.; Guenther, A.; Hellén, H.; Laakso, L.; Hakola, H.

    2014-07-01

    Aromatic hydrocarbons are associated with direct adverse human health effects and can have negative impacts on ecosystems due to their toxicity, as well as indirect negative effects through the formation of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol, which affect human health, crop production and regional climate. Measurements of aromatic hydrocarbons were conducted at the Welgegund measurement station (South Africa), which is considered to be a regionally representative background site. However, the site is occasionally impacted by plumes from major anthropogenic source regions in the interior of South Africa, which include the western Bushveld Igneous Complex (e.g. platinum, base metal and ferrochrome smelters), the eastern Bushveld Igneous Complex (platinum and ferrochrome smelters), the Johannesburg-Pretoria metropolitan conurbation (> 10 million people), the Vaal Triangle (e.g. petrochemical and pyrometallurgical industries), the Mpumalanga Highveld (e.g. coal-fired power plants and petrochemical industry) and also a region of anticyclonic recirculation of air mass over the interior of South Africa. The aromatic hydrocarbon measurements were conducted with an automated sampler on Tenax-TA and Carbopack-B adsorbent tubes with heated inlet for 1 year. Samples were collected twice a week for 2 h during daytime and 2 h during night-time. A thermal desorption unit, connected to a gas chromatograph and a mass selective detector was used for sample preparation and analysis. Results indicated that the monthly median (mean) total aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations ranged between 0.01 (0.011) and 3.1 (3.2) ppb. Benzene levels did not exceed the local air quality standard limit, i.e. annual mean of 1.6 ppb. Toluene was the most abundant compound, with an annual median (mean) concentration of 0.63 (0.89) ppb. No statistically significant differences in the concentrations measured during daytime and night-time were found, and no distinct seasonal patterns were observed. Air mass back trajectory analysis indicated that the lack of seasonal cycles could be attributed to patterns determining the origin of the air masses sampled. Aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations were in general significantly higher in air masses that passed over anthropogenically impacted regions. Inter-compound correlations and ratios gave some indications of the possible sources of the different aromatic hydrocarbons in the source regions defined in the paper. The highest contribution of aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations to ozone formation potential was also observed in plumes passing over anthropogenically impacted regions.

  1. Organic contamination of ground water at Gas Works Park, Seattle, Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Turney, G.L.; Goerlitz, D.F.

    1990-01-01

    Gas Works Park, in Seattle, Washington, is located on the site of a coal and oil gasification plant that ceased operation in 1956. During operation, many types of wastes, including coal, tar, and oil, accumulated on-site. The park soil is currently (1986) contaminated with compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, trace metals, and cyanide. Analyses of water samples from a network of observation wells in the park indicate that these compounds are also present in the ground water. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds were identified in ground water samples in concentrations as large as 200 mg/L. Concentrations of organic compounds were largest where ground water was in contact with a non-aqueous phase liquid in the soil. Where no non-aqueous phase liquid was present, concentrations were much smaller, even if the ground water was in contact with contaminated soils. This condition is attributed to weathering processes in which soluble, low-molecular-weight organic compounds are preferentially dissolved from the non-aqueous phase liquid into the ground water. Where no non-aqueous phase liquid is present, only stained soils containing relatively insoluble, high-molecular-weight compounds remain. Concentrations of organic contaminants in the soils may still remain large.

  2. Manmade organic compounds in the surface waters of the United States: a review of current understanding

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, James A.; Witkowski, Patrick J.; Fusillo, Thomas V.

    1987-01-01

    This report reviews the occurrence and distribution of manmade organic compounds in the surface waters of the United States. On the basis of their aqueous solubilities, nonionic organic compounds partition themselves between water, dissolved organic matter, particulate organic matter, and the lipid reservoirs of aquatic organisms. Ionized organic compounds can be absorbed to sediments, thereby reducing their aqueous concentrations. Transformation processes of photolysis, hydrolysis, biodegradation, and volatilization can attenuate organic compounds, and attenuation rate commonly follow a first-order kinetic process. Eight groups of manmade organic compounds are discussed: 1. Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine insecticides, 2. Carbamate and organophosphorus insecticides, 3. Herbicides, 4. Phenols, 5. Halogenated aliphatic and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 6. Phthalate esters, 7. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and 8. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For each compound group, data pertaining to use, production, and properties are presented and discussed. Processes that influence that the environmental fate of each group, as determined primarily through laboratory studies, are reviewed, and important fate processes are identified. Environmental concentrations of compounds from each group in water, biota, and sediment are given to demonstrate representative values for comparison to concentrations determined during ongoing research. Finally, where sufficient data exist, regional and temporal contamination trends in the United States are discussed.

  3. Manmade organic compounds in the surface waters of the United States; a review of current understanding

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, James A.; Witkowski, P.J.; Fusillo, Thomas V.

    1988-01-01

    This report reviews the occurrence and distribution of manmade organic compounds in the surface waters of the United States. On the basis of their aqueous solubilities, nonionic organic compounds partition themselves among water, dissolved organic matter, particulate organic matter, and the lipid reservoirs of aquatic organisms. Ionized organic compounds can be adsorbed to sediments, thereby reducing their aqueous concentrations. Transformation processes of photolysis, hydrolysis, biodegradation, and volatilization can attenuate organic compounds, and attenuation rates commonly follow a first-order kinetic process. Eight groups of manmade organic compounds are discussed: 1. Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine insecticides, 2. Carbamate and organophosphorus insecticides, 3. Herbicides, 4. Phenols, 5. Halogenated aliphatic and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 6. Phthalate esters, 7. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and 8. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For each compound group, data pertaining to use, production, and properties are presented and discussed. Processes that influence the environmental fate of each group, as determined primarily through laboratory studies, are reviewed, and important fate processes are identified. Environmental concentrations of compounds from each group in water, biota, and sediment are given to demonstrate representative values for comparison with concentrations determined during ongoing research. Finally, where data are sufficient, regional and temporal contamination trends in the United States are discussed.

  4. Extractive biodegradation and bioavailability assessment of phenanthrene in the cloud point system by Sphingomonas polyaromaticivorans.

    PubMed

    Pan, Tao; Deng, Tao; Zeng, Xinying; Dong, Wei; Yu, Shuijing

    2016-01-01

    The biological treatment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is an important issue. Most microbes have limited practical applications because of the poor bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this study, the extractive biodegradation of phenanthrene by Sphingomonas polyaromaticivorans was conducted by introducing the cloud point system. The cloud point system is composed of a mixture of (40 g/L) Brij 30 and Tergitol TMN-3, which are nonionic surfactants, in equal proportions. After phenanthrene degradation, a higher wet cell weight and lower phenanthrene residue were obtained in the cloud point system than that in the control system. According to the results of high-performance liquid chromatography, the residual phenanthrene preferred to partition from the dilute phase into the coacervate phase. The concentration of residual phenanthrene in the dilute phase (below 0.001 mg/L) is lower than its solubility in water (1.18 mg/L) after extractive biodegradation. Therefore, dilute phase detoxification was achieved, thus indicating that the dilute phase could be discharged without causing phenanthrene pollution. Bioavailability was assessed by introducing the apparent logP in the cloud point system. Apparent logP decreased significantly, thus indicating that the bioavailability of phenanthrene increased remarkably in the system. This study provides a potential application of biological treatment in water and soil contaminated by phenanthrene.

  5. Profiling Jet Fuel on Neurotoxic Components With Comprehensive Two-Dimensional GC

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-11-01

    nitrogen gas to remove possible contaminants that might interfere in the GCxGC-ToF-MS analysis. The generated JP-8 vapor was lead through the...dimension (min) S ec on d di m en si on (s ) Mono Aromatics Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Naphthens Sulfur components Alkanes Figure 14...10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 First dimension (min) S ec on d di m en si on (s ) Mono Aromatics Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Naphthens

  6. 40 CFR Table 2c to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Coatings Pt. 59, Subpt. E, Table 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59—Reactivity Factors for Aromatic...

  7. 40 CFR Table 2c to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Coatings Pt. 59, Subpt. E, Table 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59—Reactivity Factors for Aromatic...

  8. 40 CFR Table 2c to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Reactivity Factors for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Coatings Pt. 59, Subpt. E, Table 2C Table 2C to Subpart E of Part 59—Reactivity Factors for Aromatic...

  9. AGRONOMIC OPTIMIZATION FOR PHYTOREMEDIATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Phytoremediation is a low-cost method of using plants to degrade, volatilize or sequester organic and metal pollutants that has been used in efforts to remediate sites contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) refinery wastes. Non-native plant species aggressivel...

  10. ASSAYING PARTICLE-BOUND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAH) FROM ARCHIVED PM2.5 FILTERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Airborne particulate matter contains numerous organic species, including several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are known or suspected carcinogens. Existing methods for measuring airborne PAHs are complex and costly, primarily because they are designed to collect...

  11. POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON (PAH) EXPOSURE OF 257 PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

    EPA Science Inventory

    We investigated the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure of 257 preschool children and their adult caregivers in their everyday environments. Participants were recruited randomly from eligible homes and daycare centers within six North Carolina (NC) and six Ohio (OH) c...

  12. PHOTOACTIVATION AND TOXICITY OF MIXTURES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS IN MARINE SEDIMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The direct toxicity and photoinduced toxicity of sediment-associated acenaphthene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene were determined for the marine amphipod Rhepoxynius abronius. The four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were spiked into sediment in a concentration se...

  13. Determination of C6-C10 aromatic hydrocarbons in water by purge-and-trap capillary gas chromatography

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eganhouse, R.P.; Dorsey, T.F.; Phinney, C.S.; Westcott, A.M.

    1993-01-01

    A method is described for the determination of the C6-C10 aromatic hydrocarbons in water based on purge-and-trap capillary gas chromatography with flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection. Retention time data and 70 eV mass spectra were obtained for benzene and all 35 C7-C10 aromatic hydrocarbons. With optimized chromatographic conditions and mass spectrometric detection, benzene and 33 of the 35 alkylbenzenes can be identified and measured in a 45-min run. Use of a flame ionization detector permits the simultaneous determination of benzene and 26 alkylbenzenes.

  14. Glutathione S-transferase-encoding gene as a potential probe for environmental bacterial isolates capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed Central

    Lloyd-Jones, G; Lau, P C

    1997-01-01

    Homologs of the glutathione S-transferase (GST)-encoding gene were identified in a collection of aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading Sphingomonas spp. isolated from New Zealand, Antarctica, and the United States by using PCR primers designed from the GST-encoding gene of Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA505. Sequence analysis of PCR fragments generated from these isolates and of the GST gene amplified from DNA extracted from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil revealed a high degree of conservation, which may make the GST-encoding gene a potentially useful marker for PAH-degrading bacteria. PMID:9251217

  15. Analysis of the impregnation of ZnO:Mn2+ nanoparticles on cigarette filters for trapping polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Estrada-Izquierdo, Irma; Sánchez-Espindola, Esther; Uribe-Hernández, Raúl; Ramón-Gallegos, Eva

    2012-10-01

    Each cigarette can generate 1149 ng of a mixture of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, of which there are a lot of information about its harmful effects on the environment and human health, they are considered mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic. In this paper we tested ZnO:Mn2+ nanoparticles, attached to the filters of cigarettes. The first results showed that the filtration system was able to catch the Benzo(a)pyrene contained in cigarette smoke; but more tests are needed to quantify the efficiency with greater accuracy over other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

  16. Detection of the aromatic molecule benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN) in the interstellar medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McGuire, Brett A.; Burkhardt, Andrew M.; Kalenskii, Sergei; Shingledecker, Christopher N.; Remijan, Anthony J.; Herbst, Eric; McCarthy, Michael C.

    2018-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles are thought to be widespread throughout the universe, because these classes of molecules are probably responsible for the unidentified infrared bands, a set of emission features seen in numerous Galactic and extragalactic sources. Despite their expected ubiquity, astronomical identification of specific aromatic molecules has proven elusive. We present the discovery of benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN), one of the simplest nitrogen-bearing aromatic molecules, in the interstellar medium. We observed hyperfine-resolved transitions of benzonitrile in emission from the molecular cloud TMC-1. Simple aromatic molecules such as benzonitrile may be precursors for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon formation, providing a chemical link to the carriers of the unidentified infrared bands.

  17. Organic compounds in radiation fogs in Davis (California)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herckes, Pierre; Hannigan, Michael P.; Trenary, Laurie; Lee, Taehyoung; Collett, Jeffrey L.

    New stainless steel active fogwater collectors were designed and used in Davis (CA, USA) to collect fogwater for the speciation of organic matter. Organic compounds in fog samples were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Numerous organic compounds, including various alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and alkanoic acids, have been identified in the fogwater samples. Higher molecular weight (MW) compounds are preferentially associated with an insoluble phase inside the fog drops, whereas lower molecular weight and more polar compounds are found predominantly in the dissolved phase. Concentrations in the dissolved phase were sometimes much higher than estimated by the compounds' aqueous solubilities.

  18. Precambrian Lunar Volcanic Protolife

    PubMed Central

    Green, Jack

    2009-01-01

    Five representative terrestrial analogs of lunar craters are detailed relevant to Precambrian fumarolic activity. Fumarolic fluids contain the ingredients for protolife. Energy sources to derive formaldehyde, amino acids and related compounds could be by flow charging, charge separation and volcanic shock. With no photodecomposition in shadow, most fumarolic fluids at 40 K would persist over geologically long time periods. Relatively abundant tungsten would permit creation of critical enzymes, Fischer-Tropsch reactions could form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soluble volcanic polyphosphates would enable assembly of nucleic acids. Fumarolic stimuli factors are described. Orbital and lander sensors specific to protolife exploration including combined Raman/laser-induced breakdown spectrocsopy are evaluated. PMID:19582224

  19. AMENDMENT OF SEDIMENTS WITH A CARBONACEOUS RESIN REDUCES BIOAVAILABILITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    A series of laboratory and field test studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Ambersorb, a carbonaceous resin, in reducing bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated sediments collected from the field. Amending contaminated sediment...

  20. DIGESTIVE BIOAVAILABILITY TO A DEPOSIT FEDDER (ARENICOLA MARINA) OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTHRPOGENIC PARTICLES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Marine sediments around urban areas serve as catch basins for anthropogenic particles containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Using incubations with gut fluids extracted from a deposit-feeding polychaete (Arenicola marina), we determined the digestive bioavailability ...

  1. ANALYSIS OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS BY ION TRAP TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY

    EPA Science Inventory

    An ion-trap mass spectrometer with a wave board and tandem mass spectrometry software was used to analyze gas chromatographically separated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by using collision-induced dissociation (CID). The nonresonant (multiple collision) mode was used to...

  2. Susceptibility of eastern oyster early life stages to road surface polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-06-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemical compounds that are mostly : anthropogenic in nature, and they can become persistent organic contaminants in aquatic : ecosystems. Runoff from impervious surfaces is one of the many ways ...

  3. DEGRADATION OF POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS UNDER BENCH-SCALE COMPOST CONDITIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The relationship between biomass growth and degradation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, and subsequent toxicity reduction, was evaluated in 10 in-vessel, bench-scale compost units. Field soil was aquired from the Reilly Tar and Chemical Company Superfund site...

  4. Identification of persulfate oxidation products of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon during remediation of contaminated soil

    EPA Science Inventory

    The extent of PAH transformation, the formation and transformation of reaction byproducts during persulfate oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coking plant soil was investigated. Pre-oxidation analyses indicated that oxygen-containing PAHs (oxy-PAHs) existed ...

  5. COMPUTATIONAL METHODS FOR STUDYING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Computational Methods for Studying the Interaction between Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Biological Macromolecules .

    The mechanisms for the processes that result in significant biological activity of PAHs depend on the interaction of these molecules or their metabol...

  6. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ijam, M.J.; Al-Qatami, S.Y.; Arif, S.F.

    For several decades removal of aromatics from crude oil fractions has been practiced in oil refining to produce fuels and lubricants of lower aromatic content and hence of improved quality. These aromatics are suitable raw materials for the manufacture of aromatic solvents, aromatic process oils, high octane gasoline, and as basic materials for making detergents, perfumes and dyes. A study for the UV and IR spectra of the aromatic hydrocarbons showed them to consist mainly of bi-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-substituted benzene, bicyclic and tricyclic compounds. Detailed studies have been reported of molecular structure and substituent effects have been reportedmore » on the retention characteristics of aromatic hydrocarbons on alumina, silica and various chemically bonded silicas containing {minus}C{sub 18}, {minus}NH{sub 2}, {minus}R(NH){sub 2}, {minus}CN, RCN, and phenyl-mercuric acetate for compound class (ring-numbered) high performance liquid chromatography separation. With the aid of a Finnegan type 9612-4000 GC/MS apparatus, the mixture of neutral + basic aromatic hydrocarbons was qualitatively identified and revealed the presence of more than 112 peaks. The neutral + basic aromatic hydrocarbons consist mainly of: 3.68% monoaromatics (C{sub 3} - C{sub 6} alkyl benzenes), 52.81% bicycloaromatics (C{sub 0} - C{sub 4} alkylnaphthalenes), 6.20% tricycloaromatics (C{sub 0} - C{sub 4} alkyl phenanthrenes), and 37.32% nonhydrocarbons aromatic compounds. The components in major HPLC peaks corresponding to bicycloaromatics were further separated into small groups (3-4 components in each) by HPLC using an ODS-reverse phase-C{sub 18} column. To separate a single component from the mixture is a difficult problem. The individual compounds in the separated fractions were identified by GC/MS (Hewlett Packard 5993 system).« less

  7. Biofiltration of paint solvent mixtures in two reactor types: overloading by polar components.

    PubMed

    Paca, Jan; Halecky, Martin; Misiaczek, Ondrej; Kozliak, Evguenii I; Jones, Kim

    2012-01-01

    Steady-state performances of a trickle bed reactor (TBR) and a biofilter (BF) in loading experiments with increasing inlet concentrations of polar solvents, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone and n-butyl acetate, were investigated, along with the system's dynamic responses. Throughout the entire experimentation time, a constant loading rate of aromatic components of 4 g(c)·m(-3)·h(-1) was maintained to observe the interactions between the polar substrates and aromatic hydrocarbons. Under low combined substrate loadings, the BF outperformed TBR not only in the removal of aromatic hydrocarbons but also in the removal of polar substrates. However, increasing the loading rate of polar components above the threshold value of 31-36 g(c)·m(-3)·h(-1) resulted in a steep and significant drop in the removal efficiencies of both polar (except for butyl acetate) and hydrophobic components, which was more pronounced in the BF; so the relative TBR/BF efficiency became reversed under such overloading conditions. A step-drop of the overall OL(POLAR) (combined loading by polar air pollutants) from overloading values to 7 g(c)·m(-3)·h(-1) resulted in an increase of all pollutant removal efficiencies, although in TBR the recovery was preceded by lag periods lasting between 5 min (methyl ethyl ketone) to 3.7 h (acetone). The occurrence of lag periods in the TBR recovery was, in part, due to the saturation of mineral medium with water-soluble polar solvents, particularly, acetone. The observed bioreactor behavior was consistent with the biological steps being rate-limiting.

  8. Contrasting effects of a nonionic surfactant on the biotransformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to cis-dihydrodiols by soil bacteria

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Allen, C.C.R.; Boyd, D.R.; Hempenstall, F.

    The biotransformation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) naphthalene and phenanthrene was investigated by using two dioxygenase-expressing bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. strain 9816/11 and Sphingomonas yanoikuyae B8/36, under conditions which facilitate mass-transfer limited substrate oxidation. Both of these strains are mutants that accumulate cis-dihydrodiol metabolites under the reaction conditions used. The effects of the nonpolar solvent 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane (HMN) and the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 on the rate of accumulation of these metabolites were determined. HMN increased the rate of accumulation of metabolites for both microorganisms, with both substrates. The enhancement effect was most noticeable with phenanthrene, which has a lower aqueousmore » solubility than naphthalene. Triton X-100 increased the rate of oxidation of the PAHs with strain 9816/11 with the effect being most noticeable when phenanthrene was used as a substrate. However, the surfactant inhibited the biotransformation of both naphthalene and phenanthrene with strain B8/36 under the same conditions. The observation that a nonionic surfactant could have such contrasting effects on PAH oxidation by different bacteria, which are known to be important for the degradation of these compounds in the environment, may explain why previous research on the application of the surfactants to PAH bioremediation has yielded inconclusive results. The surfactant inhibited growth of the wild-type strain S. yanoikuyae B1 on aromatic compounds but did not inhibit B8/36 dioxygenase enzyme activity in vitro.« less

  9. Petroleum hydrocarbons in the surface water of two estuaries in the Southeastern united states

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bidleman, T. F.; Castleberry, A. A.; Foreman, W. T.; Zaranski, M. T.; Wall, D. W.

    1990-01-01

    Surface water samples from Charleston Harbor, SC and Winyah Bay, SC were analysed for total hydrocarbons by gas chromatography (GC) and for petroleum residues (expressed as crude oil equivalents) by fluorescence spectrometry. Cleanup by column chromatography and saponification was necessary to reduce the background from extraneous fluorescing materials. Oil concentrations determined by FS ranged from 0·5-25 μg l -1 in Charleston Harbor and <0·23-9·6 μg l -1 in Winyah Bay. Hydrocarbons determined by GC were significantly correlated ( P < 0·01) with crude oil equivalents determined by FS, but the data showed considerable scatter as indicated by r2 = 0·45. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry for one set of Winyah Bay samples. The sum of nonalkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having ≥ 3 rings ranged from 7-64 ng l -1 at different stations. Perylene, possibly originating from sediment dredging, was one of the more abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

  10. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ballachey, B.E.; Kloecker, K.A.

    Ten moderately to heavily oiled sea otters were collected in Prince William Sound during the Exxon Valdez oil spill and up to seven tissues from each were analyzed for hydrocarbons. Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in all tissues. Concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons in fat samples were an order of magnitude higher than in other tissues. The patterns of distribution of these hydrocarbons suggested crude oil as the source of contamination. However, there was variation among oiled otters in the concentrations of individual hydrocarbons, which may be due to differing proximate causes of mortality and varying lengths of time andmore » sea otters survived following oil exposure. The concentrations of both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in the tissues of the ten oiled sea otters generally were higher than in tissues from 7 sea otters with no external oiling that were collected from prince William Sound in 1989 and 1990, or from 12 sea otters collected from an area in southeast Alaska which had not experienced an oil spill.« less

  11. Cancer Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Soils and Sediments of India: A Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Tarafdar, Abhrajyoti; Sinha, Alok

    2017-10-01

    A carcinogenic risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and sediments was conducted using the probabilistic approach from a national perspective. Published monitoring data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in soils and sediments at different study points across India were collected and converted to their corresponding BaP equivalent concentrations. These BaP equivalent concentrations were used to evaluate comprehensive cancer risk for two different age groups. Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis were applied to quantify uncertainties of risk estimation. The analysis denotes 90% cancer risk value of 1.770E-5 for children and 3.156E-5 for adults at heavily polluted site soils. Overall carcinogenic risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils of India were mostly in acceptance limits. However, the food ingestion exposure route for sediments leads them to a highly risked zone. The 90% risk values from sediments are 7.863E-05 for children and 3.999E-04 for adults. Sensitivity analysis reveals exposure duration and relative skin adherence factor for soil as the most influential parameter of the assessment, followed by BaP equivalent concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For sediments, biota to sediment accumulation factor of fish in terms of BaP is most sensitive on the total outcome, followed by BaP equivalent and exposure duration. Individual exposure route analysis showed dermal contact for soils and food ingestion for sediments as the main exposure pathway. Some specific locations such as surrounding areas of Bhavnagar, Raniganj, Sunderban, Raipur, and Delhi demand potential strategies of carcinogenic risk management and reduction. The current study is probably the first attempt to provide information on the carcinogenic risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and sediments across India.

  12. Determination of hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by HPLC-photoionization tandem mass spectrometry in wood smoke particles and soil samples.

    PubMed

    Avagyan, Rozanna; Nyström, Robin; Boman, Christoffer; Westerholm, Roger

    2015-06-01

    A simple and fast method for analysis of hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using pressurized liquid extraction and high performance liquid chromatography utilizing photoionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed. Simultaneous separation and determination of nine hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and two hydroxy biphenyls could be performed in negative mode with a run time of 12 min, including equilibration in 5 min. The calibration curves were in two concentration ranges; 1-50 ng/mL and 0.01-50 μg/mL, with coefficients of correlation R (2) > 0.997. The limits of detection and method quantification limits were in the range of 9-56 pg and 5-38 ng/g, respectively. A two-level full factorial experimental design was used for screening of conditions with the highest impact on the extraction. The extraction procedure was automated and suitable for a large number of samples. The extraction recoveries ranged from 70 to 102 % and the matrix effects were between 92 and 104 %. The overall method was demonstrated on wood smoke particles and soil samples with good analytical performance, and five OH-PAHs were determined in the concentration range of 0.19-210 μg/g. As far as we know, hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in wood smoke and soil samples using photoionization mass spectrometry for the first time in this present study. Accordingly, this study shows that high performance liquid chromatography photoionization tandem mass spectrometry can be a good option for the determination of hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in complex environmental samples. Graphical Abstract The method developed in this study was used to determine hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wood smoke and soil.

  13. Cancer Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Soils and Sediments of India: A Meta-Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tarafdar, Abhrajyoti; Sinha, Alok

    2017-10-01

    A carcinogenic risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and sediments was conducted using the probabilistic approach from a national perspective. Published monitoring data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in soils and sediments at different study points across India were collected and converted to their corresponding BaP equivalent concentrations. These BaP equivalent concentrations were used to evaluate comprehensive cancer risk for two different age groups. Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis were applied to quantify uncertainties of risk estimation. The analysis denotes 90% cancer risk value of 1.770E-5 for children and 3.156E-5 for adults at heavily polluted site soils. Overall carcinogenic risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils of India were mostly in acceptance limits. However, the food ingestion exposure route for sediments leads them to a highly risked zone. The 90% risk values from sediments are 7.863E-05 for children and 3.999E-04 for adults. Sensitivity analysis reveals exposure duration and relative skin adherence factor for soil as the most influential parameter of the assessment, followed by BaP equivalent concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For sediments, biota to sediment accumulation factor of fish in terms of BaP is most sensitive on the total outcome, followed by BaP equivalent and exposure duration. Individual exposure route analysis showed dermal contact for soils and food ingestion for sediments as the main exposure pathway. Some specific locations such as surrounding areas of Bhavnagar, Raniganj, Sunderban, Raipur, and Delhi demand potential strategies of carcinogenic risk management and reduction. The current study is probably the first attempt to provide information on the carcinogenic risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and sediments across India.

  14. Polybenzimidazole via aromatic nucleophilic displacement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connell, John W. (Inventor); Hergenrother, Paul M. (Inventor); Smith, Joseph G. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    Di(hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole monomers were prepared from phenyl-4-hydroxybenzoate and aromatic bis(o-diamine)s. These monomers were used in the synthesis of soluble polybenzimidazoles. The reaction involved the aromatic nucleophilic displacement of various di(hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole monomers with activated aromatic dihalides or activated aromatic dinitro compounds in the presence of an alkali metal base. These polymers exhibited lower glass transition temperatures, improved solubility, and better compression moldability over their commercial counterparts.

  15. Multidimensional and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography of dichloromethane soluble products from a high sulfur Jordanian oil shale.

    PubMed

    Amer, Mohammad W; Mitrevski, Blagoj; Jackson, W Roy; Chaffee, Alan L; Marriott, Philip J

    2014-03-01

    A high sulfur Jordanian oil shale was converted into liquid hydrocarbons by reaction at 390 °C under N2, and the dichloromethane soluble fraction of the products was isolated then analyzed by using gas chromatography (GC). Comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC×GC) and multidimensional GC (MDGC) were applied for component separation on a polar - non-polar column set. Flame-ionization detection (FID) was used with GC×GC for general sample profiling, and mass spectrometry (MS) for component identification in MDGC. Multidimensional GC revealed a range of thiophenes (th), benzothiophenes (bth) and small amounts of dibenzothiophenes (dbth) and benzonaphthothiophenes (bnth). In addition, a range of aliphatic alkanes and cycloalkanes, ethers, polar single ring aromatic compounds and small amounts of polycyclic aromatics were also identified. Some of these compound classes were not uniquely observable by conventional 1D GC, and certainly this is true for many of their minor constituent members. The total number of distinct compounds was very large (ca.>1000). GC×GC was shown to be appropriate for general sample profiling, and MDGC-MS proved to be a powerful technique for the separation and identification of sulfur-containing components and other polar compounds. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Environmental assessment of aromatic hydrocarbons-contaminated sediments of the Mexican Salina Cuz Bay.

    PubMed

    González-Macías, C; Schifter, I; Lluch-Cota, D B; Méndez-Rodríguez, L; Hernández-Vázquez, S

    2007-10-01

    Concentrations of total aromatic hydrocarbons and extractable organic matter in the water column and sediment were determined in samples collected in the course of the last 20 years from the Salina Cruz Harbor, México, to assess the degree of organic contamination. In sediments, organic compounds accumulate in shallow areas mostly associated with extractable organic matter and fine fractions. Calculated geocumulation index and enrichment factors suggest that contamination could be derived from anthropogenic activities attributed to harbor and ship scrapping activities, as well as transboundary source. Concentration of total aromatic hydrocarbons (as chrysene equivalents) ranged from 0.01 to 534 microg l(-1) in water, and from 0.10 to 2,160 microg g(-1) in sediments. Total aromatic concentration of 5 microg g(-1) is proposed as background concentration.

  17. Public Health Impacts of Secondary Particulate Formation from Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Gasoline

    EPA Science Inventory

    Background: Aromatic hydrocarbons emitted from gasoline‐powered vehicles contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), which increases the atmospheric mass concentration of fine particles (PM2.5). Here we estimate the public health burden associated w...

  18. PERSONAL EXPOSURES TO POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NHEXAS PILOT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Personal exposure monitoring for select polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was performed as part of the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) Pilot Study in Baltimore, MD. Twenty-four hour PM10 sample collections (~5.7 m3) were performed using personal envi...

  19. STUDIES ON BIOREMEDIATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS: BIOAVAILABILITY, BIODEGRADABILITY, AND TOXICITY ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The widespread contamination of aquatic sediments by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has created a need for cost-effective bioremediation processes, on which the bioavailability and the toxicity of PAHs often have a significant impact. This research investigated the biode...

  20. Webinar Presentation: Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Childhood Growth Trajectories and Body Composition: Linkages to Disrupted Self-Regulatory Processes

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This presentation, Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Childhood Growth Trajectories and Body Composition: Linkages to Disrupted Self-Regulatory Processes, was given at the NIEHS/EPA Children's Centers 2016 Webinar Series: Childhood Obesity

  1. Sources and deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to western US national parks

    EPA Science Inventory

    Seasonal snowpack, lichens, and lake sediment cores were collected from fourteen lake catchments in eight western U.S. National Parks and analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to determine their current and historical deposition, as well as to identify thei...

  2. Energy sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. [Carcinogenicity of PAHs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Guerin, M. R.

    1977-01-01

    Combustion is the predominant end-process by which fossil fuels are converted to energy. Combustion, particularly when inefficient, is also the primary technological source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released into the environment. The need for liquid fuels to supply the transportation industry and for nonpolluting fuels for heat and power generation provide the incentive to commercialize processes to convert coal to substitute natural gas and oil. These processes represent a potentially massive new source of environmental PAHs. Insuring an adequate supply of energy with minimum impact on the environment and on health is one of the most important, urgent, andmore » challenging goals currently facing science and technology. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon related carcinogenesis is among the most important of possible occupational- and environmental-health impacts of much of the current and projected national energy base. An understanding of the relationship of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to human cancer and a continued surveillance of energy sources for PAH content are necessary to minimize this impact.« less

  3. Puget Sound Dredged Disposal Analysis: Management Plan Assessment Report. Dredged Material Management Year 1990.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-03-01

    Sulfides BT Bioaccumulation Trigger L LP Ccn tract Laboratory Methods COC Chemical of Concern Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cm centimeter cy cubic... Hydrocarbon (Compound) LOD Limit of Detection LPAH Low Molecular Weight Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Compound) MCLP Modified Contract Laboratory Method...Aromatic Hydrocarbons (HPAHs) (8 samples); * Benzofluoranthenes (7 samples); * Anthracene (6 samples); * Benzo(a)anthracene (6 samples); * Dibenzo(a,h

  4. Improvement of mineral oil saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons determination in edible oil by liquid-liquid-gas chromatography with dual detection.

    PubMed

    Zoccali, Mariosimone; Barp, Laura; Beccaria, Marco; Sciarrone, Danilo; Purcaro, Giorgia; Mondello, Luigi

    2016-02-01

    Mineral oils, which are mainly composed of saturated hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons, are widespread food contaminants. Liquid chromatography coupled to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection represents the method of choice to determine these two families. However, despite the high selectivity of this technique, the presence of olefins (particularly squalene and its isomers) in some samples as in olive oils, does not allow the correct quantification of the mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons fraction, requiring additional off-line tools to eliminate them. In the present research, a novel on-line liquid chromatography coupled to gas chromatography method is described for the determination of hydrocarbon contamination in edible oils. Two different liquid chromatography columns, namely a silica one (to retain the bulk of the matrix) and a silver-ion one (which better retains the olefins), were coupled in series to obtain the mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons hump free of interfering peaks. Furthermore, the use of a simultaneous dual detection, flame ionization detector and triple quadrupole mass spectrometer allowed us not only to quantify the mineral oil contamination, but also to evaluate the presence of specific markers (i.e. hopanes) to confirm the petrogenic origin of the contamination. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yung, Matthew M.; Stanton, Alexander R.; Iisa, Kristiina

    Metal-impregnated (Ni or Ga) ZSM-5 catalysts were studied for biomass pyrolysis vapor upgrading to produce hydrocarbons using three reactors constituting a 100 000x change in the amount of catalyst used in experiments. Catalysts were screened for pyrolysis vapor phase upgrading activity in two small-scale reactors: (i) a Pyroprobe with a 10 mg catalyst in a fixed bed and (ii) a fixed-bed reactor with 500 mg of catalyst. The best performing catalysts were then validated with a larger scale fluidized-bed reactor (using ~1 kg of catalyst) that produced measurable quantities of bio-oil for analysis and evaluation of mass balances. Despite somemore » inherent differences across the reactor systems (such as residence time, reactor type, analytical techniques, mode of catalyst and biomass feed) there was good agreement of reaction results for production of aromatic hydrocarbons, light gases, and coke deposition. Relative to ZSM-5, Ni or Ga addition to ZSM-5 increased production of fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons and light gases. In the fluidized bed reactor, Ga/ZSM-5 slightly enhanced carbon efficiency to condensed oil, which includes oxygenates in addition to aromatic hydrocarbons, and reduced oil oxygen content compared to ZSM-5. Ni/ZSM-5, while giving the highest yield of fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons, gave lower overall carbon efficiency to oil but with the lowest oxygen content. Reaction product analysis coupled with fresh and spent catalyst characterization indicated that the improved performance of Ni/ZSM-5 is related to decreasing deactivation by coking, which keeps the active acid sites accessible for the deoxygenation and aromatization reactions that produce fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons. The addition of Ga enhances the dehydrogenation activity of the catalyst, which leads to enhanced olefin formation and higher fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbon yields compared to unmodified ZSM-5. Catalyst characterization by ammonia temperature programmed desorption, surface area measurements, and postreaction temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) also showed that the metal-modified zeolites retained a greater percentage of their initial acidity and surface area, which was consistent between the reactor scales. These results demonstrate that the trends observed with smaller (milligram to gram) catalyst reactors are applicable to larger, more industrially relevant (kg) scales to help guide catalyst research toward application.« less

  6. Polytetrafluoroethylene-jacketed stirrer modified with graphene oxide and polydopamine for the efficient extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zinxin; Mwadini, Mwadini Ahmada; Chen, Zilin

    2016-10-01

    Steel stirrers jacketed with polytetrafluoroethylene can be regarded as an ideal substrate for stirrer bar sorptive extraction. However, it is still a great challenge to immobilize graphene onto a polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer due to the high chemical resistance of the surface of a polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer. We describe here a method to modify the surface of polytetrafluoroethylene stirrers with graphene. In this work, graphene was used as the sorbent due to its excellent adsorption capability for aromatic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic compounds. Graphene was successfully immobilized onto polytetrafluoroethylene-stirrer by a bio-inspired polydopamine functionalization method. The graphene-modified polytetrafluoroethylene-stirrer shows good stability and tolerance to stirring, ultrasonication, strong acidic and basic solutions, and to organic solvents. The multilayer coating was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. After the optimization of some experimental conditions, the graphene-modified polytetrafluoroethylene stirrer was used for the stirrer bar sorptive extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in which the binding between the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the graphene layer was mainly based on π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. The graphene-modified polytetrafluoroethylene-stirrer-based stirrer bar sorptive extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with great extraction efficiency, with enrichment factors from 18 to 62. The method has low limits of detection of 1-5 pg/mL, wide linear range (5-100 and 10-200 pg/mL), good linearity (R ≥ 0.9957) and good reproducibility (RSD ≤ 6.45%). The proposed method has been applied to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in real dust samples. Good recoveries were obtained, ranging from 88.53 to 109.43%. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Generating Aromatics From CO2 on Mars or Natural Gas on Earth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muscatello, Anthony C.; Zubrin, Robert; Berggren, Mark

    2006-01-01

    Methane to aromatics on Mars ( METAMARS ) is the name of a process originally intended as a means of converting Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide to aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygen, which would be used as propellants for spacecraft to return to Earth. The process has been demonstrated on Earth on a laboratory scale. A truncated version of the process could be used on Earth to convert natural gas to aromatic hydrocarbon liquids. The greater (relative to natural gas) density of aromatic hydrocarbon liquids makes it more economically feasible to ship them to distant markets. Hence, this process makes it feasible to exploit some reserves of natural gas that, heretofore, have been considered as being "stranded" too far from markets to be of economic value. In the full version of METAMARS, carbon dioxide is frozen out of the atmosphere and fed to a Sabatier reactor along with hydrogen (which, on Mars, would have been brought from Earth). In the Sabatier reactor, these feedstocks are converted to methane and water. The water is condensed and electrolyzed to oxygen (which is liquefied) and hydrogen (which is recycled to the Sabatier reactor). The methane is sent to an aromatization reactor, wherein, over a molybdenum-on-zeolite catalyst at a temperature 700 C, it is partially converted into aromatic hydrocarbons (specifically, benzene, toluene, and naphthalene) along with hydrogen. The aromatics are collected by freezing, while unreacted methane and hydrogen are separated by a membrane. Most of the hydrogen is recycled to the Sabatier reactor, while the methane and a small portion of the hydrogen are recycled to the aromatization reactor. The partial recycle of hydrogen to the aromatization reactor greatly increases the catalyst lifetime and eases its regeneration by preventing the formation of graphitic carbon, which could damage the catalyst. (Moreover, if graphitic carbon were allowed to form, it would be necessary to use oxygen to remove it.) Because the aromatics contain only one hydrogen atom per carbon atom, METAMARS produces four times as much propellant from a given amount of hydrogen as does a related process that includes the Sabatier reaction and electrolysis but not aromatization. In the terrestrial version of METAMARS, the Sabatier reactor and electrolyzer would be omitted, while the hydrogen/ methane membrane-separating membrane, the aromatization reactor, and the unreacted-gas-recycling subsystem would be retained. Natural gas would be fed directly to the aromatization reactor. Because natural gas consists of higher hydrocarbons in addition to methane, the aromatization subprocess should be more efficient than it is for methane alone.

  8. Photo-oxidation method using MoS2 nanocluster materials

    DOEpatents

    Wilcoxon, Jess P.

    2001-01-01

    A method of photo-oxidizing a hydrocarbon compound is provided by dispersing MoS.sub.2 nanoclusters in a solvent containing a hydrocarbon compound contaminant to form a stable solution mixture and irradiating the mixture to photo-oxide the hydrocarbon compound. Hydrocarbon compounds of interest include aromatic hydrocarbon and chlorinated hydrocarbons. MoS.sub.2 nanoclusters with an average diameter less than approximately 10 nanometers are shown to be effective in decomposing potentially toxic aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as phenol, pentachlorophenol, chlorinated biphenols, and chloroform, into relatively non-toxic compounds. The irradiation can occur by exposing the MoS.sub.2 nanoclusters and hydrocarbon compound mixture with visible light. The MoS.sub.2 nanoclusters can be introduced to the toxic hydrocarbons as either a MoS.sub.2 solution or deposited on a support material.

  9. FISH BILIARY POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON METABOLITES ESTIMATED BY FIXED-WAVELENGTH FLUORESCENCE: COMPARISON WITH HPLC-FLUORESCENT DETECTION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Fixed wavelength fluorescence (FF) was compared to high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-F) as an estimation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure to fish. Two excitation/emission wavelength pairs were used to measure naphthalene- an...

  10. Modeling the Role of Alkanes, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, and Their Oligomers in Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

    EPA Science Inventory

    A computationally efficient method to treat secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from various length and structure alkanes as well as SOA from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is implemented in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to predict aerosol concentrations ...

  11. COMPARISON OF IMMUNOASSAY AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY FOR MEASUREMENT OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN CONTAMINATED SOIL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are frequently encountered in the environment and may pose health concerns due to their carcinogenicity. A commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was evaluated as a screening method for monitoring PAHs at contaminated site...

  12. ELECTRON AFFINITIES OF POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND NEGATIVE ION CHEMICAL IONIZATION SENSITIVITIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Negative-ion chemical-ionization mass spectrometry (NICI MS) has the potential to be a very useful technique in identifying various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and sediment samples. Some PAHs give much stronger signals under NICI MS conditions than others. On ...

  13. SELECTIVE ENUMERATION OF AROMATIC AND ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON DEGRADING BACTERIA BY A MOST-PROBABLE-NUMBER PROCEDURE

    EPA Science Inventory

    A most-portable-number (MPN) procedure was developed to separately enumerate aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria, because most of the currently available methods are unable to distinguish between these two groups. Separate 96-well microtiter plates are used to ...

  14. EFFECT OF IRRADIANCE SPECTRA ON THE PHOTOINDUCED TOXICITY OF THREE POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Photoinduced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is dependent on the concentration of compounds present and the dose of light received. Of the light present, only those wavelengths absorbed by the compound have the potential to initiate the photochemical events un...

  15. THE EFFECT OF IRRADIANCE SPECTRA ON THE PHOTOACTIVATED TOXICITY OF THREE POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Photoinduced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is dependent on the concentration of compounds present and the dose of light recieved. Of the light present, only those wavelengths absorbed by the compound have the potential to initiate the photochemical events un...

  16. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds in biochar and biochar-amended soil: A review

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Residual pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon(aceous) nanoparticles are inevitably generated during the pyrolysis of waste biomass, and remain on the solid co-product called biochar. Such pollutants could have adverse effects on ...

  17. CROSS-INDUCTION OF PYRENE AND PHENANTHRENE IN MYCOBACTERIUM SP. ISOLATED FROM POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATED RIVER SEDIMENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading culture enriched from contaminated river sediments and a Mycobacterium sp. isolated from the enrichment were tested to investigate the possible synergistic and antagonistic interactions affecting the degradation of pyrene in the p...

  18. Cumulative Exposure Assessment for Trace-Level Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) using Human Blood and Plasma Analysis

    EPA Science Inventory

    Humans experience chronic cumulative trace-level exposure to mixtures of volatile, semi-volatile, and non-volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the environment as by-products of combustion processes. Certain PAHs are known or suspected human carcinogens and ...

  19. Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by four-way parallel factor analysis in presence of humic acid.

    PubMed

    Yang, Ruifang; Zhao, Nanjing; Xiao, Xue; Yu, Shaohui; Liu, Jianguo; Liu, Wenqing

    2016-01-05

    There is not effective method to solve the quenching effect of quencher in fluorescence spectra measurement and recognition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic environment. In this work, a four-way dataset combined with four-way parallel factor analysis is used to identify and quantify polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of humic acid, a fluorescent quencher and an ubiquitous substance in aquatic system, through modeling the quenching effect of humic acid by decomposing the four-way dataset into four loading matrices corresponding to relative concentration, excitation spectra, emission spectra and fluorescence quantum yield, respectively. It is found that Phenanthrene, pyrene, anthracene and fluorene can be recognized simultaneously with the similarities all above 0.980 between resolved spectra and reference spectra. Moreover, the concentrations of them ranging from 0 to 8μgL(-1) in the test samples prepared with river water could also be predicted successfully with recovery rate of each polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon between 100% and 120%, which were higher than those of three-way PARAFAC. These results demonstrate that the combination of four-way dataset with four-way parallel factor analysis could be a promising method to recognize the fluorescence spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of fluorescent quencher from both qualitative and quantitative perspective. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Application of sunflower stalk-carbon nitride nanosheets as a green sorbent in the solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons followed by high-performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Marzi Khosrowshahi, Elnaz; Razmi, Habib

    2018-02-08

    A green biocomposite of sunflower stalks and graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets has been applied as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for sample preparation of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different solutions using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Before the modification, sunflower stalks exhibited relatively low adsorption to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction. The modified sunflower stalks showed increased adsorption to the analytes extraction due to the increase in surface and existence of a π-π interaction between the analytes and graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets on the surface. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection and quantification for five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds could reach 0.4-32 and 1.2-95 ng/L, respectively. The method accuracy was evaluated using recovery measurements in spiked real samples and good recoveries from 71 to 115% with relative standard deviations of <10% have been achieved. The developed method was successfully applied for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determination in various samples-well water, tap water, soil, vegetable, and barbequed meat (kebab)-with analytes contents ranging from 0.065 to 13.3 μg/L. The prepared green composite as a new sorbent has some advantages including ease of preparation, low cost, and good reusability. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Impact of nitrogen-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene mineralisation in soil.

    PubMed

    Anyanwu, Ihuoma N; Ikpikpini, Ojerime C; Semple, Kirk T

    2018-01-01

    When aromatic hydrocarbons are present in contaminated soils, they often occur in mixtures. The impact of four different (3-ring) nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs) on 12/14 C-phenanthrene and 12/14 C-benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) mineralisation in soil was investigated over a 90 d incubation period. The results revealed that both 12/14 C-phenanthrene and 12/14 C-benzo[a]pyrene showed no significant mineralisation in soils amended with 10mgkg -1 and 100mgkg -1 N-PAHs (p>0.05). However, increases in lag-phases and decreases in the rates and extents of mineralisation were observed, over time. Among the N-PAHs, benzo[h]quinoline impacted 14 C-phenanthrene mineralisation with extended and diauxic lag phases. Furthermore, 12/14 C-B[a]P and 14 C-benzo[a]pyrene-nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( 14 C-B[a]P-N-PAHs) amended soils showed extensive lag phases (> 21 d); with some 14 C-B[a]P-N-PAH mineralisation recording <1% in both concentrations (10mgkg -1 and 100mgkg -1 ), over time. This study suggests that the presence of N-PAHs in contaminated soil may impact the microbial degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the impact was most likely the result of limited success in achieving absolute biodegradation of some PAHs in soil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. PHOTOACTIVATED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON TOXICITY IN MEDAKA (ORYZIAS LATIPES) EMBRYOS: RELEVANCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL RISK IN CONTAMINATED SITES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The hazard for photoactivated toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been clearly demonstrated; however, to our knowledge, the risk in contaminated systems has not been characterized. To address this question, a median lethal dose (LD50) for fluoranthene photoa...

  3. CYCLOPENTA-FUSED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN STRAIN A/J MOUSE LUNG: DNA ADDUCTS, ONCOGENE MUTATIONS, & TUMORIGENESIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Cyclopenta-fused Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Strain AJJ Mouse Lung: DNA Adducts, Oncogene Mutations, and Tumorigenesis.

    We have examined the relationships between DNA adducts, Ki-ras oncogene mutations, DNA adducts, and adenoma induction in the lungs of strain A/J...

  4. THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR METHODS TO UNDERSTAND THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS-POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In evaluating the risk posed by chemicals introduced into the environment, information
    about their molecular mechanism of action provides a basis for extrapolating from the
    laboratory to the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a large class
    of...

  5. POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON FORMATION IN OPPOSED FLOW DIFFUSION FLAMES OF ETHANE. (R825412)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    The effect of fuel-side carbon density on the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation in atmospheric pressure, opposed flow, ethane diffusion flames has been studied using heated micro-probe sampling and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (...

  6. IMPORTANCE OF BLACK CARBON IN DISTRIBUTION AND BIOACCUMULATION MODELS OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN CONTAMINATED MARINE SEDIMENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The roles and relative importance of nonpyrogenic organic carbon (NPOC) and black carbon (BC) as binding phases of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were assessed by their ability to estimate pore water concentrations and biological uptake in various marine sediments. Sedim...

  7. CALCULATION OF ELECTRON AFFINITIES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND SOVATION ENERGIES OF THEIR ANIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Electron affinities (EAs) and free energies for electron attachment have been calculated for 42 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and related molecules by a variety of theoretical models, including Koopmans' theorem methods and the L1E method from differences in energy between th...

  8. THE PHOTOTOXOICITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: A THEORETICAL STUDY OF EXCITED STATES AND CORRELATION TO EXPERIMENT

    EPA Science Inventory



    Investigators using models to determine the phototoxic effects of sunlight on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) have invoked the excited states of the molecule as important in elucidating the mechanism of these reactions. Energies of actual excited states were calcu...

  9. Development of a Relative Potency Factor (Rpf) Approach for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures (External Review Draft)

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA is conducting a peer review and public comment of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures that when finalized will appear on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. ...

  10. APPLICATION OF FATE AND TRANSPORT MODELING TO THE REMEDIAL DECISION MAKING PROCESS – INTRODUCTION TO WORKSHOP

    EPA Science Inventory

    The conventional site conceptual model for Brownfield sites considers that the extent of plumes of aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons (such as the BTEX compounds) in ground water are limited by natural biodegradation of the aromatic hydrocarbons by bacteria that use oxygen, nitrate ...

  11. Particle in a Disk: A Spectroscopic and Computational Laboratory Exercise Studying the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Corannulene

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, E. Ramsey; Sygula, Andrzej; Hammer, Nathan I.

    2014-01-01

    This laboratory exercise introduces undergraduate chemistry majors to the spectroscopic and theoretical study of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), corannulene. Students explore the spectroscopic properties of corannulene using UV-vis and Raman vibrational spectroscopies. They compare their experimental results to simulated vibrational…

  12. SOLAR RADIATION DOSE AND PHOTOTOXICITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: A CASE STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increases by as much as three orders of magnitude in the presence of solar radiation. The risk of this photoactive toxicity is thus based on both tissue concentrations of potentially photo activated compounds and the levels of subs...

  13. TRENDS OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON LEVELS AND MUTAGENICITY IN SANTIAGO'S INHALABLE AIRBORNE PARTICLES IN THE PERIOD 1992-1996.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    Trends of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for 1992-1996 (cold season) and their mutagenic activity were investigated in organic extracts from the Santiago. Chile. inhalable particles (PM10). The highest PAH concentrations were observed in 1992 and decline...

  14. PERSONAL EXPOSURE TO FINE PARTICLE POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: OUTDOOR SOURCE TRACERS

    EPA Science Inventory


    The most carcinogenic and toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are the 4-5 ring PAH found preferentially adsorbed to the fine particles (<2.54u in urban ambient air and personal air. Personal exposure to the carcinogenic particle bound PAH is also highly correlated ...

  15. POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON BIODEGRADATION AS A FUNCTION OF OXYGEN TENSION IN CONTAMINATED SOIL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the effect of soil gas oxygen concentration on the degradation and mineralization of spiked 14C-pyrene and nonspiked 16 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) present in the soil. The soil used for the evaluation was...

  16. THE RATES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON EMISSIONS FROM INCENSE BURNING

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper presents the results of experiments performed to determine the amounts of gas- and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) in incense smoke. Ten brands of incense, 3 of stick, 2 of joss stick, and one each of cone, smudge bundle, rope, powder, and rock, w...

  17. FORMATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND THEIR GROWTH TO SOOT -A REVIEW OF CHEMICAL REACTION PATHWAYS. (R824970)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The generation by combustion processes of airborne species of current health concern such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot particles necessitates a detailed understanding of chemical reaction pathways responsible for their formation. The present review discus...

  18. Fluorescence, Absorption, and Excitation Spectra of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons as a Tool for Quantitative Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivera-Figueroa, A. M.; Ramazan, K. A.; Finlayson-Pitts, B. J.

    2004-01-01

    A quantitative and qualitative study of the interplay between absorption, fluorescence, and excitation spectra of pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is conducted. The study of five PAH displays the correlation of the above-mentioned properties along with the associated molecular changes.

  19. MONITORING THE SUCCESS OF SEDIMENT REMEDIATION AT A SITE CONTAMINATED WITH CHLORINATED PESTICIDES, POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    Monitoring the Success of Sediment Remediation at a Site Contaminated with Chlorinated Pesticides, Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Arsenic (Baird & McGuire Superfund Site, Holbrook, MA) Contaminated sediment in the Cochato River adjacent to the Baird & McGuire Superfund Sit...

  20. INFLUENCE OF SOOT CARBON ON THE BIOACCULUMATION OF SEDIMENT-BOUND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS BY MARINE BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES: AN INTERSPECIES COMPARISON

    EPA Science Inventory

    The sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to soot carbon in marine sediments has been hypothesized to reduce PAH bioavailability. This hypothesis was tested for eight species of marine benthic invertebrates (four polychaete worms, Clymenella torquata, Nereis virens,...

  1. ROLE OF SOURCE MATRIX IN THE BIOAVAILABILITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS TO DEPOSIT-FEEDING BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to benthic organisms is complicated by the variety of ways that they are introduced to coastal waters (dissolved, as nonaqueous phase liquids, and tightly bound to soot, coal, tire rubber, and eroded shale). In order ...

  2. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fine Particulate Matter Emitted from Burning Kerosene, Liquid Petroleum Gas, and Wood Fuels in Household Cookstoves

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) composition in particulate matter emissions from residential cookstoves. A variety of fuel and cookstove combinations were examined, including: (i) liquid petroleum gas (LPG), (ii) kerosene in a wick stove, (iii) wood (10%...

  3. METHODOLOGY OF AMBIENT AIR MONITORING FOR POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In the last decade, several studies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in ambient air in the U.S. specifically investigated (1) the sampling efficiency of two sorbents for PAH in air: XAD-2 and polyurethane foam (PUP); (2) the storage stability of PAH on quartz fiber fil...

  4. PILOT-SCALE SUBCRITICAL WATER REMEDIATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON- AND PESTICIDE-CONTAMINATED SOIL. (R825394)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Subcritical water (hot water under enough pressure to maintain the liquid
    state) was used to remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides
    from highly contaminated soils. Laboratory-scale (8 g of soil) experiments were
    used to determine conditions f...

  5. Tailoring ZSM-5 Zeolites for the Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass to Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Hoff, Thomas C; Gardner, David W; Thilakaratne, Rajeeva; Wang, Kaige; Hansen, Thomas W; Brown, Robert C; Tessonnier, Jean-Philippe

    2016-06-22

    The production of aromatic hydrocarbons from cellulose by zeolite-catalyzed fast pyrolysis involves a complex reaction network sensitive to the zeolite structure, crystallinity, elemental composition, porosity, and acidity. The interplay of these parameters under the reaction conditions represents a major roadblock that has hampered significant improvement in catalyst design for over a decade. Here, we studied commercial and laboratory-synthesized ZSM-5 zeolites and combined data from 10 complementary characterization techniques in an attempt to identify parameters common to high-performance catalysts. Crystallinity and framework aluminum site accessibility were found to be critical to achieve high aromatic yields. These findings enabled us to synthesize a ZSM-5 catalyst with enhanced activity, which offers the highest aromatic hydrocarbon yield reported to date. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Hydrocarbons in Deep-Sea Sediments following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Blowout in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico.

    PubMed

    Romero, Isabel C; Schwing, Patrick T; Brooks, Gregg R; Larson, Rebekka A; Hastings, David W; Ellis, Greg; Goddard, Ethan A; Hollander, David J

    2015-01-01

    The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) over 87 days. Sediment and water sampling efforts were concentrated SW of the DWH and in coastal areas. Here we present geochemistry data from sediment cores collected in the aftermath of the DWH event from 1000-1500 m water depth in the DeSoto Canyon, NE of the DWH wellhead. Cores were analyzed at high-resolution (at 2 mm and 5 mm intervals) in order to evaluate the concentration, composition and input of hydrocarbons to the seafloor. Specifically, we analyzed total organic carbon (TOC), aliphatic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), and biomarker (hopanes, steranes, diasteranes) compounds to elucidate possible sources and transport pathways for deposition of hydrocarbons. Results showed higher hydrocarbon concentrations during 2010-2011 compared to years prior to 2010. Hydrocarbon inputs in 2010-2011 were composed of a mixture of sources including terrestrial, planktonic, and weathered oil. Our results suggest that after the DWH event, both soluble and highly insoluble hydrocarbons were deposited at enhanced rates in the deep-sea. We proposed two distinct transport pathways of hydrocarbon deposition: 1) sinking of oil-particle aggregates (hydrocarbon-contaminated marine snow and/or suspended particulate material), and 2) advective transport and direct contact of the deep plume with the continental slope surface sediments between 1000-1200 m. Our findings underline the complexity of the depositional event observed in the aftermath of the DWH event in terms of multiple sources, variable concentrations, and spatial (depth-related) variability in the DeSoto Canyon, NE of the DWH wellhead.

  7. Hydrocarbons in Deep-Sea Sediments following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Blowout in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico

    PubMed Central

    Romero, Isabel C.; Schwing, Patrick T.; Brooks, Gregg R.; Larson, Rebekka A.; Hastings, David W.; Ellis, Greg; Goddard, Ethan A.; Hollander, David J.

    2015-01-01

    The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) over 87 days. Sediment and water sampling efforts were concentrated SW of the DWH and in coastal areas. Here we present geochemistry data from sediment cores collected in the aftermath of the DWH event from 1000 – 1500 m water depth in the DeSoto Canyon, NE of the DWH wellhead. Cores were analyzed at high-resolution (at 2 mm and 5 mm intervals) in order to evaluate the concentration, composition and input of hydrocarbons to the seafloor. Specifically, we analyzed total organic carbon (TOC), aliphatic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), and biomarker (hopanes, steranes, diasteranes) compounds to elucidate possible sources and transport pathways for deposition of hydrocarbons. Results showed higher hydrocarbon concentrations during 2010-2011 compared to years prior to 2010. Hydrocarbon inputs in 2010-2011 were composed of a mixture of sources including terrestrial, planktonic, and weathered oil. Our results suggest that after the DWH event, both soluble and highly insoluble hydrocarbons were deposited at enhanced rates in the deep-sea. We proposed two distinct transport pathways of hydrocarbon deposition: 1) sinking of oil-particle aggregates (hydrocarbon-contaminated marine snow and/or suspended particulate material), and 2) advective transport and direct contact of the deep plume with the continental slope surface sediments between 1000-1200 m. Our findings underline the complexity of the depositional event observed in the aftermath of the DWH event in terms of multiple sources, variable concentrations, and spatial (depth-related) variability in the DeSoto Canyon, NE of the DWH wellhead. PMID:26020923

  8. Chemically bonded stationary phases that use synthetic hosts containing aromatic binding clefts: HPLC analysis of nitro-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed Central

    Zimmerman, S C; Saionz, K W; Zeng, Z

    1993-01-01

    The synthesis of hosts with improved binding affinities for nitroaromatic guests is described. Association constants for several host-guest complexes were measured in chloroform solution and ranged over three orders of magnitude. Two hosts were covalently linked to silica gel to produce chemically bonded stationary phases for HPLC. The use of these phases for HPLC analysis of nitro-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is discussed. PMID:8433981

  9. Infrared Spectroscopy of Matrix-Isolated Polycyclic Aromatic Nitrogen Heterocycles (PANHs)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mattioda, A. L.; Hudgins, D. M.; Bauschlicher, C. W.; Allamandola, L. J.; Biemesderfer, C. D.; Rosi, M.

    2002-01-01

    The mid-infrared spectra of the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic compounds 1-azabenz[a]-anthracene; 2-azabenz[a]anthracene; 1-azachrysene; 2-azachrysene; 4-azachrysene; 2-azapyrene, and 7,8 benzoquinoline in their neutral and cation forms were investigated. The spectra of these species isolated in an argon matrix have been measured. Band frequencies and intensities were tabulated and these data compared with spectra computed using density functional theory at the B3LYP level. The overall agreement between experiment and theory is quite good, in keeping with earlier results on homonuclear polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The differences between the spectral properties of nitrogen bearing aromatics and non-substituted, neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will be discussed.

  10. Distributions of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic Ketones, Carboxylic Acids, and Trace Metals in Arctic Aerosols: Long-Range Atmospheric Transport, Photochemical Degradation/Production at Polar Sunrise.

    PubMed

    Singh, Dharmendra Kumar; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Yanase, Ayako; Barrie, Leonard A

    2017-08-15

    The distributions, correlations, and source apportionment of aromatic acids, aromatic ketones, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and trace metals were studied in Canadian high Arctic aerosols. Nineteen PAHs including minor sulfur-containing heterocyclic PAH (dibenzothiophene) and major 6 carcinogenic PAHs were detected with a high proportion of fluoranthene followed by benzo[k]fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene. However, in the sunlit period of spring, their concentrations significantly declined likely due to photochemical decomposition. During the polar sunrise from mid-March to mid-April, benzo[a]pyrene to benzo[e]pyrene ratios significantly dropped, and the ratios diminished further from late April to May onward. These results suggest that PAHs transported over the Arctic are subjected to strong photochemical degradation at polar sunrise. Although aromatic ketones decreased in spring, concentrations of some aromatic acids such as benzoic and phthalic acids increased during the course of polar sunrise, suggesting that aromatic hydrocarbons are oxidized to result in aromatic acids. However, PAHs do not act as the major source for low molecular weight (LMW) diacids such as oxalic acid that are largely formed at polar sunrise in the arctic atmosphere because PAHs are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude less abundant than LMW diacids. Correlations of trace metals with organics, their sources, and the possible role of trace transition metals are explained.

  11. Infrared spectroscopy for the determination of hydrocarbon types in jet fuels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buchar, C. S.

    1981-01-01

    The concentration of hydrocarbon types in conventional jet fuels and synfuels can be measured using a computerized infrared spectrophotometer. The computerized spectrophotometer is calibrated using a fuel of known aromatic and olefinic content. Once calibration is completed, other fuels can be rapidly analyzed using an analytical program built into the computer. The concentration of saturates can be calculated as 100 percent minus the sum of the aromatic and olefinic concentrations. The analysis of a number of jet fuels produced an average standard deviation of 1.76 percent for aromatic types and one of 3.99 percent for olefinic types. Other substances such as oils and organic mixtures can be analyzed for their hydrocarbon content.

  12. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons profiles of spent drilling fluids deposited at Emu-Uno, Delta State, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Iwegbue, Chukwujindu M A

    2011-10-01

    The concentrations and profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in spent drilling fluid deposited at Emu-Uno, Delta State of Nigeria. The total concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the spent drilling fluid deposits ranged between 40 and 770 μg kg(-1). The PAHs profile were predominantly 2- and 3-rings with acenaphthalene, phenanthrene, fluorene being the predominant PAHs. The prevalence of 2- and 3-rings PAHs in the spent drilling fluid deposits indicate contamination of the drilling fluids with crude oil during drilling. Incorporation of spent drilling fluids into the soil has serious implication for soil, surface water and groundwater quality. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011

  13. Biodegradation of Nitriles in Shale Oil

    PubMed Central

    Aislabie, Jackie; Atlas, Ronald M.

    1988-01-01

    Enrichment cultures were obtained, after prolonged incubation on a shale oil as the sole source of nitrogen, that selectively degraded nitriles. Capillary gas chromatographic analyses showed that the mixed microbial populations in the enrichments degraded the homologous series of aliphatic nitriles but not the aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, or heterocyclic-nitrogen compounds found in this oil. Time course studies showed that lighter nitriles were removed more rapidly than higher-molecular-weight nitriles. A Pseudomonas fluorescens strain isolated from an enrichment, which was able to completely utilize the individual nitriles undecyl cyanide and undecanenitrile as sole sources of carbon and nitrogen, was unable to attack stearonitrile when provided alone as the growth substrate. A P. aeruginosa strain, also isolated from one of the enrichments, used nitriles but not aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons when the oil was used as a sole nitrogen source. However, when the shale oil was used as the sole source of carbon, aliphatic hydrocarbons in addition to nitriles were degraded but aromatic hydrocarbons were still not attacked by this P. aeruginosa strain. PMID:16347731

  14. Application of aqueous saponin on the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-contaminated soil.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Takayuki; Kaminaga, Hirohisa; Navarro, Ronald R; Iimura, Yosuke

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of aqueous saponin for the removal and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soil. Dissolution test confirmed the ability of saponin to increase the apparent solubility of the tested 3-5 rings PAH above the critical micelle concentration (approximately 1000 mg/L). Microbial test with pure culture of Sphingomonas sp. showed that saponin significantly enhanced the degradation of pyrene. For example, the percent degradation was 2.1 times higher in the presence of 2500 mg/L saponin than that of control without saponin after 60 hours incubation at around 10(8) CFU/mL initial cell loading. These results suggest that the binding of pyrene with saponin does not pose a serious constraint to bacterial uptake. Contrary to pyrene, saponin was chemically stable against the PAHs degrader. It is also not toxic to the cell at least up to 2500 mg/L. Finally, using a spiked soil sample, extraction tests with 10,000 mg/L of saponin showed that around 52.7% and 0.3% of pyrene was removed from low and high organic spiked soils, respectively. The results from this study indicate that aqueous saponin is appropriate as a washing agent as well as biodegradation enhancer for the detoxification of PAHs-contaminated low organic carbon soil.

  15. [The dose response decrease of lung function associated with the urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites in coke oven workers].

    PubMed

    Hu, Die; Deng, Qi-fei; Huang, Su-li; He, Yun-feng; Guo, Huan; Wu, Tang-chun

    2012-12-01

    To analyze the relationship between metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and lung function in coke oven workers, and to provide scientific basis for further exploring the potential mechanism and developing the preventing strategies of the workers' early lung damage. We measured carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene soluble matter, particulate matters, and PAHs at different workplaces of a coke oven plant. Detailed information on demography and occupational health condition of 912 workers were collected. We divided these workers into control group and coke oven group according to their workplaces and the different concentrations of COEs in the environment. We detected 10 urinary PAH metabolites and lung function using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and spirometric tests, respectively. FEV(1.0) (91.12 ± 13.31) and FEV(1.0)/FVC (108.61 ± 20.37) of the coke oven group is significantly lower than the control group (94.16 ± 15.57, 113.45 ± 19.70). In the coke oven group, the hydroxyphenanthrene and 1-hydroxypyrene are negatively correlated with FEV(1.0)/FVC (β = -0.136, β = -0.100), Ptrend < 0.05 for all. The dose response decrease of lung function is associated with the urinary PAH metabolites in coke oven workers. Indicated that the long exposure to PAHs may cause the early lung damage in coke oven workers, phenanthrene and pyrene may be the main factors.

  16. Simulating the dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in contaminated soil through composting by COP-Compost model.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yuan; Guan, Yidong; Shi, Qi

    2015-02-01

    Organic pollutants (OPs) are potentially present in composts, and the assessment of their content and bioaccessibility in these composts is of paramount importance to minimize the risk of soil contamination and improve soil fertility. In this work, integration of the dynamics of organic carbon (OC) and OPs in an overall experimental framework is first proposed and adopted to validate the applicability of the COP-Compost model and to calibrate the model parameters on the basis of what has been achieved with the COP-Compost model. The COP-Compost model was evaluated via composting experiments containing 16 US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the sorption coefficient (Kd) values of two types of OP: fluorenthene (FLT) and pyrene (PHE). In our study, these compounds are used to characterize the sequential extraction and are quantified as soluble, sorbed, and non-extractable fractions. The model was calibrated, and coupling the OC and OP modules improved the simulation of the OP behavior and bioaccessibility during composting. The results show good agreement between the simulated and experimental results describing the evolution of different organic pollutants using the OP module, as well as the coupling module. However, no clear relationship is found between the Kd and the property of organic fractions. Further estimation of parameters is still necessary to modify the insufficiency of this present research.

  17. DEPENDENCY OF POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYL AND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON BIOACCUMULATION IN MYA ARENARIA ON BOTH WATER COLUMN AND SEDIMENT BED CHEMICAL ACTIVITIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by the filter-feeding soft-shell clam Mya arenaria was evaluated at three sites near Boston (MA, USA) by assessing the chemical activities of those hydrophobic organic compounds (H...

  18. REAL-TIME AND INTEGRATED MEASUREMENT OF POTENTIAL HUMAN EXPOSURE TO PARTICLE-BOUND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) FROM AIRCRAFT EXHAUST

    EPA Science Inventory

    Real-time monitors and low-volume air samplers were used to measure the potential human exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations during various flight-related and ground-support activities of C-130H aircraft at an Air National Guard base. Three...

  19. Role of sooty mold fungi in degradation of polycycllic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) in soil

    Treesearch

    Venera A. Jouraeva; David L. Johnson; John P. Hassett; David J. Nowak; Natalia A. Shipunova; Dana Barbarossa

    2006-01-01

    The focus of this research was on elucidation of the role of deciduous tree ecosystems in accumulation of fine-particle-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals on leaves of deciduous trees. The studied species were Tilia x euchlora (frequently infested by sooty mold fungi) and Pyrus calleryana (...

  20. The Influence of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Bioavailability and Toxicity to Soil Microbial Communities in Alfalfa Rhizosphere

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may affect bioavailability and toxicity of organic contaminants due to their adsorption properties. Recent studies have observed the influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other organic contaminants. Greenh...

  1. Development of a Relative Potency Factor (RPF) Approach for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures (Interagency Science Consultation Draft)

    EPA Science Inventory

    On February 26, 2010, the draft Development of a Relative Potency Factor (RPF) Approach for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures document and the charge to external peer reviewers were released for external peer review and public comment. The draft document and t...

  2. RELATING DAILY SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION DOSE IN SALT MARSH-ASSOCIATED ESTUARINE SYSTEMS TO LABORATORY ASSESSMENTS OF PHOTOACTIVATED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON TOXICITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Estuaries of the southeastern United States not only serve an important nursery function but also are common repositories of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derived from upland activities. Thus, these habitats may be at risk for PAHphototoxicity. To better characterize ...

  3. SEASONAL VARIATION OF THE PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND OF MAJOR AEROSOL SPECIES IN CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA. (R827352C020)

    EPA Science Inventory

    As part of the Southern California Particle Center and Supersite (SCPCS) activities, we measured, during all seasons, particle size distributions of 12 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), concurrently with elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), sul...

  4. Multi-class, multi-residue analysis of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and novel flame retardants....mass spectrometry

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A multi-class, multi-residue method for the analysis of 13 novel flame retardants, 18 representative pesticides, 14 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 7 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in catfish muscle was developed and evaluated...

  5. A COMPUTER DOCKING STUDY OF THE BINDING OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND THEIR METABOLITES TO THE LIGARD-BINDING DOMAIN OF THE ESTROGEN RECEPTOR

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of ubiquitous, anthropogenic chemicals found in the environment. In the present study, computational methods are used to evaluate their potential estrogenicity and the contribution chemicals in this class make to environmental e...

  6. WHY DOES 5-METHYL CHRYSENE INTERACT WITH DNA LIKE BOTH A PLANAR AND A NON-PLANAR POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON? QUANTUM MECHANICAL STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a large class of anthropogenic chemicals found in the environment. Some class members are potent animal carcinogens while other similar class members show little carcinogenic activity. When considering a series of in vitro studies of the int...

  7. PHOTO-INDUCED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON TOXIC POTENTIALS OF NEAR SHORE LARVAL FISH HABITAT IN THE GREAT LAKES, USA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Photo-induced toxicity (PIT) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has been documented in laboratory studies for both invertebrate and vertebrate aquatic organisms. PIT has not been verified in field studies for larval fish to date. Filtered water samples and larval fish were...

  8. COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF THE EFFECT OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON GEOMETRY ON THE HYDROLYSIS OF DIOL EPOXIDES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Comparative studies of the effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon geometry on the hydrolysis of diol epoxides

    The interaction of the diol epoxides (DEs) of both planar and non-planar PAHs with water have been examined using quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics. Th...

  9. Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in biochar and biochar amended soil

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A method for the determination of the 16 USEPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biochar and soil amended with biochar was developed. Samples were Soxhlet extracted with acetone:cyclohexane 1:1, and PAHs were analysed by GC-MS after silica gel clean-up. In a comparative study based on reflu...

  10. MEASUREMENT OF HIGH-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN SOILS BY PARTICLE BEAM HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) comprise a class of potentially hazardous compounds of concern to the U.S.EPA. The application of particle-beam (PB) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to the measurement of high-molecular-weight PAHs was investigated. Instrume...

  11. IMPACTS OF AGING ON IN VIVO AND IN VITRO MEASUREMENTS OF SOIL-BOUND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON AVAILABILITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ingestion of contaminated soil is an exposure pathway at approximately one-half of the Superfund sites in the United States. This study was designed to evaluate the impacts of aging in soil on the availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Two coal tar (CT)-amended ...

  12. Influence of silicon defects on the adsorption of thiophene-like compounds on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a theoretical study using thiophene + coronene as the simplest model.

    PubMed

    Galano, Annia

    2007-03-08

    Physisorption and chemisorption processes of thiophene on coronene and 2Si-coronene have been studied using density functional theory and MP2 methods. These systems have been chosen as the simplest models to describe the adsorption of thiophene-like compounds on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The calculated data suggest that the presence of silicon atoms in PAHs could favor their interaction with thiophene and similar compounds. Small stabilization energies have been found for several physisorbed complexes. The thiophene chemisorption on coronene seems very unlikely to occur, while that on 2Si-coronene leads to addition products which are very stable, with respect to the isolated reactants. These chemisorption processes were found to be exoergic (DeltaG < 0) in the gas phase and in the nonpolar liquid phase. The results reported in this work suggest that silicon defects on extended polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as graphite, soot, and large-diameter carbon nanotubes, could make them useful in the removal processes of aromatic sulfur compounds from oil hydrocarbons.

  13. Optimizing catalysis conditions to decrease aromatic hydrocarbons and increase alkanes for improving jet biofuel quality.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Jun; Li, Tao; Huang, Rui; Zhou, Junhu; Cen, Kefa

    2014-04-01

    To produce quality jet biofuel with high amount of alkanes and low amount of aromatic hydrocarbons, two zeolites of HY and HZSM-5 supporting Ni and Mo were used as catalysts to convert soybean oil into jet fuel. Zeolite HY exhibited higher jet range alkane selectivity (40.3%) and lower jet range aromatic hydrocarbon selectivity (23.8%) than zeolite HZSM-5 (13.8% and 58.9%). When reaction temperature increased from 330 to 390°C, yield of jet fuel over Ni-Mo/HY catalyst at 4 MPa hydrogen pressure increased from 0% to 49.1% due to the shift of reaction pathway from oligomerization to cracking reaction. Further increase of reaction temperature from 390 to 410°C resulted in increased yield of jet range aromatic hydrocarbons from 18.7% to 30%, which decreased jet fuel quality. A high yield of jet fuel (48.2%) was obtained at 1 MPa low hydrogen pressure over Ni (8 wt.%)-Mo (12 wt.%)/HY catalyst. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Di(hydroxyphenyl)- benzimidazole monomers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connell, John W. (Inventor); Hergenrother, Paul M. (Inventor); Smith, Joseph G. (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    Di(hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole monomers were prepared from phenyl-hydroxybenzoate and aromatic bis(o-diamine)s. These monomers were used in the synthesis of soluble polybenzimidazoles. The reaction involved the aromatic nucleophilic displacement of various di(hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole monomers with activated aromatic dihalides or activated aromatic dinitro compounds in the presence of an alkali metal base. These polymers exhibited lower glass transition temperatures, improved solubility, and better compression moldability over their commercial counterparts.

  15. Inorganic-organic hybrid coating material for the online in-tube solid-phase microextraction of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine.

    PubMed

    Wang, ShuLing; Xu, Hui

    2016-12-01

    An inorganic-organic hybrid nanocomposite (zinc oxide/polypyrrole) that represents a novel kind of coating for in-tube solid-phase microextraction is reported. The composite coating was prepared by a facile electrochemical polymerization strategy on the inner surface of a stainless-steel tube. Based on the coated tube, a novel online in-tube solid-phase microextraction with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry method was developed and applied for the extraction of three monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in human urine. The coating displayed good extraction ability toward monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, long lifespan, excellent stability, and good compression resistance were also obtained for the coating. The experimental conditions affecting the extraction were optimized systematically. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.039-0.050 and 0.130-0.167 ng/mL, respectively. Good linearity (0.2-100 ng/mL) was obtained with correlation coefficients larger than 0.9967. The repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation, ranged between 2.5% and 9.4%. The method offered the advantage of process simplicity, rapidity, automation, and sensitivity in the analysis of human urinary monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two different cities of Hubei province. An acceptable recovery of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (64-122%) represented the additional attractive features of the method in real urine analysis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Removal of crude oil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via organoclay-microbe-oil interactions.

    PubMed

    Ugochukwu, Uzochukwu C; Fialips, Claire I

    2017-05-01

    Clay minerals are quite vital in biogeochemical processes but the effect of organo-clays in the microbial degradation of crude oil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is not well understood. The role of organo-saponite and organo-montmorillonite in comparison with the unmodified clays in crude oil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) removal via adsorption and biodegradation was studied by carrying out microcosm experiments in aqueous clay/oil systems with a hydrocarbon degrading microbial community that is predominantly alcanivorax spp. Montmorillonite and saponite samples were treated with didecyldimethylammonium bromide to produce organo-montmorillonite and organo-saponite used in this study. Obtained results indicate that clays with high cation exchange capacity (CEC) such as montmorillonite produced organo-clay (organomontmorillonite) that was not stimulatory to biodegradation of crude oil polycyclic aromatic compounds, especially the low molecular weight (LMW) ones, such as dimethylnaphthalenes. It is suggested that interaction between the organic phase of the organo-clay and the crude oil PAHs which is hydrophobic in nature must have reduced the availability of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for biodegradation. Organo-saponite did not enhance the microbial degradation of dimethylnaphthalenes but enhanced the biodegradation of some other PAHs such as phenanthrene. The unmodified montmorillonite enhanced the microbial degradation of the PAHs and is most likely to have done so as a result of its high surface area that allows the accumulation of microbes and nutrients enhancing their contact. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Organic Molecules On the Surfaces of Iapetus and Phoebe

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pendleton, Yvonne J.; Dalle Ore, Cristina M.; Clark, Roger N.; Cruikshank, Dale P.

    2017-01-01

    Absorption bands of both aliphatic and aromatic organic molecules are found in the reflectance spectra of Saturn satellites Iapetus, Phoebe, and Hyperion obtained with the Cassini Visible-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). The VIMS data do not fully resolve the individual bands of C-H functional groups specific to particular molecules, but instead show absorption envelopes representing blended clusters of the bands of aromatic (approximately 3.28 microns) and aliphatic (approximately 3.4 microns) hydrocarbons known in spectra of interstellar dust. In Cruikshank et al. (2014), we matched components of the unresolved hydrocarbon band envelopes with clusters of bands of a range of functional groups in specific types of organic compounds (e.g., normal and N-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, olefins, cycloalkanes, and molecules with lone-pair interactions of N and O with CH3+). In the work reported here, we revisit the spectra of Iapetus and Phoebe using VIMS data processed with improved radiometric and wavelength calibration (denoted RC19). The band envelopes of both aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons are now more clearly defined, corroborating the provisional assignment of specific classes of molecules in Cruikshank et al. 2014, but permitting a more reliable quantitative assessment of the relative contributions of those classes, and a revision to the earlier estimate of the ratio of the abundances of aromatic to aliphatic molecules.

  18. Biosorption removal of benzene and toluene by three dried macroalgae at different ionic strength and temperatures: Algae biochemical composition and kinetics.

    PubMed

    Flores-Chaparro, Carlos E; Chazaro Ruiz, Luis Felipe; Alfaro de la Torre, Ma Catalina; Huerta-Diaz, Miguel Angel; Rangel-Mendez, Jose Rene

    2017-05-15

    Release of low-molecular aromatic hydrocarbons (HC) into natural waters brings severe consequences to our environment. Unfortunately very limited information is available regarding the treatment of these pollutants. This work evaluated the use of brown, green and red macroalgae biomass as biosorbents of benzene and toluene, two of the most soluble HC. Raw seaweed biomasses were completely characterized, then evaluated under different temperatures and ionic strengths to assess their potential as biosorbents and to elucidate the biosorption mechanisms involved. Brown macroalgae registered the highest removal capacities for benzene and toluene (112 and 28 mg·g -1 , respectively), and these were not affected at ionic strength < 0.6 M. Langmuir and Sips isotherm equations well described biosorption data, and the pseudo-second order model provided the best fit to the kinetics rate. Hydrocarbons are adsorbed onto the diverse chemical components of the cell wall by London forces and hydrophobic interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Storm water runoff concentration matrix for urban areas.

    PubMed

    Göbel, P; Dierkes, C; Coldewey, W G

    2007-04-01

    The infrastructure (roads, sidewalk, commercial and residential structures) added during the land development and urbanisation process is designed to collect precipitation and convey it out of the watershed, typically in existing surface water channels, such as streams and rivers. The quality of surface water, seepage water and ground water is influenced by pollutants that collect on impervious surfaces and that are carried by urban storm water runoff. Heavy metals, e.g. lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) and readily soluble salts in runoff, contribute to the degradation of water. An intensive literature search on the distribution and concentration of the surface-dependent runoff water has been compiled. Concentration variations of several pollutants derived from different surfaces have been averaged. More than 300 references providing about 1300 data for different pollutants culminate in a representative concentration matrix consisting of medians and extreme values. This matrix can be applied to long-term valuations and numerical modelling of storm water treatment facilities.

  20. Simultaneous removals of NOx, HC and PM from diesel exhaust emissions by dielectric barrier discharges.

    PubMed

    Song, Chong-Lin; Bin, Feng; Tao, Ze-Min; Li, Fang-Cheng; Huang, Qi-Fei

    2009-07-15

    The main target of this work is to characterize the abatements of particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) from an actual diesel exhaust using dielectric barrier discharge technology (DBD). The effects of several parameters, such as peak voltage, frequency and engine load, on the contaminant removals have been investigated intensively. The present study shows that for a given frequency, the removals of PM and HC are enhanced with the increase of peak voltage and level off at higher voltage, while in the range of higher voltages a decline of NO(x) removal efficiency is observed. For a given voltage, the maximums of specific energy density (SED) and removal efficiency are attained at resonance point. The increase of peak voltage will result in a significant decrease of energy utilization efficiency of DBD at most engine loads. Alkanes in soluble organic fraction (SOF) are more readily subjected to removals than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

  1. Evaluation of humic fractions potential to produce bio-oil through catalytic hydroliquefaction.

    PubMed

    Lemée, L; Pinard, L; Beauchet, R; Kpogbemabou, D

    2013-12-01

    Humic substances were extracted from biodegraded lignocellulosic biomass (LCBb) and submitted to catalytic hydroliquefaction. The resulting bio-oils were compared with those of the initial biomass. Compared to fulvic and humic acids, humin presented a high conversion rate (74 wt.%) and the highest amount of liquid fraction (66 wt.%). Moreover it represented 78% of LCBb. Humin produced 43 wt.% of crude oil and 33 wt.% of hexane soluble fraction containing hydrocarbons which is a higher yield than those from other humic substances as well as from the initial biomass. Hydrocarbons were mainly aromatics, but humin produces the highest amount of aliphatics. Considering the quantity, the quality and the molecular composition of the humic fractions, a classification of the potential of the latter to produce fuel using hydroliquefaction process can be assess: Hu>AF>AH. The higher heating value (HHV) and oxygen content of HSF from humin were fully compatible with biofuel characteristics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Determination of oxygen and nitrogen derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fractions of asphalt mixtures using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization.

    PubMed

    Nascimento, Paulo Cicero; Gobo, Luciana Assis; Bohrer, Denise; Carvalho, Leandro Machado; Cravo, Margareth Coutinho; Leite, Leni Figueiredo Mathias

    2015-12-01

    Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization was used for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives, the oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, formed in asphalt fractions. Two different methods have been developed for the determination of five oxygenated and seven nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are characterized by having two or more condensed aromatic rings and present mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. The parameters of the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface were optimized to obtain the highest possible sensitivity for all compounds. The detection limits of the methods ranged from 0.1 to 57.3 μg/L for nitrated and from 0.1 to 6.6 μg/L for oxygenated derivatives. The limits of quantification were in the range of 4.6-191 μg/L for nitrated and 0.3-8.9 μg/L for oxygenated derivatives. The methods were validated against a diesel particulate extract standard reference material (National Institute of Standards and Technology SRM 1975), and the obtained concentrations (two nitrated derivatives) agreed with the certified values. The methods were applied in the analysis of asphalt samples after their fractionation into asphaltenes and maltenes, according to American Society for Testing and Material D4124, where the maltenic fraction was further separated into its basic, acidic, and neutral parts following the method of Green. Only two nitrated derivatives were found in the asphalt sample, quinoline and 2-nitrofluorene, with concentrations of 9.26 and 2146 mg/kg, respectively, whereas no oxygenated derivatives were detected. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Public health impacts of secondary particulate formation from aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Aromatic hydrocarbons emitted from gasoline-powered vehicles contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), which increases the atmospheric mass concentration of fine particles (PM2.5). Here we estimate the public health burden associated with exposures to the subset of PM2.5 that originates from vehicle emissions of aromatics under business as usual conditions. Methods The PM2.5 contribution from gasoline aromatics is estimated using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system and the results are compared to ambient measurements from the literature. Marginal PM2.5 annualized concentration changes are used to calculate premature mortalities using concentration-response functions, with a value of mortality reduction approach used to monetize the social cost of mortality impacts. Morbidity impacts are qualitatively discussed. Results Modeled aromatic SOA concentrations from CMAQ fall short of ambient measurements by approximately a factor of two nationwide, with strong regional differences. After accounting for this model bias, the estimated public health impacts from exposure to PM2.5 originating from aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline lead to a central estimate of approximately 3800 predicted premature mortalities nationwide, with estimates ranging from 1800 to over 4700 depending on the specific concentration-response function used. These impacts are associated with total social costs of $28.2B, and range from $13.6B to $34.9B in 2006$. Conclusions These preliminary quantitative estimates indicate particulates from vehicular emissions of aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrate a nontrivial public health burden. The results provide a baseline from which to evaluate potential public health impacts of changes in gasoline composition. PMID:23425393

  4. Multiscale Evaluation of Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors on Ni- and Ga-Modified ZSM-5

    DOE PAGES

    Yung, Matthew M.; Stanton, Alexander R.; Iisa, Kristiina; ...

    2016-10-07

    Metal-impregnated (Ni or Ga) ZSM-5 catalysts were studied for biomass pyrolysis vapor upgrading to produce hydrocarbons using three reactors constituting a 100 000x change in the amount of catalyst used in experiments. Catalysts were screened for pyrolysis vapor phase upgrading activity in two small-scale reactors: (i) a Pyroprobe with a 10 mg catalyst in a fixed bed and (ii) a fixed-bed reactor with 500 mg of catalyst. The best performing catalysts were then validated with a larger scale fluidized-bed reactor (using ~1 kg of catalyst) that produced measurable quantities of bio-oil for analysis and evaluation of mass balances. Despite somemore » inherent differences across the reactor systems (such as residence time, reactor type, analytical techniques, mode of catalyst and biomass feed) there was good agreement of reaction results for production of aromatic hydrocarbons, light gases, and coke deposition. Relative to ZSM-5, Ni or Ga addition to ZSM-5 increased production of fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons and light gases. In the fluidized bed reactor, Ga/ZSM-5 slightly enhanced carbon efficiency to condensed oil, which includes oxygenates in addition to aromatic hydrocarbons, and reduced oil oxygen content compared to ZSM-5. Ni/ZSM-5, while giving the highest yield of fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons, gave lower overall carbon efficiency to oil but with the lowest oxygen content. Reaction product analysis coupled with fresh and spent catalyst characterization indicated that the improved performance of Ni/ZSM-5 is related to decreasing deactivation by coking, which keeps the active acid sites accessible for the deoxygenation and aromatization reactions that produce fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons. The addition of Ga enhances the dehydrogenation activity of the catalyst, which leads to enhanced olefin formation and higher fully deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbon yields compared to unmodified ZSM-5. Catalyst characterization by ammonia temperature programmed desorption, surface area measurements, and postreaction temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) also showed that the metal-modified zeolites retained a greater percentage of their initial acidity and surface area, which was consistent between the reactor scales. These results demonstrate that the trends observed with smaller (milligram to gram) catalyst reactors are applicable to larger, more industrially relevant (kg) scales to help guide catalyst research toward application.« less

  5. Effect of three aromatic hydrocarbons on respiration and heart rates of the mussel, mytilus californianus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sabourin, T.D.; Tullis, R.E.

    1981-06-01

    The effects of petroleum derivatives on morality of marine invertebrates is now well established. Aromatics are considered to be the most toxic of all oil fractions. Recent studies of marine invertebrates have focused mainly upon respiration, locomotion, and growth. The filter feeding marine bivalves have received primary attention due to their proximity to coastal oil spills, importance in human food consumption and possible role in petroleum hydrocarbon bioconcentration. If these organisms are to be used as monitors in the future, then it is important to learn something of how quickly the bivalve responds metabolically to changes in ambient levels ofmore » petroleum hydrocarbons. Respiration and heart activity reveal a great deal of information concerning the physiological state of the bivalve. We report measrements of these two variables in the mussel, Mytilus californianus (Conrad), under conditions of exposure to, and recovery from, three aromatic hydrocarbons.« less

  6. Non-methane hydrocarbons at a high-altitude rural site in the Mediterranean (Greece)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moschonas, Nektarios; Glavas, Sotirios

    Acetylene, C 3-C 10 paraffins, olefins, aromatic hydrocarbons and the biogenic isoprene, were determined in six sampling periods from May to October in 1996-1997. The concentrations of the determined species were generally lower than those measured in southeastern US and western France, but higher than those measured in more remote regions. Acetylene and C 3-C 5 hydrocarbons exhibited seasonal variation with higher concentrations in the late October sampling period. The aromatic hydrocarbons, except benzene, exhibited maximum concentrations in the summer. Isoprene had maximum concentrations in the summer, with its concentration linearly increasing as a function of the logarithm of temperature, in agreement with past studies. Its emission flux was calculated to be on the lower end of similar studies in US. The main destruction route of all hydrocarbons was determined to be due to their photochemical reactions. The photochemical reactivity, calculated in terms of propylene equivalent concentration, was in the summer dominated by isoprene which accounts for 69% of the total, aromatics with 16%, olefins with 11% and paraffins with 4%. In the May and October periods, the aromatics contributed the most (˜37%) to the photochemical reactivity. Air mass back trajectories indicated higher concentrations when air masses arrived from northwestern and northeastern, compared to southern, directions.

  7. The Determination of the Smoke Hazards Resulting from the Burning of Shipboard Materials Utilized by the US Navy.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-08-31

    Interior Paairt r’ts RorzotalSapleIeun Forle Tranduer Figure I. Combustion Products Test Chamber. .. 2. *Sold hda 0 Ol~n kb 3’. 8.iIdg IN= W I Vll ue2...hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes), alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, carboxylic acids , aromatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons...carboxylic acids , a few nitriles, acetaldehyde, and acetone. A few exotic fluorine containing organic compounds have unusually low refractive indices for

  8. Hydrocarbon emissions speciation in diesel and biodiesel exhausts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Payri, Francisco; Bermúdez, Vicente R.; Tormos, Bernardo; Linares, Waldemar G.

    Diesel engine emissions are composed of a long list of organic compounds, ranging from C 2 to C 12+, and coming from the hydrocarbons partially oxidized in combustion or produced by pyrolisis. Many of these are considered as ozone precursors in the atmosphere, since they can interact with nitrogen oxides to produce ozone under atmospheric conditions in the presence of sunlight. In addition to problematic ozone production, Brookes, P., and Duncan, M. [1971. Carcinogenic hydrocarbons and human cells in culture. Nature.] and Heywood, J. [1988. Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals.Mc Graw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-1000499-8.] determined that the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in exhaust gases are dangerous to human health, being highly carcinogenic. The aim of this study was to identify by means of gas chromatography the amount of each hydrocarbon species present in the exhaust gases of diesel engines operating with different biodiesel blends. The levels of reactive and non-reactive hydrocarbons present in diesel engine exhaust gases powered by different biodiesel fuel blends were also analyzed. Detailed speciation revealed a drastic change in the nature and quantity of semi-volatile compounds when biodiesel fuels are employed, the most affected being the aromatic compounds. Both aromatic and oxygenated aromatic compounds were found in biodiesel exhaust. Finally, the conservation of species for off-side analysis and the possible influence of engine operating conditions on the chemical characterization of the semi-volatile compound phase are discussed. The use of oxygenated fuel blends shows a reduction in the Engine-Out emissions of total hydrocarbons. But the potential of the hydrocarbon emissions is more dependent on the compositions of these hydrocarbons in the Engine-Out, to the quantity; a large percent of hydrocarbons existing in the exhaust, when biodiesel blends are used, are partially burned hydrocarbons, and are interesting as they have the maximum reactivity, but with the use of pure biodiesel and diesel, the most hydrocarbons are from unburned fuel and they have a less reactivity. The best composition in the fuel, for the control of the hydrocarbon emissions reactivity, needs to be a fuel with high-saturated fatty acid content.

  9. Effect of interlayer cations of montmorillonite on the biodegradation and adsorption of crude oil polycyclic aromatic compounds.

    PubMed

    Ugochukwu, Uzochukwu C; Manning, David A C; Fialips, Claire I

    2014-09-01

    Cation exchange capacity, surface acidity and specific surface area are surface properties of clay minerals that make them act as catalysts or supports in most biogeochemical processes hence making them play important roles in environmental control. However, the role of homoionic clay minerals during the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic compounds is not well reported. In this study, the effect of interlayer cations of montmorillonites in the removal of some crude oil polycyclic aromatic compounds during biodegradation was investigated in aqueous clay/oil microcosm experiments with a hydrocarbon degrading microorganism community. The homoionic montmorillonites were prepared via cation exchange reactions by treating the unmodified montmorillonite with the relevant metallic chloride. The study indicated that potassium-montmorillonite and zinc-montmorillonite did not enhance the biodegradation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons whereas calcium-montmorillonite, and ferric-montmorillonite enhanced their biodegradation significantly. Adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was significant during biodegradation with potassium- and zinc-montmorillonite where there was about 45% removal of the polycyclic aromatic compounds by adsorption in the experimental microcosm containing 5:1 ratio (w/w) of clay to oil. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon migration from creosote-treated railway ties into ballast and adjacent wetlands

    Treesearch

    Kenneth M. Brooks

    2004-01-01

    Occasionally, creosote-treated railroad ties need to be replaced, sometimes in sensitive environments such as wetlands. To help determine if this is detrimental to the surrounding environment, more information is needed on the extent and pattern of creosote, or more specifically polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), migration from railroad ties and what effects this...

  11. CTEPP STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR EXTRACTING AND PREPARING URINE SAMPLES FOR ANALYSIS OF HYDROXY POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, PENTACHLOROPHENOL AND 2,4-D (SOP-5.21)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The method for extracting and preparing urine samples for analysis of hydroxy-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pentachlorophenol and 2,4-D is summarized in this SOP. It covers the extraction, concentration and methylation of samples that are to be analyzed by gas chromatography/...

  12. Production of aromatic hydrocarbons via catalytic pyrolysis of biomass over fe-modified HZSM-5 zeolites

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Iron modified HZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by partial ion exchange of NH4ZSM-5 with Fe (II) at three different loadings (1.4, 2.8 and 4.2 wt%), and their effectiveness for producing aromatic hydrocarbons from cellulose, cellobiose, lignin and switchgrass by catalytic pyrolysis were screened using ...

  13. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in forest fire smoke

    Treesearch

    Charles K. McMahon; Skevos N. Tsoukalas

    1978-01-01

    The occurrence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the combustion products of carbonaceous fuels is a well known phenomenon. Several PAW are known to be carcinogenic in animals. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is the most well-known and studied compound of those classified by the National Academy of Science (NAS) as strongly carcinogenic. Ambient BaP concentrations...

  14. DIFFUSIVE EXCHANGE OF GASEOUS POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS ACROSS THE AIR-WATER INTERFACE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. (R825245)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Dissolved and gas-phase concentrations of nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and 46 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners were measured at eight sites on the Chesapeake Bay at four different times of the year to estimate net diffusive air-water gas exchange rates. Gaseous PAHs ar...

  15. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolic network in Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1.

    PubMed

    Kweon, Ohgew; Kim, Seong-Jae; Holland, Ricky D; Chen, Hongyan; Kim, Dae-Wi; Gao, Yuan; Yu, Li-Rong; Baek, Songjoon; Baek, Dong-Heon; Ahn, Hongsik; Cerniglia, Carl E

    2011-09-01

    This study investigated a metabolic network (MN) from Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the perspective of structure, behavior, and evolution, in which multilayer omics data are integrated. Initially, we utilized a high-throughput proteomic analysis to assess the protein expression response of M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 to seven different aromatic compounds. A total of 3,431 proteins (57.38% of the genome-predicted proteins) were identified, which included 160 proteins that seemed to be involved in the degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Based on the proteomic data and the previous metabolic, biochemical, physiological, and genomic information, we reconstructed an experiment-based system-level PAH-MN. The structure of PAH-MN, with 183 metabolic compounds and 224 chemical reactions, has a typical scale-free nature. The behavior and evolution of the PAH-MN reveals a hierarchical modularity with funnel effects in structure/function and intimate association with evolutionary modules of the functional modules, which are the ring cleavage process (RCP), side chain process (SCP), and central aromatic process (CAP). The 189 commonly upregulated proteins in all aromatic hydrocarbon treatments provide insights into the global adaptation to facilitate the PAH metabolism. Taken together, the findings of our study provide the hierarchical viewpoint from genes/proteins/metabolites to the network via functional modules of the PAH-MN equipped with the engineering-driven approaches of modularization and rationalization, which may expand our understanding of the metabolic potential of M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 for bioremediation applications.

  16. Biodegradation of organic pollutants in saline wastewater by halophilic microorganisms: a review.

    PubMed

    Castillo-Carvajal, Laura C; Sanz-Martín, José Luis; Barragán-Huerta, Blanca E

    2014-01-01

    Agro-food, petroleum, textile, and leather industries generate saline wastewater with a high content of organic pollutants such as aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, nitroaromatics, and azo dyes. Halophilic microorganisms are of increasing interest in industrial waste treatment, due to their ability to degrade hazardous substances efficiently under high salt conditions. However, their full potential remains unexplored. The isolation and identification of halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms from geographically unrelated and geologically diverse hypersaline sites supports their application in bioremediation processes. Past investigations in this field have mainly focused on the elimination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols, whereas few studies have investigated N-aromatic compounds, such as nitro-substituted compounds, amines, and azo dyes, in saline wastewater. Information regarding the growth conditions and degradation mechanisms of halophilic microorganisms is also limited. In this review, we discuss recent research on the removal of organic pollutants such as organic matter, in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), dyes, hydrocarbons, N-aliphatic and N-aromatic compounds, and phenols, in conditions of high salinity. In addition, some proposal pathways for the degradation of aromatic compounds are presented.

  17. LOW TEMPERATURE FORMATION OF NITROGEN-SUBSTITUTED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PANHs)—BARRIERLESS ROUTES TO DIHYDRO(iso)QUINOLINES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Parker, Dorian S. N.; Yang, Tao; Dangi, Beni B.

    Meteorites contain bio-relevant molecules such as vitamins and nucleobases, which consist of aromatic structures with embedded nitrogen atoms. Questions remain over the chemical mechanisms responsible for the formation of nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PANHs) in extraterrestrial environments. By exploiting single collision conditions, we show that a radical mediated bimolecular collision between pyridyl radicals and 1,3-butadiene in the gas phase forms nitrogen-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PANHs) 1,4-dihydroquinoline and to a minor amount 1,4-dihydroisoquinoline. The reaction proceeds through the formation of a van der Waals complex, which circumnavigates the entrance barrier implying it can operate at very low kinetic energy and thereforemore » at low temperatures of 10 K as present in cold molecular clouds such as TMC-1. The discovery of facile de facto barrierless exoergic reaction mechanisms leading to PANH formation could play an important role in providing a population of aromatic structures upon which further photo-processing of ice condensates could occur to form nucleobases.« less

  18. Biodegradation of high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under anaerobic conditions: Overview of studies, proposed pathways and future perspectives.

    PubMed

    Nzila, Alexis

    2018-05-07

    The biodegradation of low- and high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (LWM-PAHs and HMW-PAHs, respectively) has been studied extensively under aerobic conditions. Molecular O 2 plays 2 critical roles in this biodegradation process. O 2 activates the aromatic rings through hydroxylation prior to ring opening and serves as a terminal electron acceptor (TEA). However, several microorganisms have devised ways of activating aromatic rings, leading to ring opening (and thus biodegradation) when TEAs other than O 2 are used (under anoxic conditions). These microorganisms belong to the sulfate-, nitrate-, and metal-ion-reducing bacteria and the methanogens. Although the anaerobic biodegradation of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and LWM-PAH naphthalene have been studied, little information is available about the biodegradation of HMW-PAHs. This manuscript reviews studies of the anaerobic biodegradation of HMW-PAHs and identifies gaps that limit both our understanding and the efficiency of this biodegradation process. Strategies that can be employed to overcome these limitations are also discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Does the concept of Clar's aromatic sextet work for dicationic forms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?--testing the model against charged systems in singlet and triplet states.

    PubMed

    Dominikowska, Justyna; Palusiak, Marcin

    2011-07-07

    The concept of Clar's π-electron aromatic sextet was tested against a set of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in neutral and doubly charged forms. Systems containing different types of rings (in the context of Clar's concept) were chosen, including benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene and triphenylene. In the case of dicationic structures both singlet and triplet states were considered. It was found that for singlet state dicationic structures the concept of aromatic sextet could be applied and the local aromaticity could be discussed in the context of that model, whereas in the case of triplet state dicationic structures Clar's model rather failed. Different aromaticity indices based on various properties of molecular systems were applied for the purpose of the studies. The discussion about the interdependence between the values of different aromaticity indices applied to neutral and charged systems in singlet and triplet states is also included. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

  20. Process for converting light alkanes to higher hydrocarbons

    DOEpatents

    Noceti, Richard P.; Taylor, Charles E.

    1988-01-01

    A process is disclosed for the production of aromatic-rich, gasoline boiling range hydrocarbons from the lower alkanes, particularly from methane. The process is carried out in two stages. In the first, alkane is reacted with oxygen and hydrogen chloride over an oxyhydrochlorination catalyst such as copper chloride with minor proportions of potassium chloride and rare earth chloride. This produces an intermediate gaseous mixture containing water and chlorinated alkanes. The chlorinated alkanes are contacted with a crystalline aluminosilicate catalyst in the hydrogen or metal promoted form to produce gasoline range hydrocarbons with a high proportion of aromatics and a small percentage of light hydrocarbons (C.sub.2 -C.sub.4). The light hydrocarbons can be recycled for further processing over the oxyhydrochlorination catalyst.

  1. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ballachey, B.E.; Kloecker, K.A.

    Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were analyzed in hair, liver and intestinal samples taken from dead sea otters (Enhydra lutris) collected in spring and summer 1989 from Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island, along the path of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Hair showed significant differences in hydrocarbon concentrations among the three locations, but few significant differences were noted for liver or intestine samples. The highest concentrations of both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were measured in hair samples from Prince William Sound. Hydrocarbon concentrations in intestine and liver samples from the three locations were generally similar and low,more » suggesting that uptake into the tissues was limited, or that hydrocarbons within the tissues had been metabolized by the time samples were collected.« less

  2. Aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Gulf of Trieste sediments (northern Adriatic): potential impacts of maritime traffic.

    PubMed

    Bajt, Oliver

    2014-09-01

    The Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic) is one of the most urbanized and industrialized areas in the northern Adriatic, with intense maritime traffic experienced at multiple ports. The impact of maritime traffic on contamination by hydrocarbons in this area was assessed. Concentrations of hydrocarbons were higher near the expected contamination sources and still elevated in the adjacent offshore areas. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were mainly of petrogenic origin, with some contribution of biogenic origin. A continuous contamination by aliphatic hydrocarbons and degradation processes were hypothesized. Concentrations of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were generally greater near the contamination sources. Compared to the prevailing pyrolytic origin, the petrogenic PAH origin seemed to be less important, but not negligible. Results revealed that intensive maritime traffic is a probable source of contamination by hydrocarbons in the investigated area, which is largely limited to areas near the contamination sources.

  3. Historical polycyclic aromatic and petrogenic hydrocarbon loading in Northern Central Gulf of Mexico shelf sediments.

    PubMed

    Overton, E B; Ashton, B M; Miles, M S

    2004-10-01

    The distribution of selected hydrocarbons within ten dated sediment cores taken from the Mississippi River Bight off coastal Louisiana suggests a chronic contaminant loading from several sources including the river itself, oil and gas exploration in the central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) shelf area, and natural geologic hydrocarbon seeps. Data were grouped as either total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's), which were indicative of pyrogenic PAH's; or estimated total hopanes (indicative of petrogenic hydrocarbons). The total PAH concentrations and estimated total hopanes begin increasing above background levels (approximately 200 ng g(-1)) after the 1950s. The distribution of these hydrocarbons and hopanes within the dated sediment cores suggests that the Mississippi River is a regional source of pyrogenic PAH's, and that the hopanes are from natural geologic hydrocarbon seeps, oil and gas exploration in the GOM, or both.

  4. Toxicity of dispersant application: Biomarkers responses in gills of juvenile golden grey mullet (Liza aurata).

    PubMed

    Milinkovitch, Thomas; Godefroy, Joachim; Théron, Michaël; Thomas-Guyon, Hélène

    2011-10-01

    Dispersant use in nearshore areas is likely to increase the exposure of aquatic organisms to petroleum. To measure the toxicity of this controversial response technique, golden grey mullets (Liza aurata) were exposed to mechanically dispersed oil, chemically dispersed oil, dispersant alone in seawater, water-soluble fraction of oil and to seawater as a control treatment. Several biomarkers were assessed in the gills (enzymatic antioxidant activities, glutathione content, lipid peroxidation) and in the gallbladder (polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites). The significant differences between chemically dispersed oil and water soluble fraction of oil highlight the environmental risk to disperse an oil slick when containment and recovery can be conducted. The lack of significance between chemically and mechanically dispersed oil suggests that dispersant application is no more toxic than the natural dispersion of the oil slick. The results of this study are of interest in order to establish dispersant use policies in nearshore areas. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Single Benzene Green Fluorophore: Solid-State Emissive, Water-Soluble, and Solvent- and pH-Independent Fluorescence with Large Stokes Shifts.

    PubMed

    Beppu, Teruo; Tomiguchi, Kosuke; Masuhara, Akito; Pu, Yong-Jin; Katagiri, Hiroshi

    2015-06-15

    Benzene is the simplest aromatic hydrocarbon with a six-membered ring. It is one of the most basic structural units for the construction of π conjugated systems, which are widely used as fluorescent dyes and other luminescent materials for imaging applications and displays because of their enhanced spectroscopic signal. Presented herein is 2,5-bis(methylsulfonyl)-1,4-diaminobenzene as a novel architecture for green fluorophores, established based on an effective push-pull system supported by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. This compound demonstrates high fluorescence emission and photostability and is solid-state emissive, water-soluble, and solvent- and pH-independent with quantum yields of Φ=0.67 and Stokes shift of 140 nm (in water). This architecture is a significant departure from conventional extended π-conjugated systems based on a flat and rigid molecular design and provides a minimum requirement for green fluorophores comprising a single benzene ring. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Hydrocarbons in the ISM: Their Evolution and the Grain-to-Molecule Transition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Anthony P.

    The evolution of hydrocarbon grains in the ISM is determined, principally, by the effects of photo-processing (annealing) which lead to a progressive loss of hydrogen from the structure and an associated 'graphitisation' of the material. Eventually this 'graphitisation' results in a low-density, highly aromatic material that can disaggregate into its aromatic-rich molecular components. These changes are followed through the use of an extended random covalent network (RCN) model for the hydrocarbon structure. This type of 'top down' process could be a significant source of the large molecular infrared band carriers in photon dominated regions. On the basis of this simple model there should thus be a relationship between the small grain and large molecule infrared emission bands across, and within, astrophysical boundaries such as photo-dissociation regions. 1. Introduction Carbon is the most abundant dust-forming element in the ISM and a large fraction of this carbon is in the form of grains comprised, principally, of hydrocarbon materials, including those where the hydrogen content is minimal. Interstellar hydrocarbon grains include: graphite, hydrogenated amorphous aliphatic and/or aromatic hydrocarbons (a-C, a-C:H) and (nano)diamond. These hydrocarbon dusts play a pivotal role in determining, amongst other things, the interstellar extinction, the dust thermal emission and the photo-electric heating of the gas in the ISM. 2. Hydrocarbon grains in the ISM Hydrocarbon grains are formed in the circumstellar shells around C-rich evolved stars, in supernova ejecta and also in the ISM itself via accretion and solid-state chemistry. The physical and chemical properties of hydrocarbon grains are indeed complex and vary in response to the ambient conditions (density, temperature, radiation field, ...). For example they can undergo both chemical and physical processing (growth and changes in chemical composition through accretion and reaction, erosion via inertial or chemi-sputtering, photo-darkening or 'graphitisation', photo-disruption in intense radiation fields and fragmentation in interstellar shock waves). Recently, using laboratory simulations of carbon dust analogues, Dartois, Muñoz Caro, Deboffle, et al. (2004,2005) have shown that hydrogen-rich (> 50 atomic % H) hydrocarbon solids can explain the observed interstellar absorption bands at 3.4, 6.85 and 7.25 μm. They also show that the thermal annealing of this material is accompanied by an increase in the aromatic component, i.e., a 'graphitisation'. Such a transformation and evolution of interstellar hydrocarbons was proposed by Duley, Jones & Williams (1989) and Jones, Duley & Wiliams (1990). This photon-driven process, acting on the hydrogen-rich hydrocarbon grains in the ISM that originate predominantly from carbon-rich evolved stars, will lead to a progressive loss of hydrogen and an associated 'graphitisation' and 'openingup' of the structure. The end point of the 'graphitisation' process is then a low-density material that will disaggregate into its constituent aromatic molecular components and the necessarily-associated sp3 and sp2 carbon and hydrogen atom bridging structures, e.g., Duley (2000), Petrie, Stranger & Duley (2003). In this work we follow the 'graphitisation' process using a random covalent network (RCN) approach that extends the work of Jones (1990). To summarise, the RCN model characterises a series of hydrocarbons based upon the sp3/sp2 carbon atom ratio (R) and the atomic fraction of hydrogen (XH) within the material. This model allows an essentially one-parameter determination of the a-C:H structure and a prediction of the major infrared bands. We find that the large hydrocarbon grains, with temperatures in equilibrium with the local radiation field, will be rather hydrogen-rich and that the smaller grains, which undergo stochastic heating to high temperatures, will be converted into hydrogen-poorer and more graphitic materials. The photo-fragmentation of the smaller aromatic grains can be an important source of molecular aromatic species. The infrared spectrum of a given RCN hydrocarbon depends, principally, upon only its hydrogen content XH. The spectra predicted from this RCN model can then be compared with the interstellar absorption and emission bands in the 32 μm range. The compositional changes of a-C:H, and its constituent 'molecular' components, can then be mapped across a given region. 3. Conclusions The physics and chemistry of hydrocarbon grains is complex. Interstellar hydrocarbon grains will be a mixture of many different forms arising from many different sources and modified in many different regions of the ISM. Nevertheless, we can appreciate how this complex material evolves chemically, structurally and physically as a function of the ambient conditions through the use of a rather simple, and extended, RCN model. The transition/evolution of hydrocarbons in the ISM is, generally, from hydrogen-rich a-C:H, in the form of large grains formed around evolved stars, through to smaller, hydrogen-poor, low-density, aromatic a-C:H materials. The subsequent photo-fragmentation of the small aromatic grains could then be the origin of the aromatic emission band carriers within the ISM. We find that the spectral and physical properties of hydrocarbons in the ISM vary in a systematic way across, and also within, astrophysical environments. However, the history of the particles, prior to their incorporation into a given region, could also play a major role in determining their physical properties in that region. Thus, the evolution of hydrocarbon grains in the ISM will be size-, time- and history-dependent. It is therefore necessary that dust models take into account this complexity in predicting the properties of hydrocarbons in the ISM.

  7. Composition and Chemical Stability of Motor Fuels,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    Fuels, *Hydrocarbons, Cycloalkanes, Chemical analysis, Gasoline, Diesel fuels, Fuel additives, Chemical reactions, Stability, Jet engine fuels...Aviation gasoline, Aviation fuels, Chemical composition, Aromatic hydrocarbons, Unsaturated hydrocarbons, Storage, USSR, Translations, Fuel systems, Alkanes

  8. Optimization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes reinforced hollow-fiber solid-liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples using experimental design.

    PubMed

    Hamedi, Raheleh; Hadjmohammadi, Mohammad Reza

    2017-09-01

    A novel design of hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a solid sorbent, which is immobilized in the pore and lumen of hollow fiber by the sol-gel technique, was developed for the pre-concentration and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples. The proposed method utilized both solid- and liquid-phase microextraction media. Parameters that affect the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were optimized in two successive steps as follows. Firstly, a methodology based on a quarter factorial design was used to choose the significant variables. Then, these significant factors were optimized utilizing central composite design. Under the optimized condition (extraction time = 25 min, amount of multiwalled carbon nanotubes = 78 mg, sample volume = 8 mL, and desorption time = 5 min), the calibration curves showed high linearity (R 2  = 0.99) in the range of 0.01-500 ng/mL and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.007-1.47 ng/mL. The obtained extraction recoveries for 10 ng/mL of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons standard solution were in the range of 85-92%. Replicating the experiment under these conditions five times gave relative standard deviations lower than 6%. Finally, the method was successfully applied for pre-concentration and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on hepatic function in the duck

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Patton, J.F.; Dieter, M.P.

    1980-01-01

    1. The indocyanine green dye clearance test for hepatic function was determined in mallard ducks before and during the chronic ingestion (7 months) of representative paraffinic or aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons (PH).2. No mortality or visible symptoms of toxicity occured in any of the tests. Ingestion of 4000 ppm aromatic PH produced significant increases in liver (25%), plasma clearance of indocyanine green (33%) and hepatic blood flow (30%).3. Although the aromatics elicited a greater hepatic stress response than the paraffins, the ducks tolerated high concentrations of PH for extended periods.

  10. Remarkably selective iridium catalysts for the elaboration of aromatic C-H bonds.

    PubMed

    Cho, Jian-Yang; Tse, Man Kin; Holmes, Daniel; Maleczka, Robert E; Smith, Milton R

    2002-01-11

    Arylboron compounds have intriguing properties and are important building blocks for chemical synthesis. A family of Ir catalysts now enables the direct synthesis of arylboron compounds from aromatic hydrocarbons and boranes under "solventless" conditions. The Ir catalysts are highly selective for C-H activation and do not interfere with subsequent in situ transformations, including Pd-mediated cross-couplings with aryl halides. By virtue of their favorable activities and exceptional selectivities, these Ir catalysts impart the synthetic versatility of arylboron reagents to C-H bonds in aromatic and heteroaromatic hydrocarbons.

  11. Tough, soluble, aromatic, thermoplastic copolyimides

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bryant, Robert G. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    Tough, soluble, aromatic, thermoplastic copolyimides were prepared by reacting 4,4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride, 3,4,3',4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 3,4'-oxydianiline. These copolyimides were found to be soluble in common amide solvents such as acetamide, Nmethylpyrrolidinone, and dimethylformamide allowing them to be applied as the fully imidized copolymer and to be used to prepare a wide range of articles.

  12. δ 13C of free and macromolecular aromatic structures in the murchison meteorite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sephton, M. A.; Pillinger, C. T.; Gilmour, I.

    1998-05-01

    Analyses of the organic compounds in the Murchison meteorite have led to a greater understanding of the nature of extraterrestrial organic materials. However, the relationship between low and high molecular weight material remains poorly understood. To investigate this relationship, untreated Murchison was subjected to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) to obtain the free organic components in the meteorite. Toluene and other volatile aromatic hydrocarbons dominated the extract, and the carbon isotopic composition of these molecules was determined by gas chromatography-isotope ratio-mass spectrometry (GCIRMS). δ 13C values of the aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from -28.8 to -5.8‰. These compounds displayed a 13C-enrichment with increasing carbon number suggesting an origin by cracking. The high molecular weight organic material in the meteorite was isolated and subjected to hydrous pyrolysis. This procedure produced a number of aromatic products, the majority of which were volatile aromatic hydrocarbons, particularly toluene. SFE was used to extract and successfully retain them. This enabled the first carbon isotopic analysis of this poorly understood material to be performed at the molecular level by GCIRMS. δ 13C values for aromatic pyrolysis products occupied a range from -24.6 to -5.6‰. The trend of 13C-enrichment with increasing carbon number, observed in the free compounds, was also evident in the macromolecular fragments. Furthermore, the organic fragments of the macromolecular material were consistently 13C-enriched when compared to structurally identical free molecules. This suggested that the free aromatic hydrocarbons in Murchison were produced by the preterrestrial degradation of the organic macromolecular material. This natural degradation event was extended by the hydrous pyrolysis experiment.

  13. THE PENALIZED OPTIMAL EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: THE PRECISE ESTIMATION OF AN INTERACTION THRESHOLD IN A MIXTURE OF EIGHTEEN POLYHALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Crofton et al. (EHP, 2005) conducted a study of 18 polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs) on serum total thyroxine (T4). Young female Long-Evans rats were dosed with the 18 single agents or a fixed-ratio mixture, and serum total T4 was measured via radioimmunoassay. The i...

  14. "Super-Reducing" Photocatalysis: Consecutive Energy and Electron Transfers with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Brasholz, Malte

    2017-08-21

    Donation welcome: Recent developments in visible-light photocatalysis allow the utilization of increasingly negative reduction potentials. Successive energy and electron transfer with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enables the catalytic formation of strongly reducing arene radical anions, classical stoichiometric reagents for one-electron reduction in organic synthesis. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Moss as bio-indicators of human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Portland, OR

    Treesearch

    Geoffrey H. Donovan; Sarah E. Jovan; Demetrios Gatziolis; Vicente J. Monleon

    2015-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of air pollutants linked to a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including asthma, cancers, cardiovascular disease, and fetal growth impairment. PAHs are emitted by combustion of organic matter (e.g. fossil fuels, plant biomass) and can accumulate in plant and animal tissues over time. Compared to criteria...

  16. LASER DESORPTION-IONIZATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS FROM GLASS SURFACES WITH ION MOBILITY SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS. (R826769)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed as adsorbates on borosilicate glass at levels from 40 pg (5.5 pg mm-2) to 7 small mu, Greekg (1 

  17. Coal-tar-based pavement sealcoat, polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and environmental health

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mahler, B.J.; Van Metre, P.C.

    2011-01-01

    Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have identified coal-tar-based sealcoat-the black, viscous liquid sprayed or painted on asphalt pavement such as parking lots-as a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in urban areas for large parts of the Nation. Several PAHs are suspected human carcinogens and are toxic to aquatic life.

  18. Synthesis of polydopamine-functionalized magnetic graphene and carbon nanotubes hybrid nanocomposites as an adsorbent for the fast determination of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous samples.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kun; Jin, Rongrong; Luo, Chen; Song, Guoxin; Hu, Yaoming; Cheng, Hefa

    2018-04-01

    A novel adsorbent made of polydopamine-functionalized magnetic graphene and carbon nanotubes hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized and applied to determine 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by magnetic solid phase extraction in water samples. FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy consistently indicate that the synthesized adsorbents are made of core-shell nanoparticles well dispersed on the surface of graphene and carbon nanotubes. The major factors affecting the extraction efficiency, including the pH value of samples, the amount of adsorbent, adsorption time and desorption time, type and volume of desorption solvent, were systematically optimized. Under the optimum extraction conditions, a linear response was obtained for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons between concentrations of 10 and 500 ng/L with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9958 to 0.9989, and the limits of detection (S/N = 3) were between 0.1 and 3.0 ng/L. Satisfactory results were also obtained when applying these magnetic graphene/carbon nanotubes/polydopamine hybrid nanocomposites to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in several environmental aqueous samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Method for the simultaneous determination of monoaromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in industrial effluents using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Makoś, Patrycja; Fernandes, André; Boczkaj, Grzegorz

    2018-06-01

    We present a new method for simultaneous determination of 22 monoaromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in postoxidative effluents from the production of petroleum bitumen using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The eight extraction parameters including the type and volume of extraction and disperser solvent, pH, salting out effect, extraction, and centrifugation time were optimized. The low detection limit ranging from 0.36 to 28 μg/L, limit of quantitation (1.1-84 μg/L), good reproducibility, and wide linear ranges, as well as the recoveries ranging from 71.74 to 114.67% revealed that the new method allows the determination of aromatic hydrocarbons at low concentration levels in industrial effluents having a very complex composition. The developed method was applied to the determination of content of mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples of raw postoxidative effluents in which 15 compounds were identified at concentrations ranging from 1.21 to 1017.0 μg/L as well as in effluents after chemical treatment. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Subcritical water extraction of organic matter from sedimentary rocks.

    PubMed

    Luong, Duy; Sephton, Mark A; Watson, Jonathan S

    2015-06-16

    Subcritical water extraction of organic matter containing sedimentary rocks at 300°C and 1500 psi produces extracts comparable to conventional solvent extraction. Subcritical water extraction of previously solvent extracted samples confirms that high molecular weight organic matter (kerogen) degradation is not occurring and that only low molecular weight organic matter (free compounds) are being accessed in analogy to solvent extraction procedures. The sedimentary rocks chosen for extraction span the classic geochemical organic matter types. A type I organic matter-containing sedimentary rock produces n-alkanes and isoprenoidal hydrocarbons at 300°C and 1500 psi that indicate an algal source for the organic matter. Extraction of a rock containing type II organic matter at the same temperature and pressure produces aliphatic hydrocarbons but also aromatic compounds reflecting the increased contributions from terrestrial organic matter in this sample. A type III organic matter-containing sample produces a range of non-polar and polar compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated aromatic compounds at 300°C and 1500 psi reflecting a dominantly terrestrial origin for the organic materials. Although extraction at 300°C and 1500 psi produces extracts that are comparable to solvent extraction, lower temperature steps display differences related to organic solubility. The type I organic matter produces no products below 300°C and 1500 psi, reflecting its dominantly aliphatic character, while type II and type III organic matter contribute some polar components to the lower temperature steps, reflecting the chemical heterogeneity of their organic inventory. The separation of polar and non-polar organic compounds by using different temperatures provides the potential for selective extraction that may obviate the need for subsequent preparative chromatography steps. Our results indicate that subcritical water extraction can act as a suitable replacement for conventional solvent extraction of sedimentary rocks, but can also be used for any organic matter containing mineral matrix, including soils and recent sediments, and has the added benefit of tailored extraction for analytes of specific polarities. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Analysis of Parent/Nitrated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Particulate Matter 2.5 Based on Femtosecond Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Itouyama, Noboru; Matsui, Taiki; Yamamoto, Shigekazu; Imasaka, Tomoko; Imasaka, Totaro

    2016-02-01

    Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), collected from ambient air in Fukuoka City, was analyzed by gas chromatography combined with multiphoton ionization mass spectrometry using an ultraviolet femtosecond laser (267 nm) as the ionization source. Numerous parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAHs) were observed in a sample extracted from PM2.5, and their concentrations were determined to be in the range from 30 to 190 pg/m(3) for heavy PPAHs. Standard samples of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) were examined, and the limits of detection were determined to be in the picogram range. The concentration of NPAH adsorbed on PM2.5 in the air was less than 900-1300 pg/m(3). Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  2. Mesocosm study on weathering characteristics of Iranian Heavy crude oil with and without dispersants.

    PubMed

    Joo, Changkyu; Shim, Won Joon; Kim, Gi Beum; Ha, Sung Yong; Kim, Moonkoo; An, Joon Geon; Kim, Eunsic; Kim, Beom; Jung, Seung Won; Kim, Young-Ok; Yim, Un Hyuk

    2013-03-15

    The environmental fate of Iranian Heavy crude oil (IHC) with and without an added oil spill dispersant (OSD) has been studied using a 1000 kL capacity in situ mesocosm. Physical weathering and chemical composition changes of the oil were monitored for 77 days. Compound-specific effects of the OSD could be observed as changes over time in the content of the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), unresolved complex mixture (UCM), alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hopanes and steranes in the oil. As oil weathers, most hydrocarbons showed a rapid decreasing phase followed by a slowdown and stabilization. Recalcitrant biomarkers, however, showed a different trend. An increase in hydrocarbon contents in the form of UCM occurred after OSD treatment. The enhanced solubility of the low molecular weight PAHs by the OSD decreased the half-life of the alkylated PAHs in the OD. After 77 days of exposure at the sea surface, both the oils with and without the OSD exhibited moderate weathering. Most of the source diagnostic indices maintained their source information, and the weathering indices indicated that evaporation, dissolution, and dispersion were the major weathering processes. The mass balance of the weathered oil was calculated using laboratory and mesocosm data and the results demonstrate the importance of using a mesocosm for the production of environmentally realistic data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Evaluating the Effects of Aromatics Content in Gasoline on Gaseous and Particulate Matter Emissions from SI-PFI and SIDI Vehicles.

    PubMed

    Karavalakis, Georgios; Short, Daniel; Vu, Diep; Russell, Robert; Hajbabaei, Maryam; Asa-Awuku, Akua; Durbin, Thomas D

    2015-06-02

    We assessed the emissions response of a fleet of seven light-duty gasoline vehicles for gasoline fuel aromatic content while operating over the LA92 driving cycle. The test fleet consisted of model year 2012 vehicles equipped with spark-ignition (SI) and either port fuel injection (PFI) or direct injection (DI) technology. Three gasoline fuels were blended to meet a range of total aromatics targets (15%, 25%, and 35% by volume) while holding other fuel properties relatively constant within specified ranges, and a fourth fuel was formulated to meet a 35% by volume total aromatics target but with a higher octane number. Our results showed statistically significant increases in carbon monoxide, nonmethane hydrocarbon, particulate matter (PM) mass, particle number, and black carbon emissions with increasing aromatics content for all seven vehicles tested. Only one vehicle showed a statistically significant increase in total hydrocarbon emissions. The monoaromatic hydrocarbon species that were evaluated showed increases with increasing aromatic content in the fuel. Changes in fuel composition had no statistically significant effect on the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), formaldehyde, or acetaldehyde. A good correlation was also found between the PM index and PM mass and number emissions for all vehicle/fuel combinations with the total aromatics group being a significant contributor to the total PM index followed by naphthalenes and indenes.

  4. Development of multi-membrane near-infrared diode mass spectrometer for field analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Mach, Phillip M; Wright, Kenneth C; Verbeck, Guido F

    2015-02-01

    Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry (MIMS) is a technique that incorporates a semi-permeable membrane selective for differing organic molecules and chemistries. This eliminates the need for time-consuming sample preparation and facilitates near instantaneous analysis. This study will examine how the front end of MIMS incorporates three dual inlet ports, allowing for differing MIMS materials and selectivity for specific environments. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes have proven to be selective of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) as well as aromatic hydrocarbons that are common in petroleum products while remaining selective against the aliphatic chains. PDMS has proven to be a successful choice of membrane with high permeability in atmospheric environments. In addition, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as acenaphthene, acenapthylene, naphthalene, and fluorene have recently been detected to the 5 ppb level in a nitrogen atmosphere with our current configuration. This preliminary work provides proof of concept using near-infrared laser diodes that act upon the membrane to increase its permeability and provide higher sensitivity of aromatic samples.

  5. Solubilization, Solution Equilibria, and Biodegradation of PAH's under Thermophilic Conditions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Viamajala, S.; Peyton, B. M.; Richards, L. A.

    Biodegradation rates of PAHs are typically low at mesophilic conditions and it is believed that the kinetics of degradation is controlled by PAH solubility and mass transfer rates. Solubility tests were performed on phenanthrene, fluorene and fluoranthene at 20 C, 40 C and 60 C and, as expected, a significant increase in the equilibrium solubility concentration and of the rate of dissolution of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was observed with increasing temperature. A first-order model was used to describe the PAH dissolution kinetics and the thermodynamic property changes associated with the dissolution process (enthalpy, entropy and Gibb's free energymore » of solution) were evaluated. Further, other relevant thermodynamic properties for these PAHs, including the activity coefficients at infinite dilution, Henry's law constants and octanol-water partition coefficients, were calculated in the temperature range 20-60 C. In parallel with the dissolution studies, three thermophilic Geobacilli were isolated from compost that grew on phenanthrene at 60 C and degraded the PAH more rapidly than other reported mesophiles. Our results show that while solubilization rates of PAHs are significantly enhanced at elevated temperatures, the biodegradation of PAHs under thermophilic conditions is likely mass transfer limited due to enhanced degradation rates.« less

  6. Micellization of surface-active substances in nonpolar media

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tikhonov, V.P.; Fuks, G.I.

    1982-11-01

    Summarizes and correlates the results from studies on 3 types of surfactant polar groups that are typically present in petroleum products: oxygen-containing (COOH and OH groups), soaps (COOM group), and nitrogen-containing (NH/sub 2/ group). Uses a modified IR spectroscopic technique that can be applied to solutions of surfactants in nonpolar liquids to distinguish the simplest associates and micelles of unchanged size and shape (such changes may take place, for example, in solubilization). Shows that the micellization of surfactants in nonpolar media is preceded by the formation of the simplest associates. Finds that the process is regulated by the energy ofmore » interaction of the polar groups, and that it is also influenced by the nonpolar part of the molecule, changes in the dielectric constant of the solvent, and the presence of water or other surfactants. Concludes that all surfactants can be divided into 3 groups according to their solubility as individual molecules in nonpolar liquids, including hydrocarbons: insoluble, spontaneously soluble, and soluble in the presence of other surfactants or polar compounds of the type of water, fatty or aromatic alcohols, acids, etc. Points out that these additives affect the formation of the simplest associates of more complex forms.« less

  7. Tough, Soluble, Aromatic, Thermoplastic Copolyimides

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bryant, Robert G. (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    Tough, soluble, aromatic, thermoplastic copolyimides were prepared by reacting 4,4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride, 3,4,3',4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 3,4'-oxydianiline. These copolyimides were found to be soluble in common amide solvents such as N,N'-dimethyl acetamide, N-methylpyrrolidinone, and dimethylformamide allowing them to be applied as the fully imidized copolymer and to be used to prepare a wide range of articles.

  8. Biofiltration of gasoline and diesel aliphatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Halecky, Martin; Rousova, Jana; Paca, Jan; Kozliak, Evguenii; Seames, Wayne; Jones, Kim

    2015-02-01

    The ability of a biofilm to switch between the mixtures of mostly aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons was investigated to assess biofiltration efficiency and potential substrate interactions. A switch from gasoline, which consisted of both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, to a mixture of volatile diesel n-alkanes resulted in a significant increase in biofiltration efficiency, despite the lack of readily biodegradable aromatic hydrocarbons in the diesel mixture. This improved biofilter performance was shown to be the result of the presence of larger size (C₉-C(12)) linear alkanes in diesel, which turned out to be more degradable than their shorter-chain (C₆-C₈) homologues in gasoline. The evidence obtained from both biofiltration-based and independent microbiological tests indicated that the rate was limited by biochemical reactions, with the inhibition of shorter chain alkane biodegradation by their larger size homologues as corroborated by a significant substrate specialization along the biofilter bed. These observations were explained by the lack of specific enzymes designed for the oxidation of short-chain alkanes as opposed to their longer carbon chain homologues.

  9. Biosurfactant produced by novel Pseudomonas sp. WJ6 with biodegradation of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Xia, Wenjie; Du, Zhifeng; Cui, Qingfeng; Dong, Hao; Wang, Fuyi; He, Panqing; Tang, YongChun

    2014-07-15

    Alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have threatened the environment due to toxicity and poor bioavailability. Interest in degradation of these hazardous materials by biosurfactant-producing bacteria has been steadily increasing in recent years. In this work, a novel biosurfactant-producing Pseudomonas sp. WJ6 was isolated to degrade a wide range of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Production of lipopeptide biosurfactant was observed in all biodegradable studies. These lipopeptides were purified and identified by C18 RP-HPLC system and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Results of structural analysis showed that these lipopeptides generated from different hydrocarbons were classified to be surfactin, fengycin and lichenysin. Heavy-oil sludge washing experiments demonstrated that lipopeptides produced by Pseudomonas sp. WJ6 have 92.46% of heavy-oil washing efficiency. The obtained results indicate that this novel bacterial strain and its lipopeptides have great potentials in the environmental remediation and petroleum recovery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. PAH in the laboratory and interstellar space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wdowiak, Thomas J.; Flickinger, Gregory C.; Boyd, David A.

    1989-01-01

    The theory that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a constituent of the interstellar medium, and a source of the IR emission bands at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 microns is being studied using PAH containing acid insoluble residue of the Orgueil CI meteorite and coal tar. FTIR spectra of Orgueil PAH material that has undergone thermal treatment, and a solvent insoluble fraction of coal tar that has been exposed to hydrogen plasma are presented. The UV excided luminescence spectrum of a solvent soluble coal tar film is also shown. Comparison of the lab measurements with observations appears to support the interstellar PAH theory, and shows the process of dehydrogenation expected to take place in the interstellar medium.

  11. Generalised Multiplicative Indices of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Benzenoid Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kulli, V. R.; Stone, Branden; Wang, Shaohui; Wei, Bing

    2017-05-01

    Many types of topological indices such as degree-based topological indices, distance-based topological indices, and counting-related topological indices are explored during past recent years. Among degree-based topological indices, Zagreb indices are the oldest one and studied well. In the paper, we define a generalised multiplicative version of these indices and compute exact formulas for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and jagged-rectangle Benzenoid systems.

  12. Electron energy loss spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Keller, John W.; Coplan, M. A.; Goruganthu, R.

    1992-01-01

    A survey of the electron energy-loss spectroscopy is reported of gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules consisting of up to seven rings where the study is limited to the more thermodynamically stable pericondensed systems. The aim of this work is to obtain absorption profiles (proportional to the oscillator strengths) from the visible to the soft X-ray region near 30 eV.

  13. A thermodynamic analysis of the environmental indicators of natural gas combustion processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elsukov, V. K.

    2010-07-01

    Environmental indicators of the natural gas combustion process are studied using the model of extreme intermediate states developed at the Melent’ev Institute of Power Engineering Systems. Technological factors responsible for generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen cyanide are revealed. Measures for reducing the amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxide, and other pollutants emitted from boilers are developed.

  14. New SERS Substrates For Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Detection: Towards Quantitative SERS Sensors For Environmental Analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Peron, O.; Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d'instrumentation Optique, Institut Charles Delaunay, FRE 2848, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, 10010 Troyes; Rinnert, E.

    2010-08-06

    In the investigation of chemical pollutions, such as PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) at low concentration in aqueous medium, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) stands for an alternative to the inherent low cross-section of normal Raman scattering. Indeed, SERS is a very sensitive spectroscopic technique due to the excitation of the surface plasmon modes of the nanostructured metallic film.

  15. EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OUTDOOR AIR PARTICULATE-ASSOCIATED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON AND PM2.5: A CASE STUDY OF BENZO(A)PYRENE IN CALIFORNIA METROPOLITAN REGIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and particulate matter (PM) are co-pollutants emitted as by-products of combustion processes. Convincing evidence exists for PAHs as a primary toxic component of fine PM (PM2.5). Because PM2.5 is listed by the US EPA a...

  16. Used Oil and Its Regulation in the United States

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-09-30

    product containing significant quantities of alkyl, naphthenic , and aromatic hydrocarbons. The oil may also contain additives to improve its...delivered to the re-refiners each year is disposed of primarily in the process residues including spent clay, acid sludge, and wastewater.13 8 13 7 Frank...hydrocarbon structure into three main groups: parafinic, naphthenic , and aromatic. Paraffinic (alkanic) crude oils contain mostly saturated straight and

  17. Catalytic conversion of isophorone to jet-fuel range aromatic hydrocarbons over a MoO(x)/SiO2 catalyst.

    PubMed

    Chen, Fang; Li, Ning; Wang, Wentao; Wang, Aiqin; Cong, Yu; Wang, Xiaodong; Zhang, Tao

    2015-07-28

    For the first time, jet fuel range C8-C9 aromatic hydrocarbons were synthesized in high carbon yield (∼80%) by the catalytic conversion of isophorone over MoO(x)/SiO2 at atmospheric pressure. A possible reaction pathway was proposed according to the control experiments and the intermediates generated during the reaction.

  18. A NOVEL METABOLIC ACTIVATION PATHWAY FOR POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES-MEDIATED DNA DAMAGE AND MORPHOLOGICAL CELL TRANSFORMATION IN MOUSE EMBRYO CELLS BY K-REGION DIOL METABOLITES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Benzo[ a ]pyrene (BP) is a well-studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (P AH) .Many
    mechanisms have been suggested to explain its carcinogenic activity, yet many questions still
    remain. K-region dihydrodiols (diols) ofPAHs are common metabolites and some are genotoxic. W...

  19. Combined effects of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and material hardship on child IQ.

    PubMed

    Vishnevetsky, Julia; Tang, Deliang; Chang, Hsin-Wen; Roen, Emily L; Wang, Ya; Rauh, Virginia; Wang, Shuang; Miller, Rachel L; Herbstman, Julie; Perera, Frederica P

    2015-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are common carcinogenic and neurotoxic urban air pollutants. Toxic exposures, including air pollution, are disproportionately high in communities of color and frequently co-occur with chronic economic deprivation. We examined whether the association between child IQ and prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons differed between groups of children whose mothers reported high vs. low material hardship during their pregnancy and through child age 5. We tested statistical interactions between hardships and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as measured by DNA adducts in cord blood, to determine whether material hardship exacerbated the association between adducts and IQ scores. Prospective cohort. Participants were recruited from 1998 to 2006 and followed from gestation through age 7 years. Urban community (New York City) A community-based sample of 276 minority urban youth EXPOSURE MEASURE: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts in cord blood as an individual biomarker of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. Maternal material hardship self-reported prenatally and at multiple timepoints through early childhood. Child IQ at 7 years assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Significant inverse effects of high cord PAH-DNA adducts on full scale IQ, perceptual reasoning and working memory scores were observed in the groups whose mothers reported a high level of material hardship during pregnancy or recurring high hardship into the child's early years, and not in those without reported high hardship. Significant interactions were observed between high cord adducts and prenatal hardship on working memory scores (β = -8.07, 95% CI (-14.48, -1.66)) and between high cord adducts and recurrent material hardship (β = -9.82, 95% CI (-16.22, -3.42)). The findings add to other evidence that socioeconomic disadvantage can increase the adverse effects of toxic physical "stressors" like air pollutants. Observed associations between high cord adducts and reduced IQ were significant only among the group of children whose mothers reported high material hardship. These results indicate the need for a multifaceted approach to prevention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Role of Automobile Exhaust on the Photoreductive Solubilization of Atmospheric Iron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haynes, J.; Majestic, B. J.; Cutler, E.

    2016-12-01

    Atmospheric iron (Fe) plays an essential role in the carbon cycle, affecting the Earth's energy balance and human health. Fe catalyzes oxidations of organic carbon species and serves as a limiting nutrient for phytoplankton in about half of the world's oceans. Wind-blown dust is the major source of atmospheric insoluble Fe while urban areas are correlated with relatively high percentages of soluble Fe. The occurrence of elevated levels of soluble Fe near urban and industrial regions suggests a correlation between Fe solubilization and organic combustion products, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Fossil fuel consumption for internal combustion engines produce atmospheric PAH as a major component of automobile exhaust. Under light, PAH transform into oxidized components such as ketones and carboxylic acids. For example, phthalic acid (formed from naphthalene) inhibits Fe oxidation reactions and therefore may contribute to Fe reduction and increased solubility. The wind-blown dust and PAH-containing combustion products undergo long-range atmospheric transport leading to mixing and metal-organic interactions. The current study focuses on how a saturated PAH suspension affects the production of soluble Fe. Reactions of soil-based Fe and saturated solutions of PAH are performed under controlled conditions simulating natural sunlight. Samples are analyzed by ICPMS for soluble Fe before and after solar exposure reactions; soluble Fe is separated from total Fe by filtration and total Fe by acid-assisted microwave digestion. Data indicate an increase in Fe solubility (1.2% to 4.2%) in the presence of PAH, as compared to soil in water alone, and an even greater increase in Fe solubility (4.2% to 8.4%) when exposed to solar radiation. Research is ongoing to determine the dependence of oxidized PAH on kinetic and overall Fe solubility.

  1. 40 CFR Table 2b to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2B Table 2B to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures Bin Averageboiling point * (degrees F) Criteria Reactivityfactor 1 80-205 Alkanes... + Dry Point) / 2 (b) Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvents ...

  2. 40 CFR Table 2b to Subpart E of... - Reactivity Factors for Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures 2B Table 2B to Subpart E of Part 59 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Hydrocarbon Solvent Mixtures Bin Averageboiling point * (degrees F) Criteria Reactivityfactor 1 80-205 Alkanes... + Dry Point) / 2 (b) Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvents ...

  3. Preparation of an aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica gel as a sorbent for solid-phase extraction of carboxylic acid compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Wang, Na; Guo, Yong; Wang, Licheng; Liang, Xiaojing; Liu, Shujuan; Jiang, Shengxiang

    2014-05-21

    In this paper, a kind of aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica sorbent was synthesized and used as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent for the determination of carboxylic acid compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The resultant aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and elemental analysis (EA) to ensure the successful binding of aminopropyl imidazole on the surface of silica gel. Then the aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica sorbent served as a SPE sorbent for the enrichment of carboxylic acid compounds and PAHs. The new sorbent exhibited high extraction efficiency towards the tested compounds and the results show that such a sorbent can offer multiple intermolecular interactions: electrostatic, π-π, and hydrophobic interactions. Several parameters affecting the extraction recovery, such as the pH of sample solution, the pH of eluent, the solubility of eluent, the volume of eluent, and sample loading, were also investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was applied to the analysis of four carboxylic acid compounds and four PAHs in environmental water samples. Good linearities were obtained for all the tested compounds with R(2) larger than 0.9903. The limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.0065-0.5 μg L(-1). The recovery values of spiked river water samples were from 63.2% to 112.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10.1% (n = 4).

  4. L-cysteine-capped core/shell/shell quantum dot-graphene oxide nanocomposite fluorescence probe for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon detection.

    PubMed

    Adegoke, Oluwasesan; Forbes, Patricia B C

    2016-01-01

    Environmental pollutants, such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), become widely distributed in the environment after emission from a range of sources, and they have potential biological effects, including toxicity and carcinogenity. In this work, we have demonstrated the analytical potential of a covalently linked L-cysteine-capped CdSeTe/ZnSe/ZnS core/shell/shell quantum dot (QD)-graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite fluorescence probe to detect PAH compounds in aqueous solution. Water-soluble L-cysteine-capped CdSeTe/ZnSe/ZnS QDs were synthesized for the first time and were covalently bonded to GO. The fluorescence of the QD-GO nanocomposite was enhanced relative to the unconjugated QDs. Various techniques including TEM, SEM, HRSEM, XRD, Raman, FT-IR, UV/vis and fluorescence spectrophotometry were employed to characterize both the QDs and the QD-GO nanocomposite. Four commonly found priority PAH analytes namely; phenanthrene (Phe), anthracene (Ant), pyrene (Py) and naphthalene (Naph), were tested and it was found that each of the PAH analytes enhanced the fluorescence of the QD-GO probe. Phe was selected for further studies as the PL enhancement was significantly greater for this PAH. A limit of detection (LOD) of 0.19 µg/L was obtained for Phe under optimum conditions, whilst the LOD of Ant, Py and Naph were estimated to be ~0.26 µg/L. The fluorescence detection mechanism is proposed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Comment on: Negative ions, molecular electron affinity and orbital structure of cata-condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Rustem V. Khatymov, Mars V. Muftakhov and Pavel V. Shchukin.

    PubMed

    Chen, Edward S; Chen, Edward C M

    2018-02-15

    The anion mass spectral lifetimes for several aromatic hydrocarbons reported in the subject article were related to significantly different electron affinities. The different values are rationalized using negative ion mass spectral data. Electron affinities for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are reported from the temperature dependence of unpublished electron capture detector data. These are compared with published values and the largest values are assigned to the ground state. The ground state adiabatic electron affinities: (eV) pentacene, 1.41 (3); tetracene, 1.058 (5); benz(a)pyrene, 0.82 (4); benz(a) anthracene, 0.69 (2) anthracene, 0.68 (2); and pyrene, 0.59 (1) are used to assign excited state adiabatic electron affinities: (eV) tetracene: 0.88 (4); anthracene 0.53 (1); pyrene, 0.41 (1); benz(a)anthracene, 0.39 (10); chrysene, 0.32 (1); and phenanthrene, 0.12 (2) and ground state adiabatic electron affinities: (eV) dibenz(a,j)anthracene, 0.69 (3); dibenz(a,h)anthracene, 0.68 (3); benz(e)pyrene, 0.60 (3); and picene, 0.59 (3) from experimental data. The lifetime of benz(a)pyrene is predicted to be larger than 150 μs and for benzo(c)phenanthrene and picene about 40 μs, from ground state adiabatic electron affinities. The assignments of adiabatic electron affinities of aromatic hydrocarbons determined from electron capture detector and mass spectrometric data to ground and excited states are supported by constant electronegativities. A set of consistent ground state adiabatic electron affinities for 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is related to lifetimes from the subject article. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Chemical Compositional Analysis of Catalytic Hydroconversion Products of Heishan Coal Liquefaction Residue

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Yajun; Zhang, Shuangquan; Yang, Xiaoqin; Wei, Xianyong

    2017-01-01

    Liquefaction residue of Heishan bituminous coal (HLR) was subject to two hydroconversion reactions under 5 MPa initial pressure of hydrogen at 300°C for 3 h, without catalyst and with acid supported catalyst (ASC), respectively. The reaction products were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The results show that 222 organic compounds were detected totally in the products and they can be divided into alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons (AHCs), phenols, ketones, ethers, and other species (OSs). The yield of hydroconversion over the ASC is much higher than that without catalyst. The most abundant products are aromatic hydrocarbons in the reaction products from both catalytic and noncatalytic reactions of HLR. The yield of aromatic hydrocarbons in the reaction product from hydroconversion with the ACS is considerably higher than that from hydroconversion without a catalyst. PMID:28250770

  7. Analysis of unregulated emissions from an off-road diesel engine during realistic work operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lindgren, Magnus; Arrhenius, Karine; Larsson, Gunnar; Bäfver, Linda; Arvidsson, Hans; Wetterberg, Christian; Hansson, Per-Anders; Rosell, Lars

    2011-09-01

    Emissions from vehicle diesel engines constitute a considerable share of anthropogenic emissions of pollutants, including many non-regulated compounds such as aromatic hydrocarbons and alkenes. One way to reduce these emissions might be to use fuels with low concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons, such as Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) diesels. Therefore this study compared Swedish Environmental Class 1 diesel (EC1) with the F-T diesel fuel Ecopar™ in terms of emissions under varied conditions (steady state, controlled transients and realistic work operations) in order to identify factors influencing emissions in actual operation. Using F-T diesel reduced emissions of aromatic hydrocarbons, but not alkenes. Emissions were equally dependent on work operation character (load, engine speed, occurrence of transients) for both fuels. There were indications that the emissions originated from unburnt fuel, rather than from combustion products.

  8. A unifying picture of gas-phase formation and growth of PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons), soot, diamond and graphite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frenklach, Michael

    1990-01-01

    A variety of seemingly different carbon formation processes -- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and diamond in the interstellar medium, soot in hydrocarbon flames, graphite and diamond in plasma-assisted-chemical vapor deposition reactors -- may all have closely related underlying chemical reaction mechanisms. Two distinct mechanisms for gas-phase carbon growth are discussed. At high temperatures it proceeds via the formation of carbon clusters. At lower temperatures it follows a polymerization-type kinetic sequence of chemical reactions of acetylene addition to a radical, and reactivation of the resultant species through H-abstraction by a hydrogen atom.

  9. The Misuse of the Circle Notation to Represent Aromatic Rings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belloli, Robert C.

    1983-01-01

    Discusses the confusion and erroneous conclusions that can result from the overuse and misuse of the circle notation to represent aromaticity in polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons. Includes nature of the problem, textbook treatment, and a possible compromise method of representation. (Author/JN)

  10. Oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under sulfate-reducing conditions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Coates, J.D.; Anderson, R.T.; Lovley, D.R.

    1996-01-01

    [14C]naphthalene and phenanthrene were oxidized to 14CO2 without a detectable lag under strict anaerobic conditions in sediments from San Diego Bay, San Diego, Calif., that were heavily contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) but not in less contaminated sediments. Sulfate reduction was necessary for PAH oxidation. These results suggest that the self-purification capacity of PAH-contaminated sulfate-reducing environments may be greater than previously recognized.

  11. Anaerobic Microbial Transformation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Mixtures of Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Halogenated Solvents

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-08-25

    concentrations of these compounds may be toxic or Inhibitory to the microflora, especially if the microorganisms have not been exposed to these compounds before...Slow acclimation of the microflora to lower concentrations of these compounds , that occur at the outskirts of contamination plumes, gradually...sulfate may impair the capability of the microorganisms to degrade these compounds , although anaerobic respiration -- in theory -- is more favorable

  12. Synthesis of g-C3N4/Fe3O4 nanocomposites and application as a new sorbent for solid phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples.

    PubMed

    Wang, Man; Cui, Shihai; Yang, Xiaodi; Bi, Wentao

    2015-01-01

    An easy preparation of g-C3N4/Fe3O4 nanocomposites by chemical co-precipitation has been demonstrated. The as-prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The high affinity of g-C3N4 toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the magnetic behavior of Fe3O4 were combined to provide an efficient and simple magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE). The adsorption and desorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on g-C3N4/Fe3O4 were examined. Different factors affecting the magnetic solid phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were assessed in terms of adsorption, desorption, and recovery. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method showed good limits of detection (LOD, S/N=3) in the range of 0.05-0.1 ng mL(-1) and precision in the range of 1.8-5.3% (RSDs, n=3). This method was also successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples; good spiked recoveries over the range of 80.0-99.8% were obtained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. One-step hydroprocessing of fatty acids into renewable aromatic hydrocarbons over Ni/HZSM-5: insights into the major reaction pathways.

    PubMed

    Xing, Shiyou; Lv, Pengmei; Wang, Jiayan; Fu, Junying; Fan, Pei; Yang, Lingmei; Yang, Gaixiu; Yuan, Zhenhong; Chen, Yong

    2017-01-25

    For high caloricity and stability in bio-aviation fuels, a certain content of aromatic hydrocarbons (AHCs, 8-25 wt%) is crucial. Fatty acids, obtained from waste or inedible oils, are a renewable and economic feedstock for AHC production. Considerable amounts of AHCs, up to 64.61 wt%, were produced through the one-step hydroprocessing of fatty acids over Ni/HZSM-5 catalysts. Hydrogenation, hydrocracking, and aromatization constituted the principal AHC formation processes. At a lower temperature, fatty acids were first hydrosaturated and then hydrodeoxygenated at metal sites to form long-chain hydrocarbons. Alternatively, the unsaturated fatty acids could be directly deoxygenated at acid sites without first being saturated. The long-chain hydrocarbons were cracked into gases such as ethane, propane, and C 6 -C 8 olefins over the catalysts' Brønsted acid sites; these underwent Diels-Alder reactions on the catalysts' Lewis acid sites to form AHCs. C 6 -C 8 olefins were determined as critical intermediates for AHC formation. As the Ni content in the catalyst increased, the Brønsted-acid site density was reduced due to coverage by the metal nanoparticles. Good performance was achieved with a loading of 10 wt% Ni, where the Ni nanoparticles exhibited a polyhedral morphology which exposed more active sites for aromatization.

  14. Polyaniline-coated cigarette filters as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the extraction and enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in water samples.

    PubMed

    Bunkoed, Opas; Rueankaew, Thanaschaphorn; Nurerk, Piyaluk; Kanatharana, Proespichaya

    2016-06-01

    Polyaniline coated cigarette filters were successfully synthesized and used as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the extraction and preconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. The polyaniline helped to enhance the adsorption ability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the sorbent through π-π interactions. The high porosity and large surface area of the cigarette filters helped to reduce backpressure and can be operated with high sample flow rate without loss of extraction efficiency. The developed sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The parameters that affected the extraction efficiencies, i.e. polymerization time, type of desorption solvent and its volume, sample flow rate, sample volume, sample pH, ionic strength, and organic modifier were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the method was linear over the range of 0.5-10 μg/L and a detection limit of 0.5 ng/L. This simple, rapid, and cost-effective method was successfully applied to the preconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples. The developed method provided a high enrichment factor with good extraction efficiency (85-98%) and a relative standard deviation <10%. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ijam, M.J.; Qatami, S.Y.A.; Arif, S.F.

    For several decades removal of aromatics from crude oil fractions (e.g. kerosene and lubricating oils) has been practiced in oil refining to produce fuels and lubricants of lower aromatic content and hence of improved quality. These aromatics are suitable raw materials for the manufacture of aromatic solvents, aromatic process oils, high octane gasoline, and as basic materials for making detergents, perfumes and dyes. Detailed study of molecular structure and substituent effects on the retention characteristics of aromatic hydrocarbons have been reported on alumina, silica and various chemically bonded silicas containing -C/sub 18/, -NH/sub 2/, -R(NH)/sub 2//sub 2/, -CN, RCN, RONmore » and phenyl-mercuric acetate for the compound class (ring-numbered) high performance liquid chromatography (2, 3, 8, 12, 24, 28). Previous work in this laboratory has demonstrated that individual normal and branched aliphatic hydrocarbons from kerosene and light gas oil were isolated and identified. This paper describes the extension of this work to cover the separation and identification of aromatic ring classes (mono-, di-, and tri-aromatics) in the gas oil fraction of Kuwait petroleum. Characterization and identification of the major components in the dinuclear aromatics is our primary objective in this study.« less

  16. Catalytic co-aromatization of ethanol and methane

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Aiguo; He, Peng; Yung, Matthew; ...

    2016-06-06

    This study demonstrates the technical feasibility of simultaneously converting ethanol and methane into liquid hydrocarbons at mild reaction conditions (400 °C and 1 atm) over silver and/or zinc modified zeolite catalysts. After GC-MS analysis, it is worth noting that aromatics are the major compounds contained in the liquid product collected from the run when 1%Ag/ZSM-5, particularly after H 2 pretreatment, is charged. Compared to the performance exhibited from the run with pure HZSM-5 support engaged, Ag addition into the HZSM-5 framework favors aromatics formation, which might be closely associated with better Ag dispersion and more abundance of strong surface acidicmore » sites where aromatization might take place while Zn loading exerts a detrimental effect on the production of aromatics but promotes the ether generation possibly through dehydration reaction. Referred to that from its N 2 counterpart, the increased aromatics formation of the collected liquid product when methane is present indicates that methane existence might facilitate ethanol aromatization. Moreover, combined with the increased carbon number in the formed aromatics from CH 4 run when H 2 run is referred and zero liquid formation from CH 4-alone test as well as more prominent endothermic feature of methane run and more importantly the notably increased 13C signals in 13C NMR spectra of the liquid product collected during ethanol conversion under 13CH 4 environment, all the observations suggest that methane might be activated nonoxidatively and converted into higher hydrocarbons, preferentially into aromatics if suitable catalyst is charged under the assistance of co-existing oxygenated hydrocarbon. Lastly, the reported synergetic effect could potentially lead to the more economic utilization of abundant natural gas and cellulosic ethanol.« less

  17. Process for Preparing a Tough, Soluble, Aromatic, Thermoplastic Copolyimide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bryant, Robert G. (Inventor)

    1997-01-01

    A process for preparing a tough, soluble, aromatic, thermoplastic copolyimide is provided. The process comprises the steps of (a) providing 4.4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride to 3,4,3',4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride at a mole ratio ranging from about 25 mole percent to 75 mole percent to 75 mole percent to about 25 mole percent; (b) adding 3,4'-oxydianiline to form a mixture; (c) adding a polar aprotic or polar protic solvent to the mixture to form a solution having a percentage of solids capable of maintaining polymer solubility; (d) stirring the solution to allow it to react; (e) adding an azeotropic solvent to the solution and heating to remove water; (f) cooling the solution of step (e) to room temperature and recovering the tough, soluble, aromatic, thermoplastic copolyimide.

  18. Effect of counter ions of arginine as an additive for the solubilization of protein and aromatic compounds.

    PubMed

    Yoshizawa, Shunsuke; Arakawa, Tsutomu; Shiraki, Kentaro

    2016-10-01

    Arginine is widely used in biotechnological application, but mostly with chloride counter ion. Here, we examined the effects of various anions on solubilization of aromatic compounds and reduced lysozyme and on refolding of the lysozyme. All arginine salts tested increased the solubility of propyl gallate with acetate much more effectively than chloride. The effects of arginine salts were compared with those of sodium or guanidine salts, indicating that the ability of anions to modulate the propyl gallate solubility is independent of the cation. Comparison of transfer free energy of propyl gallate between sodium and arginine salts indicates that the interaction of propyl gallate is more favorable with arginine than sodium. On the contrary, the solubility of aromatic amino acids is only slightly modulated by anions, implying that there is specific interaction between acetic acid and propyl gallate. Unlike their effects on the solubility of small aromatic compounds, the solubility of reduced lysozyme was much higher in arginine chloride than in arginine acetate or sulfate. Consistent with high solubility, refolding of reduced lysozyme was most effective in arginine chloride. These results suggest potential broader applications of arginine modulated by different anions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Scenario-based modelling of mass transfer mechanisms at a petroleum contaminated field site-numerical implications.

    PubMed

    Vasudevan, M; Nambi, Indumathi M; Suresh Kumar, G

    2016-06-15

    Knowledge about distribution of dissolved plumes and their influencing factors is essential for risk assessment and remediation of light non-aqueous phase liquid contamination in groundwater. Present study deals with the applicability of numerical model for simulating various hydro-geological scenarios considering non-uniform source distribution at a petroleum contaminated site in Chennai, India. The complexity associated with the hydrogeology of the site has limited scope for on-site quantification of petroleum pipeline spillage. The change in fuel composition under mass-transfer limited conditions was predicted by simultaneously comparing deviations in aqueous concentrations and activity coefficients (between Raoult's law and analytical approaches). The effects of source migration and weathering on the dissolution of major soluble fractions of petroleum fuel were also studied in relation to the apparent change in their activity coefficients and molar fractions. The model results were compared with field observations and found that field conditions were favourable for biodegradation, especially for the aromatic fraction (benzene and toluene (nearly 95% removal), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (up to 65% removal) and xylene (nearly 45% removal). The results help to differentiate the effect of compositional non-ideality from rate-limited dissolution towards tailing of less soluble compounds (alkanes and trimethylbenzene). Although the effect of non-ideality decreased with distance from the source, the assumption of spatially varying residual saturation could effectively illustrate post-spill scenario by estimating the consequent decrease in mass transfer rate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Trace organic compounds in wet atmospheric deposition: an overview

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Steinheimer, T.R.; Johnson, S.M.

    1987-01-01

    An overview of the occurrence of organic compounds in wet atmospheric deposition is given. Multiplicity of sources and problems associated with source identification are discussed. Available literature is reviewed by using citations from Chemical Abstracts and Water Resources Abstracts through June 1985 and includes reports published through December 1984 that summarize current knowledge. Approaches to the chemical determination of organic compounds in precipitation are examined in addition to aspects of sampling protocols. Best methods for sample collection and preparation for instrumental analysis continue to be discussed among various investigators. Automatic wet-deposition-only devices for collection and extraction are preferred. Classes of organic compounds that have been identified in precipitation include a spectrum of compounds with differing properties of acidity or basicity, polarity, and water solubility. Those compounds that have been reported in rainfall, snowfall, and ice include hydrocarbons (both aromatic and nonaromatic), chlorinated derivatives of these hydrocarbons, carbonyl compounds (both acidic and nonacidic), and carboxylic acids and esters. Formic and acetic are the most abundant organic acids present. Cloudwater, fogwater, and mist also have been collected and analyzed for organic composition.

  1. Evaluation of sediment contamination by monoaromatic hydrocarbons in the coastal lagoons of Gulf of Saros, NE Aegean Sea.

    PubMed

    Ünlü, Selma; Alpar, Bedri

    2017-05-15

    The concentrations and distribution of monoaromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and the sum of m-, p- and o-, xylenes) were determined in the sediments of coastal lagoons of the Gulf of Saros, using a static headspace GC-MS. The total concentrations of BTEX compounds ranged from 368.5 to below detection limit 0.6μgkg -1 dw, with a mean value of 61.5μgkg -1 dw. The light aromatic fraction of m-, p-xylene was the most abundant compound (57.1% in average), and followed by toluene (38.1%)>ethylbenzene (4.1%)>o-xylene (2.5%)>benzene (1.1%). The factor analysis indicated that the levels and distribution of BTEX compounds depend on the type of contaminant source (mobile/point), absorbance of compounds in sediment, and mobility of benzene compound and degradation processes. Point sources are mainly related to agricultural facilities and port activities while the dispersion of compounds are related with their solubility, volatility and effect of sea/saline waters on lagoons. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  2. Evaluation of PAH bioaccumulation and DNA damage in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed to spilled Prestige crude oil.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Cadahía, Beatriz; Laffon, Blanca; Pásaro, Eduardo; Méndez, Josefina

    2004-08-01

    We analyzed the hydrocarbon composition of the Prestige oil as it reached the shores, its solubility in sea water, its bioaccumulation, and the genotoxic damage associated to oil exposure, using Mytilus galloprovincialis as sentinel organism. Mussels were exposed to two oil volumetric ratios (1:500 and 2:500) for 12 days. Great concentrations of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAH) have been obtained, being in general higher in the samples from the dose of 1:500, both in sea water (55.14 vs. 41.96 microg/l) and mussel tissue (16,993.80 vs. 17,033.00 microg/kg), probably due to the great tendency of these compounds to link to particles in water. Comet assay results reflected an increase in the DNA damage associated to oil exposure, higher in the mussels exposed to the higher aqueous TPAH content. In the view of our results, the importance of the evaluation of biodisponibility, bioaccumulation and DNA damage in the assessment of the effects of xenobiotic pollutants to marine environments could be highlighted.

  3. Embryotoxic effects of benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene in petroleum hydrocarbon mixtures in mallard ducks

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hoffman, D.J.; Gay, M.L.

    1981-01-01

    Studies with different avian species have revealed that surface applications of microliter amounts of some crude and fuel oils that coat less than 70% of the egg surface result in considerable reduction in hatching with teratogenicity and stunted growth. Other stUdies have shown that the embryo toxicity is dependent on the aromatic hydrocarbon content, further suggesting that the toxicity is due to causes other than asphyxia. In the present study the effects of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons identified in petroleum were examined on mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) embryo development. Addition of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), chrysene, or 7,7 2-dimethylbenz[ a]anthracene (DMBA) to a synthetic petroleum hydrocarbon mixture of known composition and relatively low embryotoxicity resulted in embryo toxicity that was enhanced or equal to that of crude oil when 10 :I was applied externally to eggs at 72 h of development. The order of ability to enhance embryo toxicity was DMBA > BaP > chrysene. The temporal pattern of embryonic death was similar to that reported after exposure to crude oil, with additional mortality occurring after outgrowth of the chorioallantois. Retarded growth, as reflected by embryonic body weight, crown-rump length, and bill length, was accompanied by teratogenicity. Abnormal embryos exhibited extreme stunting; eye, brain, and bill defects; and incomplete ossification. Gas chromatographic-mass spectral analysis of externally treated eggs showed the passage of aromatic hydrocarbons including chrysene through the shell and shell membranes to the developing embryos. These findings suggest that the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum, including BaP, chrysene, and DMBA, significantly enhances the overall embryotoxicity in avian species.

  4. Evaluation of environmental levels of aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline service stations by gas chromatography.

    PubMed

    Periago, J F; Zambudio, A; Prado, C

    1997-08-22

    The volume of gasoline sold in refuelling operations and the ambient temperature, can increase significantly the environmental levels of aromatic hydrocarbon vapours and subsequently, the occupational risk of gasoline service station attendants, specially in the case of benzene. We have evaluated the occupational exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons by means of personal-breathing-zone samples of gasoline vapours in a service station attendant population. This evaluation was carried out using diffusive samplers, in two periods at quite different temperatures (March and July). A significant relationship between the volume of gasoline sold during the shift and the ambient concentration of benzene, toluene, and xylenes was found for each worker sampled. Furthermore a significant difference was found between the time-weighted average concentration of aromatic compounds measured in March, with ambient temperatures of 14-15 degrees C and July, with temperatures of 28-30 degrees C. In addition, 20% of the population sampled in the last period were exposed to a time-weighted average concentration of benzene above the proposed Threshold Limit Value of 960 micrograms/m(3) of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

  5. Identification and quantification of seven fused aromatic rings C26H14 peri-condensed benzenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a complex mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from coal tar.

    PubMed

    Oña-Ruales, Jorge O; Ruiz-Morales, Yosadara; Wise, Stephen A

    2016-04-15

    A methodology for the characterization of groups of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using a combination of normal phase liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (NPLC/UV-vis) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used for the identification and quantification of seven fused aromatic rings C26H14 peri-condensed benzenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, in standard reference material (SRM) 1597a, complex mixture of PAHs from coal tar. The NPLC/UV-vis isolated the fractions based on the number of aromatic carbons and the GC/MS allowed the identification and quantification of five of the nine C26H14 PAH isomers; naphtho[1,2,3,4-ghi]perylene, dibenzo[b,ghi]perylene, dibenzo[b,pqr]perylene, naphtho[8,1,2-bcd]perylene, and dibenzo[cd,lm]perylene using a retention time comparison with authentic reference standards. For the other four benzenoid isomers with no available reference standards the following two approaches were used. First, the annellation theory was used to achieve the potential identification of benzo[qr]naphtho[3,2,1,8-defg]chrysene, and second, the elution distribution in the GC fractions was used to support the potential identification of benzo[qr]naphtho[3,2,1,8-defg]chrysene and to reach the tentative identifications of dibenzo[a,ghi]perylene, naphtho[7,8,1,2,3-pqrst]pentaphene, and anthra[2,1,9,8-opqra]naphthacene. It is the first time that naphtho[1,2,3,4-ghi]perylene, dibenzo[b,ghi]perylene, dibenzo[b,pqr]perylene, naphtho[8,1,2-bcd]perylene, and dibenzo[cd,lm]perylene are quantified, and the first time that benzo[qr]naphtho[3,2,1,8-defg]chrysene is potentially identified, in any sample, in any context. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in some grounded coffee brands.

    PubMed

    Grover, Inderpreet Singh; Sharma, Rashmi; Singh, Satnam; Pal, Bonamali

    2013-08-01

    Potentially toxic 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in four brands of grounded coffee. Four to 13 PAHs were detected. Concentrations of total PAHs in different brands of coffee samples were in the range of 831.7-1,589.7 μg/kg. Benzo[a]pyrene (2A: probable human carcinogen) was found in Nescafe Premium whereas naphthalene (2B: possible human carcinogen) was found in all the samples of coffee.

  7. Observational aspects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon charging in the Interstellar Medium

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bakes, E. L. O.; Tielens, Alexander G. G. M.

    1995-01-01

    We have investigated the charging processes which affect small carbonaceous dust grains and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). Because of their high abundance, interstellar PAH molecules can dominate the charge balance of the interstellar medium (ISM), which controls the heating and cooling interstellar gas and interstellar chemistry. We present the results of our model, which compare well with observations and suggest further applications to both laboratory measurements and data obtainable from the KAO.

  8. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and crops after irrigation of wastewater discharged from domestic sewage treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Chung, N J; Cho, J Y; Park, S W; Park, B J; Hwang, S A; Park, T I

    2008-08-01

    The effects of domestic wastewater application on the translocation and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and crops (rice, lettuce, and barley) were investigated by Wagner's pot experiment. In the soils and crops after domestic wastewater irrigation, high-molecular weight PAHs (5 to 6 ring) were not detected, but low-molecular weight PAHs (3 to 4 ring) were only detected at trace levels.

  9. Anaerobic Microbial Transformation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Mixtures of Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Halogenated Solvents.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-08-25

    High initial concentrations of these compounds may be toxic or inhibitory to the microflora, especially if the microorganisms have not been exposed to...these compounds before. Slow acclimation of the microflora to lower concentrations of these compounds , that occur at the outskirts of contamination...acceptors such as nitrate or sulfate may impair the capability of the microorganisms to degrade these compounds , although anaerobic respiration -- in theory

  10. Zebra Mussel Chemical Control Guide.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-01-01

    References 80 Aromatic Hydrocarbons 82 BULAB6009 82 Chemical Name and Formulations 82 Mode of Action 82 Application Strategies 82 Timing of Application...organisms once they are bound to anionic substances (Dobbs et al. 1995). b. Aromatic hydrocarbons . Compounds such as BULAB® 6009 and MEXEL 432™ also...Pallas): A new mollusc in the Great Lakes," Can. J. FishAquat. Sei. 46, 1587-1591. Heitanen, E. (1997). "Toxicity testing of Endod, a natural

  11. Monitoring of vapor phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

    DOEpatents

    Vo-Dinh, Tuan; Hajaligol, Mohammad R.

    2004-06-01

    An apparatus for monitoring vapor phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a high-temperature environment has an excitation source producing electromagnetic radiation, an optical path having an optical probe optically communicating the electromagnetic radiation received at a proximal end to a distal end, a spectrometer or polychromator, a detector, and a positioner coupled to the first optical path. The positioner can slidably move the distal end of the optical probe to maintain the distal end position with respect to an area of a material undergoing combustion. The emitted wavelength can be directed to a detector in a single optical probe 180.degree. backscattered configuration, in a dual optical probe 180.degree. backscattered configuration or in a dual optical probe 90.degree. side scattered configuration. The apparatus can be used to monitor an emitted wavelength of energy from a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon as it fluoresces in a high temperature environment.

  12. Direct photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water sources.

    PubMed

    Sanches, S; Leitão, C; Penetra, A; Cardoso, V V; Ferreira, E; Benoliel, M J; Crespo, M T Barreto; Pereira, V J

    2011-09-15

    The widely used low pressure lamps were tested in terms of their efficiency to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons listed as priority pollutants by the European Water Framework Directive and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in water matrices with very different compositions (laboratory grade water, groundwater, and surface water). Using a UV fluence of 1500 mJ/cm(2), anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene were efficiently degraded, with much higher percent removals obtained when present in groundwater (83-93%) compared to surface water (36-48%). The removal percentages obtained for fluoranthene were lower and ranged from 13 to 54% in the different water matrices tested. Several parameters that influence the direct photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined and their photolysis by-products were identified by mass spectrometry. The formation of photolysis by-products was found to be highly dependent on the source waters tested. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Catalytic upgrading of oil fractions separated from food waste leachate.

    PubMed

    Heo, Hyeon Su; Kim, Sang Guk; Jeong, Kwang-Eun; Jeon, Jong-Ki; Park, Sung Hoon; Kim, Ji Man; Kim, Seung-Soo; Park, Young-Kwon

    2011-02-01

    In this work, catalytic cracking of biomass waste oil fractions separated from food waste leachate was performed using microporous catalysts, such as HY, HZSM-5 and mesoporous Al-MCM-48. The experiments were carried out using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to allow the direct analysis of the pyrolytic products. Most acidic components, especially oleic acid, contained in the food waste oil fractions were converted to valuable products, such as oxygenates, hydrocarbons and aromatics. High yields of hydrocarbons within the gasoline-range were obtained when microporous catalysts were used; whereas, the use of Al-MCM-48, which exhibits relatively weak acidity, resulted in high yields of oxygenated and diesel-range hydrocarbons. The HZSM-5 catalyst produced a higher amount of valuable mono aromatics due to its strong acidity and shape selectivity. Especially, the addition of gallium (Ga) to HZSM-5 significantly increased the aromatics content. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Factors affecting elimination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from traditional smoked common carp meat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babić, J.; Vidaković, S.; Škaljac, S.; Kartalović, B.; Ljubojević, D.; Ćirković, M.; Teodorović, V.

    2017-09-01

    Smoking techniques have been progressively improved and different procedures have been developed in different regions for treating fish. In these times, the technology is mainly used for enrichment of fish with specific taste and odour, to extend the shelf-life of these perishable products and appearance required widely on the market. A lot of chemical contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed during the combustion of fuel in the smoking process. PAHs are a group of compounds that have been the subject of great concern in the recent years due to their toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic potentials to humans. These fact can have a significant impact on the acceptance of these products by consumers. In this review article, the objective is to describe factors affecting elimination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from traditional smoked common carp meat.

  15. Ingredients for Life (Artist's Concept)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1: Artist's Conception Symbolically Represents Complex Organic Molecules

    This artist's conception symbolically represents complex organic molecules, known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, seen in the early universe. These large molecules, comprised of carbon and hydrogen, are considered among the building blocks of life.

    NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is the first telescope to see polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons so early -- 10 billion years further back in time than seen previously. Spitzer detected these molecules in galaxies when our universe was one-fourth of its current age of about 14 billion years.

    These complex molecules are very common on Earth. They form any time carbon-based materials are not burned completely. They can be found in sooty exhaust from cars and airplanes, and in charcoal broiled hamburgers and burnt toast.

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are pervasive in galaxies like our own Milky Way, and play a significant role in star and planet formation.

  16. Renal cancer risk and occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and plastics

    PubMed Central

    Karami, Sara; Boffetta, Paolo; Brennan, Paul; Stewart, Patricia A.; Zaridze, David; Matveev, Vsevolod; Janout, Vladimir; Kollarova, Helena; Bencko, Vladimir; Navratilova, Marie; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonila; Mates, Dana; Gromiec, Jan P.; Sobotka, Roman; Chow, Wong-Ho; Rothman, Nathaniel; Moore, Lee E.

    2011-01-01

    Objective To investigate whether occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and certain plastic monomers increased renal cell carcinomas (RCC) risk. Methods Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate RCC risk in relation to exposure. Results No association between RCC risk and having ever been occupationally exposed to any polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or plastics was observed. Duration of exposure and average exposure also showed no association with risk. Suggestive positive associations between RCC risk and cumulative exposure to styrene (P-trend = 0.02) and acrylonitrile (P-trend = 0.06) were found. Cumulative exposure to petroleum/gasoline engine emissions was inversely associated with risk (P-trend = 0.02). Conclusions Results indicate a possible association between occupational styrene and acrylonitrile exposure and RCC risk. Additional studies are needed to replicate findings, as this is the first time these associations have been reported and they may be due to chance. PMID:21270648

  17. Production of aromatics from di- and polyoxygenates

    DOEpatents

    Beck, Taylor; Blank, Brian; Jones, Casey; Woods, Elizabeth; Cortright, Randy

    2016-08-02

    Methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing in high yield aromatic chemicals and liquid fuels from a mixture of oxygenates comprising di- and polyoxygenates are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing aromatic chemicals and liquid fuels from oxygenated hydrocarbons such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like; and methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing the mixture of oxygenates from oxygenated hydrocarbons such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like. The disclosed catalysts for preparing the mixture of oxygenates comprise a Ni.sub.nSn.sub.m alloy and a crystalline alumina support.

  18. Production of aromatics from di- and polyoxygenates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beck, Taylor; Blank, Brian; Jones, Casey

    Methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing in high yield aromatic chemicals and liquid fuels from a mixture of oxygenates comprising di- and polyoxygenates are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing aromatic chemicals and liquid fuels from oxygenated hydrocarbons such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like; and methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing the mixture of oxygenates from oxygenated hydrocarbons such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like. The disclosed catalysts for preparing the mixture of oxygenates comprise a Ni.sub.nSn.sub.m alloy and a crystalline aluminamore » support.« less

  19. Production of aromatics from di- and polyoxygenates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beck, Taylor; Blank, Brian; Jones, Casey

    Methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing in high yield aromatic chemicals and liquid fuels from a mixture of oxygenates comprising di- and polyoxygenates are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing aromatic chemicals and liquid fuels from oxygenated hydrocarbons such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like; and methods, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing the mixture of oxygenates from oxygenated hydrocarbons such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like. The disclosed catalysts for preparing the mixture of oxygenates comprise a Group VIII metal and a crystallinemore » alumina support.« less

  20. Solubility Database

    National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

    SRD 106 IUPAC-NIST Solubility Database (Web, free access)   These solubilities are compiled from 18 volumes (Click here for List) of the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry(IUPAC)-NIST Solubility Data Series. The database includes liquid-liquid, solid-liquid, and gas-liquid systems. Typical solvents and solutes include water, seawater, heavy water, inorganic compounds, and a variety of organic compounds such as hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, alcohols, acids, esters and nitrogen compounds. There are over 67,500 solubility measurements and over 1800 references.

  1. Geochemical evaluation of upper cretaceous fruitland formation coals, San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Michael, G.E.; Anders, D.E.; Law, B.E.

    1993-01-01

    Geochemical analyses of coal samples from the Upper Cretaceous Fruitland Formation in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Colorado were used to determine thermal maturity, type of kerogen, and hydrocarbon generation potential. Mean random vitrinite reflectance (%Rm) of the Fruitland coal ranges from 0.42 to 1.54%. Rock-Eval pyrolysis data and saturated to aromatic hydrocarbon ratio indicate that the onset of thermal hydrocarbon generation begins at about 0.60% Rm and peak generation occurs at about 0.85% Rm. Several samples have hydrogen index values between 200 and 400, indicating some potential for liquid hydrocarbon generation and a mixed Type III and II kerogen. Pentacyclic and tricyclic terpanes, steranes, aromatic steroids and methylphenanthrene maturity parameters were observed through the complete range of thermal maturity in the Fruitland coals. Aromatic pentacyclic terpanes, similar to those found in brown coals of Australia, were observed in low maturity samples, but not found above 0.80% Rm. N-alkane depleted coal samples, which occur at a thermal maturity of approx. 0.90% Rm, paralleling peak hydrocarbon generation, are fairly widespread throughout the basin. Depletion of n-alkanes in these samples may be due to gas solution stripping and migration fromthe coal seams coincident with the development of pressure induced fracturing due to hydrocarbon generation; however, biodegradation may also effect these samples. ?? 1993.

  2. Distribution of aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorinated pollutants in deep-sea sediments of the Southern Cretan margin, Eastern Mediterranean Sea: a baseline assessment.

    PubMed

    Mandalakis, Manolis; Polymenakou, Paraskevi N; Tselepides, Anastasios; Lampadariou, Nikolaos

    2014-07-01

    Deep sediments from the southern Cretan margin were analyzed to establish baseline levels for various types of organic pollutants before the anticipated intensification of anthropogenic activities. The total concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons (ΣAH:326-3758ngg(-1), dry weight) was similar to those reported for deep sediments of the western Mediterranean Sea, while considerably lower levels were measured for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ΣPAH:9-60ngg(-1)). Source-diagnostic ratios suggested that the aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediments were mainly of terrestrial biogenic origin, while polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons stemmed from the deposition of long-range transported combustion aerosols. Among the organochlorinated compounds analyzed, β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH:222-7052pgg(-1)), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (p,p'-DDT:37-2236pgg(-1)) and polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCB:38-1182pgg(-1)) showed the highest abundance in sediments. The presence of HCHs and PCBs was attributed to historical inputs that have undergone extensive weathering, whereas an ongoing fresh input was suggested for p,p'-DDT. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the levels of the various pollutants in sediments were controlled by different factors, but with organic carbon content playing a prominent role in most cases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. The Amoco CadizOil Spill: Evolution of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the Ile Grande Salt Marshes (Brittany) after a 13-year Period

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mille, G.; Munoz, D.; Jacquot, F.; Rivet, L.; Bertrand, J.-C.

    1998-11-01

    The Ile Grande salt marshes (Brittany coast) were polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons after theAmoco Cadizgrounding in 1978. Thirteen years after the oil spill, sediments were analysed for residual hydrocarbons in order to monitor the aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon signatures and to assess both qualitatively and quantitatively the changes in composition of theAmoco Cadizoil. Six stations were selected in the Ile Grande salt marshes and sediments were sampled to a depth of 20 cm. For each sample, the hydrocarbon compositions were determined for alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and biomarkers (terpanes, steranes, diasteranes). Hydrocarbon levels drastically decreased between 1978 and 1991, but to different extents according to the initial degree of contamination. In 1991, hydrocarbon concentrations never exceeded 1·7 g kg-1sediment dry weight, and in most cases were less than 0·1 g kg-1sediment dry weight. Even though petroleum hydrocarbons are still present, natural hydrocarbons were also detected at several stations. Changes in some biomarker distributions were observed 13 years after the oil spill. Nevertheless, most of the biomarkers are very stable in the salt marsh environment and remain unaltered even after a 13-year period.

  4. Sediment-associated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in coastal British Columbia, Canada: concentrations, composition, and associated risks to protected sea otters.

    PubMed

    Harris, Kate A; Yunker, Mark B; Dangerfield, Neil; Ross, Peter S

    2011-10-01

    Sediment-associated hydrocarbons can pose a risk to wildlife that rely on benthic marine food webs. We measured hydrocarbons in sediments from the habitat of protected sea otters in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Alkane concentrations were dominated by higher odd-chain n-alkanes at all sites, indicating terrestrial plant inputs. While remote sites were dominated by petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), small harbour sites within sea otter habitat and sites from an urban reference area reflected weathered petroleum and biomass and fossil fuel combustion. The partitioning of hydrocarbons between sediments and adjacent food webs provides an important exposure route for sea otters, as they consume ∼25% of their body weight per day in benthic invertebrates. Thus, exceedences of PAH sediment quality guidelines designed to protect aquatic biota at 20% of the sites in sea otter habitat suggest that sea otters are vulnerable to hydrocarbon contamination even in the absence of catastrophic oil spills. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Hydrocarbon pollution in the sediment from the Jarzouna-Bizerte coastal area of Tunisia (Mediterranean Sea).

    PubMed

    Zrafi-Nouira, I; Khedir-Ghenim, Z; Zrafi, F; Bahri, R; Cheraeif, I; Rouabhia, M; Saidane-Mosbahi, D

    2008-06-01

    This study investigated the presence and origin of hydrocarbon pollution in industrial waste water sediments found near the Jarzouna (Bizerte, Tunisia) oil refinery. Analyses of surface sediments (layer 1) and deep sediments (layer 2) showed that Total Hydrocarbon (TH) concentrations ranged from 602 +/- 7.638 microg/g in layer-1 to 1270 +/- 2.176 microg/g in layer-2. The results suggest that the deeper the sediment, the higher the level of total hydrocarbon found. The sedimentary Non Aromatic Hydrocarbon (NAH) and Aromatic Hydrocarbon (AH) concentrations ranged from 66.22 +/- 1.516 to 211.82 +/- 10.670 microg/g for NAH, and from 13.84 +/- 0.180 to 115.60 +/- 2.479 microg/g for AH. The high variability of these concentrations was associated with the location of the sediment collection sites. Aliphatic biomarker analysis revealed petroleum contamination close to the refinery rejection site, and biogenic sources further away. Petroleum contamination may be associated with increased industrial activity in the area of Jarzouna-Bizerte in the Mediterranean Sea.

  6. Analyses at High Spatial Resolution of Organic Molecules in Extraterrestrial Samples: Two-Step Laser Mass Spectrometry: Search for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Antarctic Meteorite and Micrometeorite Samples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zare, Richard N.

    1998-01-01

    Perhaps the best way to summarize the past three-year grant period is to cite the publications and present a brief synopsis of each: 1. "Indigenous Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules in Circumstellar Graphite Grains." Bulk C-12/C-13 isotope ratios observed in some graphite grains extracted from primitive meteorites point strongly to a circumstellar origin. By applying our technique of microprobe two-step laser desorption laser ionization mass spectrometry ((mu)L(sup 2)MS) to individual circumstellar graphite grains we have measured the C-12/C-13 isotope ratio of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) found in these grains. 2. "Deuterium Enrichments in Cluster IDPS," Large enrichments in the D/H isotope ratios in IDPs likely arise from the preservation of presolar molecules. 3. "Evidence for thermalization of surface-disorder molecules at heating rates of 10(exp 8) K/s". A careful study of the ((mu)L(sup 2)MS) of aniline-d(sub 7) from a single-crystal surface (0001) of sapphire (al2O3) shows that all measured properties are consistent with a thermal mechanism for desorption. 4. "Search for past life on Mars; possible relic biogenic activity in Martian meteorite ALH 84001. The authors examined the Martian meteorite ALH 84001 and found several lines of evidence compatible with existence of past primitive (single-cell) life on early Mars. 5. "Microprobe two-step laser mass spectrometry as an analytical tool for meteorite samples". THis paper presents a comprehensive review of (mu)L(sup 2)MS and how this technique can be applied to meteoritic samples. 6. "Indigenous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in circumstellar graphite grains from primitive meteorites". The C-12/C-13 isotope ratios were measured for PAHs in a total of 89 spherical graphite grains. 7. "Observation of indigenous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in "Giant" carbonaceous antarctic micrometeorites." The (mu)L(sup 2)MS method was used to establish the nature and distribution of PAHs in fragments of fifteen (approx. 200 microns) carbonaceous antarctic micrometeorites (AMMs). 8. "Evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Martian meteorite ALH 84001" We have undertaken additional contamination studies of ALH 84001.

  7. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jaars, K.; Beukes, J. P.; van Zyl, P. G.

    Aromatic hydrocarbons are associated with direct adverse human health effects and can have negative impacts on ecosystems due to their toxicity, as well as indirect negative effects through the formation of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol that affect human health, crop production and regional climate. Measurements were conducted at the Welgegund measurement station (South Africa) that is considered to be a regionally representative background site. However, the site is occasionally impacted by plumes from major anthropogenic source regions in the interior of South Africa, which include the western Bushveld Igneous Complex (e.g. platinum, base metal and ferrochrome smelters), themore » eastern Bushveld Igneous Complex (platinum and ferrochrome smelters), the Johannesburg-Pretoria metropolitan conurbation (>10 million people), the Vaal Triangle (e.g. petrochemical and industries), the Mpumalanga Highveld (e.g. coal-fired power plants and petrochemical industry) and also a region of anti-cyclonic recirculation of air mass over the interior of South Africa. The aromatic hydrocarbon measurements were conducted with an automated sampler on Tenax-TA and Carbopack-B adsorbent tubes with heated inlet for one year. Samples were collected twice a week for two hours during daytime and two hours 1 during night-time. A thermal desorption unit, connected to a gas chromatograph and a mass 2 selective detector was used for sample preparation and analysis. Results indicated that the 3 monthly median total aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations ranged between 0.01 to 3.1 ppb. 4 Benzene levels did not exceed local air quality standards. Toluene was the most abundant 5 species, with an annual median concentration of 0.63 ppb. No statistically significant 6 differences in the concentrations measured during daytime and night-time were found and no distinct seasonal patterns were observed. Air mass back trajectory analysis proved that the lack of seasonal cycles could be attributed to patterns determining the origin of the air masses sampled. Aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations were in general significantly higher in air masses that passed over anthropocentrically impacted regions. Interspecies correlations and ratios gave some indications of the possible sources for the different aromatic hydrocarbons in the source regions defined in the paper. The highest contribution of aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations to ozone formation potential was also observed in plumes passing over anthropocentrically impacted regions.« less

  8. SIMULTANEOUS DTERMINATION OF CHROMATE AND AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES BY CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    An analytical method was developed to determine simultaneously, the inorganic anion CrO2-4, and organic aromatic compounds including benzoate, 2-Cl-benzoate, phenol, m-cresol and o-/p-cresol by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Chromate and the aromatics were separated in a relativ...

  9. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon components contribute to the mitochondria-antiapoptotic effect of fine particulate matter on human bronchial epithelial cells via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Nowadays, effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are well-documented and related to oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory response. Nevertheless, epidemiological studies show that PM2.5 exposure is correlated with an increase of pulmonary cancers and the remodeling of the airway epithelium involving the regulation of cell death processes. Here, we investigated the components of Parisian PM2.5 involved in either the induction or the inhibition of cell death quantified by different parameters of apoptosis and delineated the mechanism underlying this effect. Results In this study, we showed that low levels of Parisian PM2.5 are not cytotoxic for three different cell lines and primary cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells. Conversely, a 4 hour-pretreatment with PM2.5 prevent mitochondria-driven apoptosis triggered by broad spectrum inducers (A23187, staurosporine and oligomycin) by reducing the mitochondrial transmembrane potential loss, the subsequent ROS production, phosphatidylserine externalization, plasma membrane permeabilization and typical morphological outcomes (cell size decrease, massive chromatin and nuclear condensation, formation of apoptotic bodies). The use of recombinant EGF and specific inhibitor led us to rule out the involvement of the classical EGFR signaling pathway as well as the proinflammatory cytokines secretion. Experiments performed with different compounds of PM2.5 suggest that endotoxins as well as carbon black do not participate to the antiapoptotic effect of PM2.5. Instead, the water-soluble fraction, washed particles and organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) could mimic this antiapoptotic activity. Finally, the activation or silencing of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) showed that it is involved into the molecular mechanism of the antiapoptotic effect of PM2.5 at the mitochondrial checkpoint of apoptosis. Conclusions The PM2.5-antiapoptotic effect in addition to the well-documented inflammatory response might explain the maintenance of a prolonged inflammation state induced after pollution exposure and might delay repair processes of injured tissues. PMID:20663163

  10. Highly sensitive analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water with porous cellulose/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 composite microspheres as a novel adsorbent coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Liang, Xiaotong; Liu, Shengquan; Zhu, Rong; Xiao, Lixia; Yao, Shouzhuo

    2016-07-01

    In this work, novel cellulose/zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 composite microspheres have been successfully fabricated and utilized as sorbent for environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons efficient extraction and sensitive analysis. The composite microspheres were synthesized through the in situ hydrothermal growth of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 on cellulose matrix, and exhibited favorable hierarchical structure with chemical composition as assumed through scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas characterization. A robust and highly efficient method was then successfully developed with as-prepared composite microspheres as novel solid-phase extraction sorbent with optimum extraction conditions, such as sorbent amount, sample volume, extraction time, desorption conditions, volume of organic modifier, and ionic strength. The method exhibited high sensitivity with low limit of detection down to 0.1-1.0 ng/L and satisfactory linearity with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9988 to 0.9999, as well as good recoveries of 66.7-121.2% with relative standard deviations less than 10% for environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons analysis. Thus, our method was convenient and efficient for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extraction and detection, potential for future environmental water samples analysis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Atmospheric behaviors of particulate-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Beijing, China from 2004 to 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Ning; Suzuki, Genki; Morisaki, Hiroshi; Tokuda, Takahiro; Yang, Xiaoyang; Zhao, Lixia; Lin, Jinming; Kameda, Takayuki; Toriba, Akira; Hayakawa, Kazuichi

    2017-03-01

    Airborne particulates were collected at an urban site (site 1) from 2004 to 2010 and at a suburban site (site 2) in 2010 in Beijing. Nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and five nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) in the airborne particulates were determined by HPLC with fluorescence and chemiluminescence detection, respectively. The concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs were higher in heating season than in non-heating season at the two sites. Both the concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs decreased in the non-heating season but only the concentrations of NPAHs decreased in heating season at site 1, from 2004 to 2010. These findings suggest that source control measures implemented by the city of Beijing helped to reduce air pollution in Beijing. The concentrations of PAHs increased at site 1 in 2010, possibly because of the transport of emissions from windward other areas, such as Shanxi province. Several diagnostic ratios of PAHs and NPAHs showed that the different sources contributed to Beijing's air pollution, although coal combustion was the main source in the heating season and vehicle emission was the main source in the non-heating season. An analysis of physical parameters at Beijing showed that high wind speed can remove atmospheric PAHs and NPAHs in the heating season and that high relative humidity can remove them in the non-heating season.

  12. Assessment of the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of sediment spiked with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Rončević, Srđan; Spasojević, Jelena; Maletić, Snežana; Jazić, Jelena Molnar; Isakovski, Marijana Kragulj; Agbaba, Jasmina; Grgić, Marko; Dalmacija, Božo

    2016-02-01

    Large amounts of sediment are dredged globally every year. This sediment is often contaminated with low concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and other organic pollutants. Some of this sediment is disposed of on land, creating a need for risk assessment of the sediment disposal method, to minimize the degradation of environmental quality and prevent risks to human health. Evaluating the available fractions of certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is very important, as in the presence of various organisms, they are believed to be easily subject to the processes of bioaccumulation, biosorption and transformation. In order to determine the applicability of applying these methods for the evaluation of pollutant bioavailability in sediments, the desorption kinetics from the sediment of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of Tenax and XAD4 were examined over the course of 216 h. Changes in the PAH concentrations in dredged sediments using five different seed plants during a short time of period (10 days) were also followed. Using chemical extraction techniques with Tenax and XAD4, a time of around 24 h is enough to achieve equilibrium for all four PAHs. Results showed good agreement between the seed accumulation and PAH extraction methods with both agents. If we compare the two extraction techniques, XAD4 gave better results for phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene, and Tenax gave better results for chrysene.

  13. Emission characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from diesel trucks based on on-road measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Xinyue; Hao, Xuewei; Shen, Xianbao; Jiang, Xi; Wu, Bobo; Yao, Zhiliang

    2017-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (NPAH) emissions from 18 diesel trucks of different sizes and with different emission standards were tested in Beijing using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS). Both the gaseous- and particulate-phase PAHs and NPAHs were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the laboratory. The emission factors (EFs) of the total PAHs from light-duty diesel trucks (LDDTs), medium-duty diesel trucks (MDDTs) and heavy-duty diesel trucks (HDDTs) were 82229.11 ± 41906.06, 52867.43 ± 18946.47 and 93837.35 ± 32193.14 μg/km, respectively, much higher than the respective values of total NPAHs from their counterpart vehicles. The gaseous phase had an important contribution to the total PAHs and NPAHs, with a share rate of approximately 69% and 97% on average, respectively. The driving cycle had important impacts on the emissions of PAHs and NPAHs, especially for LDDTs and HDDTs. Higher emissions of PAHs and NPAHs were detected on non-highway roads compared to that on highways for these two types of vehicles. Compared to the results of different studies, the difference in the EFs of PAHs and NPAHs can reach several orders of magnitudes, which would introduce errors in the development of an emission inventory of PAHs and NPAHs.

  14. Comparison of the solid-phase extraction efficiency of a bounded and an included cyclodextrin-silica microporous composite for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determination in water samples.

    PubMed

    Mauri-Aucejo, Adela; Amorós, Pedro; Moragues, Alaina; Guillem, Carmen; Belenguer-Sapiña, Carolina

    2016-08-15

    Solid-phase extraction is one of the most important techniques for sample purification and concentration. A wide variety of solid phases have been used for sample preparation over time. In this work, the efficiency of a new kind of solid-phase extraction adsorbent, which is a microporous material made from modified cyclodextrin bounded to a silica network, is evaluated through an analytical method which combines solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. Several parameters that affected the analytes recovery, such as the amount of solid phase, the nature and volume of the eluent or the sample volume and concentration influence have been evaluated. The experimental results indicate that the material possesses adsorption ability to the tested polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Under the optimum conditions, the quantification limits of the method were in the range of 0.09-2.4μgL(-1) and fine linear correlations between peak height and concentration were found around 1.3-70μgL(-1). The method has good repeatability and reproducibility, with coefficients of variation under 8%. Due to the concentration results, this material may represent an alternative for trace analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water trough solid-phase extraction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Avoidance threshold to oil water-soluble fraction by a juvenile marine teleost fish.

    PubMed

    Claireaux, Guy; Quéau, Pierre; Marras, Stefano; Le Floch, Stéphane; Farrell, Anthony P; Nicolas-Kopec, Annabelle; Lemaire, Philippe; Domenici, Paolo

    2018-03-01

    When oil spills occur, behavior is the first line of defense for a fish to avoid being contaminated. We determined the avoidance threshold of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) to the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of oil using a dual-flow choice box. The results showed that a plume of 20%-diluted WSF (total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon [PAH] concentration: 8.54 μg L -1 ) triggered a significant avoidance response that was detected within 7.5 min of introducing WSF-contaminated water into the experimental setup. However, the ecological relevance of seabass capacity to detect and avoid WSF remains to be established. In the short term, such a response is indeed liable to reduce seabass contact time with oil-contaminated water and thus preserve their functional integrity. In the long term, however, avoidance may contribute to the displacement of a population into a possibly less auspicious environment, with consequences very similar to those of contaminant exposure, that is, disturbed population dynamics and demography. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:854-859. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

  16. Toxicity of fluoranthene to Daphnia magna, Hyalella azteca, Chironomus tentans, and Stylaria lacustris in water-only and whole sediment exposures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Suedel, B.C.; Rodgers, J.H. Jr.

    1996-07-01

    Fluoranthene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with a hydrophobic nature (water solubility = 265 {mu}g/L; U.S. EPA 1980) and a propensity to sorb to sediments. Fluoranthene has a K{sub oc} of 4.65, an intermediate value for PAHs. Fluoranthene can be toxic to some aquatic organisms at concentrations lower than its aqueous solubility. Therefore, desorption from sediments could produce aqueous concentrations that are harmful to aquatic organisms. Very few studies have examined the toxicity of fluoranthene to freshwater organisms. Data for other PAHs show that crustaceans are the most sensitive species, followed by polychaete worms and fish. Effects of fluoranthene-amendedmore » sediments on selected marine benthic organisms were examined. The objectives of this research were to (1) determine the relative sensitivities of Daphnia magna Straus, Hyalella azteca Saussure, Chironomus tentans Fabricius, and Stylaria lacustris Linnaeus in 48-hr and 10-d aqueous phase exposures to fluoranthene; and (2) determine the relative responses of these organisms in 10-d fluoranthene-amended sediment exposures. 12 refs., 3 tabs.« less

  17. Anaerobic degradation of benzene by marine sulfate-reducing bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Musat, Florin; Wilkes, Heinz; Musat, Niculina; Kuypers, Marcel; Widdel, Friedrich

    2010-05-01

    Benzene, the archetypal aromatic hydrocarbon is a common constituent of crude oil and oil-refined products. As such, it can enter the biosphere through natural oil seeps or as a consequence of exploitation of fossil fuel reservoirs. Benzene is chemically very stable, due to the stabilizing aromatic electron system and to the lack of functional groups. Although the anaerobic degradation of benzene has been reported under denitrifying, sulfate-reducing and methanogenic conditions, the microorganisms involved and the initial biochemical steps of degradation remain insufficiently understood. Using marine sediment from a Mediterranean lagoon a sulfate-reducing enrichment culture with benzene as the sole organic substrate was obtained. Application of 16S rRNA gene-based methods showed that the enrichment was dominated (more than 85% of total cells) by a distinct phylotype affiliated with a clade of Deltaproteobacteria that include degraders of other aromatic hydrocarbons, such as naphthalene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene. Using benzoate as a soluble substrate in agar dilution series, several pure cultures closely related to Desulfotignum spp. and Desulfosarcina spp. were isolated. None of these strains was able to utilize benzene as a substrate and hybridizations with specific oligonucleotide probes showed that they accounted for as much as 6% of the total cells. Incubations with 13C-labeled benzene followed by Halogen in situ Hybridization - Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (HISH-SIMS) analysis showed that cells of the dominant phylotype were highly enriched in 13C, while the accompanying bacteria had little or no 13C incorporation. These results demonstrate that the dominant phylotype was indeed the apparent benzene degrader. Dense-cell suspensions of the enrichment culture did not show metabolic activity toward added phenol or toluene, suggesting that benzene degradation did not proceed through anaerobic hydroxylation or methylation. Instead, benzoate was identified in analyses of metabolites with benzene-grown cultures, suggesting an activation of benzene via carboxylation.

  18. Role of Kekulé and Non-Kekulé Structures in the Radical Character of Alternant Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A TAO-DFT Study

    PubMed Central

    Yeh, Chia-Nan; Chai, Jeng-Da

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the role of Kekulé and non-Kekulé structures in the radical character of alternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using thermally-assisted-occupation density functional theory (TAO-DFT), an efficient electronic structure method for the study of large ground-state systems with strong static correlation effects. Our results reveal that the studies of Kekulé and non-Kekulé structures qualitatively describe the radical character of alternant PAHs, which could be useful when electronic structure calculations are infeasible due to the expensive computational cost. In addition, our results support previous findings on the increase in radical character with increasing system size. For alternant PAHs with the same number of aromatic rings, the geometrical arrangements of aromatic rings are responsible for their radical character. PMID:27457289

  19. Biodegradation studies of selected hydrocarbons from diesel oil.

    PubMed

    Sepic, E; Trier, C; Leskovsek, H

    1996-10-01

    In-vitro biodegradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons present in diesel oil by Pseudomonas fluorescens, Texaco was studied in an aqueous medium. Small aliquots of diesel oil and its aromatic fraction were incubated aerobically for periods of up to seven months and analysed by GC-MS. Biotic losses proved to be greater for aliphatic than aromatic compounds. Most biodegradation occurred within the first 20 d of incubation. The most rapid biodegradation, up to 65% in 8 d, was observed for n-alkanes (C14-C18). The same compounds were also shown to be less affected by abiotic losses. Biodegradation of n-alkanes from diesel oil and diesel oil itself showed first order kinetics for the initial incubation period. Aromatic compounds proved to be resistant to biodegradation and only phenanthrene had been degraded (30%) within 6 months.

  20. Oil droplet fouling and differential toxicokinetics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in embryos of Atlantic haddock and cod.

    PubMed

    Sørensen, Lisbet; Sørhus, Elin; Nordtug, Trond; Incardona, John P; Linbo, Tiffany L; Giovanetti, Laura; Karlsen, Ørjan; Meier, Sonnich

    2017-01-01

    The impact of crude oil pollution on early life stages (ELS) of fish, including larvae and embryos, has received considerable attention in recent years. Of the organic components present in crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered the main class of compounds responsible for toxic effects in marine organisms. Although evidence suggests that they are more toxic, alkylated PAHs remain much less studied than their unsubstituted congeners. Recently, it was established that embryos of Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) are particularly sensitive to dispersed crude oil, and it was hypothesized that this was caused by direct interaction with crude oil droplets, which adhered to the chorion of exposed embryos. Such a phenomenon would increase the potential for uptake of less water-soluble compounds, including alkylated PAHs. In the current study, we compared the uptake of parent and alkylated PAHs in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock embryos exposed to dispersed crude oil at a range of environmentally relevant concentrations (10-600 μg oil/liter seawater). Although the species are biologically very similar, the cod chorion does not become fouled with oil droplets, even when the two species are exposed to dispersions of crude oil droplets under similar conditions. A close correlation between the degree of fouling and toxicological response (heart defects, craniofacial malformation) was observed. Oil droplet fouling in haddock led to both quantitative and qualitative differences in PAH uptake. Finally, kinetic data on a large suite of PAHs showed differential elimination, suggesting differential metabolism of unsubstituted versus alkylated compounds.

  1. Modeling the changes in the concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons from an oil-coated gravel column

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jung, Jee-Hyun; Kang, Hyun-Joong; Kim, Moonkoo; Yim, Un Hyuk; An, Joon Geon; Shim, Won Joon; Kwon, Jung-Hwan

    2015-12-01

    The performance of a lab-scale flow-through exposure system designed for the evaluation of ecotoxicity due to oil spills was evaluated. The system simulates a spill event using an oil-coated gravel column through which filtered seawater is passed and flows into an aquarium containing fish embryos of olive flounder ( Paralichthys olivaceus) and spotted sea bass ( Lateolabrax maculates). The dissolved concentrations of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the column effluent were monitored and compared with theoretical solubilities predicted by Raoult's law. The effluent concentrations after 24 and 48 h were close to the theoretical predictions for the higher molecular weight PAHs, whereas the measured values for the lower molecular weight PAHs were lower than predicted. The ratios of the concentration of PAHs in flounder embryos to that in seawater were close to the lipid-water partition coefficients for the less hydrophobic PAHs, showing that equilibrium was attained between embryos and water. On the other hand, 48 h were insufficient to attain phase equilibrium for the more hydrophobic PAHs, indicating that the concentration in fish embryos may be lower than expected by equilibrium assumption. The results indicate that the equilibrium approach may be suitable for less hydrophobic PAHs, whereas it might overestimate the effects of more hydrophobic PAHs after oil spills because phase equilibrium in an oil-seawater-biota system is unlikely to be achieved. The ecotoxicological endpoints that were affected within a few days are likely to be influenced mainly by moderately hydrophobic components such as 3-ring PAHs.

  2. Oil droplet fouling and differential toxicokinetics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in embryos of Atlantic haddock and cod

    PubMed Central

    Sørhus, Elin; Nordtug, Trond; Incardona, John P.; Linbo, Tiffany L.; Giovanetti, Laura; Karlsen, Ørjan; Meier, Sonnich

    2017-01-01

    The impact of crude oil pollution on early life stages (ELS) of fish, including larvae and embryos, has received considerable attention in recent years. Of the organic components present in crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered the main class of compounds responsible for toxic effects in marine organisms. Although evidence suggests that they are more toxic, alkylated PAHs remain much less studied than their unsubstituted congeners. Recently, it was established that embryos of Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) are particularly sensitive to dispersed crude oil, and it was hypothesized that this was caused by direct interaction with crude oil droplets, which adhered to the chorion of exposed embryos. Such a phenomenon would increase the potential for uptake of less water-soluble compounds, including alkylated PAHs. In the current study, we compared the uptake of parent and alkylated PAHs in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock embryos exposed to dispersed crude oil at a range of environmentally relevant concentrations (10–600 μg oil/liter seawater). Although the species are biologically very similar, the cod chorion does not become fouled with oil droplets, even when the two species are exposed to dispersions of crude oil droplets under similar conditions. A close correlation between the degree of fouling and toxicological response (heart defects, craniofacial malformation) was observed. Oil droplet fouling in haddock led to both quantitative and qualitative differences in PAH uptake. Finally, kinetic data on a large suite of PAHs showed differential elimination, suggesting differential metabolism of unsubstituted versus alkylated compounds. PMID:28678887

  3. Study on the fate of petroleum-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the effect of chemical dispersant using an enclosed ecosystem, mesocosm.

    PubMed

    Yamada, Mihoko; Takada, Hideshige; Toyoda, Keita; Yoshida, Akihiro; Shibata, Akira; Nomura, Hideaki; Wada, Minoru; Nishimura, Masahiko; Okamoto, Ken; Ohwada, Kouichi

    2003-01-01

    Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the components found in oil and are of interest because some are toxic. We studied the environmental fate of PAHs and the effects of chemical dispersants using experimental 500 l mesocosm tanks that mimic natural ecosystems. The tanks were filled with seawater spiked with the water-soluble fraction of heavy residual oil. Water samples and settling particles in the tanks were collected periodically and 38 PAH compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs with less than three benzene rings disappeared rapidly, mostly within 2 days. On the other hand, high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs with more than four benzene rings remained in the water column for a longer time, up to 9 days. Also, significant portions (10-94%) of HMW PAHs settled to the bottom and were caught in the sediment trap. The addition of chemical dispersant accelerated dissolution and biodegradation of PAHs, especially HMW PAHs. The dispersant amplified the amounts of PAHs found in the water column. The amplification was the greater for the more hydrophobic PAHs, with an enrichment factor of up to six times. The increased PAHs resulting from dispersant use overwhelmed the normal degradation and, as a result, higher concentrations of PAHs were observed in water column throughout the experimental period. We conclude that the addition of the dispersant could increase the concentration of water column PAHs and thus increase the exposure and potential toxicity for organisms in the natural environment. By making more hydrocarbon material available to the water column, the application of dispersant reduced the settling of PAHs. For the tank with dispersant, only 6% of chrysene initially introduced was detected in the sediment trap whereas 70% was found in the trap in the tank without dispersant.

  4. Emission factors of particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and levoglucosan from wood combustion in south-central Chile.

    PubMed

    Jimenez, Jorge; Farias, Oscar; Quiroz, Roberto; Yañez, Jorge

    2017-07-01

    In south-central Chile, wood stoves have been identified as an important source of air pollution in populated areas. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), Chilean oak (Nothofagus oblique), and mimosa (Acacia dealbata) were burned in a single-chamber slow-combustion wood stove at a controlled testing facility located at the University of Concepción, Chile. In each experiment, 2.7-3.1 kg of firewood were combusted while continuously monitoring temperature, exhaust gases, burn rate, and collecting particulate matter samples in Teflon filters under isokinetic conditions for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and levoglucosan analyses. Mean particulate matter emission factors were 2.03, 4.06, and 3.84 g/kg dry wood for eucalyptus, oak, and mimosa, respectively. The emission factors were inversely correlated with combustion efficiency. The mean emission factors of the sums of 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in particle phases were 1472.5, 2134.0, and 747.5 μg/kg for eucalyptus, oak, and mimosa, respectively. Fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, and chrysene were present in the particle phase in higher proportions compared with other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that were analyzed. Mean levoglucosan emission factors were 854.9, 202.3, and 328.0 mg/kg for eucalyptus, oak, and mimosa, respectively. Since the emissions of particulate matter and other pollutants were inversely correlated with combustion efficiency, implementing more efficient technologies would help to reduce air pollutant emissions from wood combustion. Residential wood burning has been identified as a significant source of air pollution in populated areas. Local wood species are combusted for home cooking and heating, which releases several toxic air pollutants, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Air pollutant emissions depend on the type of wood and the technology and operational conditions of the wood stove. A better understanding of emissions from local wood species and wood stove performance would help to identify better biomass fuels and wood stove technologies in order to reduce air pollution from residential wood burning.

  5. Time-resolved analysis of particle emissions from residential biomass combustion - Emissions of refractory black carbon, PAHs and organic tracers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nielsen, Ingeborg E.; Eriksson, Axel C.; Lindgren, Robert; Martinsson, Johan; Nyström, Robin; Nordin, Erik Z.; Sadiktsis, Ioannis; Boman, Christoffer; Nøjgaard, Jacob K.; Pagels, Joakim

    2017-09-01

    Time-resolved particle emissions from a conventional wood stove were investigated with aerosol mass spectrometry to provide links between combustion conditions, emission factors, mixing state of refractory black carbon and implications for organic tracer methods. The addition of a new batch of fuel results in low temperature pyrolysis as the fuel heats up, resulting in strong, short-lived, variable emission peaks of organic aerosol-containing markers of anhydrous sugars, such as levoglucosan (fragment at m/z 60). Flaming combustion results in emissions dominated by refractory black carbon co-emitted with minor fractions of organic aerosol and markers of anhydrous sugars. Full cycle emissions are an external mixture of larger organic aerosol-dominated and smaller thinly coated refractory black carbon particles. A very high burn rate results in increased full cycle mass emission factors of 66, 2.7, 2.8 and 1.3 for particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, refractory black carbon, total organic aerosol and m/z 60, respectively, compared to nominal burn rate. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are primarily associated with refractory black carbon-containing particles. We hypothesize that at very high burn rates, the central parts of the combustion zone become air starved, leading to a locally reduced combustion temperature that reduces the conversion rates from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to refractory black carbon. This facilitates a strong increase of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emissions. At nominal burn rates, full cycle emissions based on m/z 60 correlate well with organic aerosol, refractory black carbon and particulate matter. However, at higher burn rates, m/z 60 does not correlate with increased emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, refractory black carbon and organic aerosol in the flaming phase. The new knowledge can be used to advance source apportionment studies, reduce emissions of genotoxic compounds and model the climate impacts of refractory black carbon, such as absorption enhancement by lensing.

  6. Hydrocarbons on Phoebe, Iapetus, and Hyperion: Quantitative Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cruikshank, Dale P.; MoreauDalleOre, Cristina; Pendleton, Yvonne J.; Clark, Roger Nelson

    2012-01-01

    We present a quantitative analysis of the hydrocarbon spectral bands measured on three of Saturn's satellites, Phoebe, Iaperus, and Hyperion. These bands, measured with the Cassini Visible-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on close fly-by's of these satellites, are the C-H stretching modes of aromatic hydrocarbons at approximately 3.28 micrometers (approximately 3050 per centimeter), and the are four blended bands of aliphatic -CH2- and -CH3 in the range approximately 3.36-3.52 micrometers (approximately 2980- 2840 per centimeter) bably indicating the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), is unusually strong in comparison to the aliphatic bands, resulting in a unique signarure among Solar System bodies measured so far, and as such offers a means of comparison among the three satellites. The ratio of the C-H bands in aromatic molecules to those in aliphatic molecules in the surface materials of Phoebe, NAro:NAliph approximately 24; for Hyperion the value is approximately 12, while laperus shows an intermediate value. In view of the trend of the evolution (dehydrogenation by heat and radiation) of aliphatic complexes toward more compact molecules and eventually to aromatics, the relative abundances of aliphatic -CH2- and -CH3- is an indication of the lengths of the molecular chain structures, hence the degree of modification of the original material. We derive CH2:CH3 approximately 2.2 in the spectrum of low-albedo material on laperus; this value is the same within measurement errors to the ratio in the diffuse interstellar medium. The similarity in the spectral signatures of the three satellites, plus the apparent weak trend of aromatic/aliphatic abundance from Phoebe to Hyperion, is consistent with, and effectively confirms that the source of the hydrocarbon-bearing material is Phoebe, and that the appearance of that material on the other two satellites arises from the deposition of the inward-spiraling dust that populates the Phoebe ring.

  7. Single-cell genomics reveals features of a Colwellia species that was dominant during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

    PubMed

    Mason, Olivia U; Han, James; Woyke, Tanja; Jansson, Janet K

    2014-01-01

    During the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a deep-sea hydrocarbon plume developed resulting in a rapid succession of bacteria. Colwellia eventually supplanted Oceanospirillales, which dominated the plume early in the spill. These successional changes may have resulted, in part, from the changing composition and abundance of hydrocarbons over time. Colwellia abundance peaked when gaseous and simple aromatic hydrocarbons increased, yet the metabolic pathway used by Colwellia in hydrocarbon disposition is unknown. Here we used single-cell genomics to gain insights into the genome properties of a Colwellia enriched during the DWH deep-sea plume. A single amplified genome (SAG) of a Colwellia cell isolated from a DWH plume, closely related (avg. 98% 16S rRNA gene similarity) to other plume Colwellia, was sequenced and annotated. The SAG was similar to the sequenced isolate Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H (84% avg. nucleotide identity). Both had genes for denitrification, chemotaxis, and motility, adaptations to cold environments and a suite of nutrient acquisition genes. The Colwellia SAG may be capable of gaseous and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation, which contrasts with a DWH plume Oceanospirillales SAG which encoded non-gaseous n-alkane and cycloalkane degradation pathways. The disparate hydrocarbon degradation pathways are consistent with hydrocarbons that were abundant at different times in the deep-sea plume; first, non-gaseous n-alkanes and cycloalkanes that could be degraded by Oceanospirillales, followed by gaseous, and simple aromatic hydrocarbons that may have been degraded by Colwellia. These insights into the genomic properties of a Colwellia species, which were supported by existing metagenomic sequence data from the plume and DWH contaminated sediments, help further our understanding of the successional changes in the dominant microbial players in the plume over the course of the DWH spill.

  8. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation of Phytoplankton-Associated Arenibacter spp. and Description of Arenibacter algicola sp. nov., an Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium

    PubMed Central

    Rhodes, Glenn; Mishamandani, Sara; Berry, David; Whitman, William B.; Nichols, Peter D.; Semple, Kirk T.; Aitken, Michael D.

    2014-01-01

    Pyrosequencing of the bacterial community associated with a cosmopolitan marine diatom during enrichment with crude oil revealed several Arenibacter phylotypes, of which one (OTU-202) had become significantly enriched by the oil. Since members of the genus Arenibacter have not been previously shown to degrade hydrocarbons, we attempted to isolate a representative strain of this genus in order to directly investigate its hydrocarbon-degrading potential. Based on 16S rRNA sequencing, one isolate (designated strain TG409T) exhibited >99% sequence identity to three type strains of this genus. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain TG409T represents a novel species in the genus Arenibacter, for which the name Arenibacter algicola sp. nov. is proposed. We reveal for the first time that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation is a shared phenotype among members of this genus, indicating that it could be used as a taxonomic marker for this genus. Kinetic data for PAH mineralization rates showed that naphthalene was preferred to phenanthrene, and its mineralization was significantly enhanced in the presence of glass wool (a surrogate for diatom cell surfaces). During enrichment on hydrocarbons, strain TG409T emulsified n-tetradecane and crude oil, and cells were found to be preferentially attached to oil droplets, indicating an ability by the strain to express cell surface amphiphilic substances (biosurfactants or bioemulsifiers) as a possible strategy to increase the bioavailability of hydrocarbons. This work adds to our growing knowledge on the diversity of bacterial genera in the ocean contributing to the degradation of oil contaminants and of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria found living in association with marine eukaryotic phytoplankton. PMID:24212584

  9. In situ sensing of subsurface contamination--part I: near-infrared spectral characterization of alkanes, aromatics, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Klavarioti, Maria; Kostarelos, Konstantinos; Pourjabbar, Anahita; Ghandehari, Masoud

    2014-05-01

    There is an imperative need for a chemical sensor capable of remote, in situ, long-term monitoring of chemical species at sites containing toxic chemical spills, specifically at chemical waste dumps, landfills, and locations with underground storage tanks. In the current research, a series of experiments were conducted measuring the near-infrared optical absorption of alkanes, aromatics, and chlorinated hydrocarbons. A spectral library was then developed to characterize the optical spectra of liquid hydrocarbons. Near-infrared analysis was chosen due to compatibility with optical fibers. The goal was to differentiate between classes of hydrocarbons and to also discriminate between compounds within a class of similar molecular structures. It was observed that unique absorption spectra can be obtained for each hydrocarbon, and this uniqueness can be used to discriminate between hydrocarbons from different families. Statistical analyses, namely, principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation coefficient (Spearman and Pearson methods), were attempted to match absorption spectra from an unknown hydrocarbon with the database with limited success. An algorithm was subsequently written to identify the characteristic peaks of each hydrocarbon that could be used to match data from an unknown chemical species with the database.

  10. Quantitative High-Throughput Screening and Confirmation Studies for Identification of Compounds that Activate the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Pathway (SETAC)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcription factor that mediates adaptive responses to known environmental pollutants, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, through regulation of Phase I and II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes as well as important growth and differentiation pa...

  11. Selective thermal oxidation of hydrocarbons in zeolites by oxygen

    DOEpatents

    Frei, Heinz; Blatter, Fritz; Sun, Hai

    2000-01-01

    A process for selective thermal oxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly selective thermal oxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls is carried out in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts.

  12. Homology between genes for aromatic hydrocarbon degradation in surface and deep-subsurface sphingomonas strains

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kim, E.; Aversano, P.J.; Zylstra, G.J.

    The cloned genes for aromatic hydrocarbon degradation from Sphingomonas yanoikuyae B1 were utilized in Southern hybridization experiments with Sphingomonas strains from the surface and deep-subsurface environments. One hybridization pattern was obtained with BamHI-digested genomic DNAs for two surface strains, while a differing pattern was seen for five deep-subsurface strains. The cross-hybridizing genes were located in the chromosomes of the surface strains and on plasmids in the deep-subsurface strains. 31 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

  13. Complete genome of Martelella sp. AD-3, a moderately halophilic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-degrading bacterium.

    PubMed

    Cui, Changzheng; Li, Zhijie; Qian, Jiangchao; Shi, Jie; Huang, Ling; Tang, Hongzhi; Chen, Xin; Lin, Kuangfei; Xu, Ping; Liu, Yongdi

    2016-05-10

    Martelella sp. strain AD-3, a moderate halophilic bacterium, was isolated from a petroleum-contaminated soil with high salinity in China. Here, we report the complete genome of strain AD-3, which contains one circular chromosome and two circular plasmids. An array of genes related to metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and halophilic mechanism in this bacterium was identified by the whole genome analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Evaluation of gastrointestinal solubilization of petroleum hydrocarbon residues in soil using an in vitro physiologically based model.

    PubMed

    Holman, Hoi-Ying N; Goth-Goldstein, Regine; Aston, David; Yun, Mao; Kengsoontra, Jenny

    2002-03-15

    Petroleum hydrocarbon residues in weathered soils may pose risks to humans through the ingestion pathway. To understand the factors controlling their gastrointestinal (GI) absorption, a newly developed experimental extraction protocol was used to model the GI solubility of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) residues in highly weathered soils from different sites. The GI solubility of TPH residues was significantly higher for soil contaminated with diesel than with crude oil. Compared to the solubility of TPH residues during fasted state,the solubility of TPH residues during fat digestion was much greater. Diesel solubility increased from an average of 8% during the "gallbladder empty" phase of fasting (and less than 0.2% during the otherfasting phase) to an average of 16% during fat digestion. For crude oil, the solubility increased from an average of 1.2% during the gallbladder empty phase of fasting (and undetectable during the other fasting phase) to an average of 4.5% during fat digestion. Increasing the concentration of bile salts also increased GI solubility. GI solubility was reduced by soil organic carbon but enhanced by the TPH content.

  15. Application of capillary gas chromatography mass spectrometry/computer techniques to synoptic survey of organic material in bed sediment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Steinheimer, T.R.; Pereira, W.E.; Johnson, S.M.

    1981-01-01

    A bed sediment sample taken from an area impacted by heavy industrial activity was analyzed for organic compounds of environmental significance. Extraction was effected on a Soxhlet apparatus using a freeze-dried sample. The Soxhlet extract was fractionated by silica gel micro-column adsorption chromatography. Separation and identification of the organic compounds was accomplished by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques. More than 50 compounds were identified; these include saturated hydrocarbons, olefins, aromatic hydrocarbons, alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and oxygenated compounds such as aldehydes and ketones. The role of bed sediments as a source or sink for organic pollutants is discussed. ?? 1981.

  16. Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fractions in asphalt mixtures using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization.

    PubMed

    Nascimento, Paulo Cicero; Gobo, Luciana Assis; Bohrer, Denise; Carvalho, Leandro Machado; Cravo, Margareth Coutinho; Leite, Leni Figueiredo Mathias

    2015-07-01

    An analytical method using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in asphalt fractions has been developed. The 14 compounds determined, characterized by having two or more condensed aromatic rings, are expected to be present in asphalt and are considered carcinogenic and mutagenic. The parameters of the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface were optimized to obtain the highest possible sensitivity for all of the compounds. The limits of detection ranged from 0.5 to 346.5 μg/L and the limits of quantification ranged from 1.7 to 1550 μg/L. The method was validated against a diesel particulate extract standard reference material (NIST SRM 1975), and the obtained concentrations agreed with the certified values. The method was applied to asphalt samples after its fractionation according to ASTM D4124 and the method of Green. The concentrations of the seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons quantified in the sample ranged from 0.86 mg/kg for benzo[ghi]perylene to 98.32 mg/kg for fluorene. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Selectivity of hexaphenylbenzene-based hydrocarbon stationary phase with propeller-like conformation for aromatic and aliphatic isomers.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yinhui; Chang, Zhengfeng; Yang, Xiaohong; Qi, Meiling; Wang, Jinliang

    2018-08-03

    Herein we report a propeller-like hexaphenylbenzene-based hydrocarbon material (denoted as BT) as the stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography (GC). The statically-coated BT capillary column showed a high column efficiency of 4340 plates m -1 and weak polarity. Owing to its unique conformation, π-electron toroidal delocalization and intrinsic microporosity, the BT stationary phase exhibited interesting selectivity for aromatic compounds over alkanes. Compared with the graphene (G) column, the BT column showed much prolonged retention and high selectivity for aromatic isomers, especially methylnaphthalenes, dimethylnaphthalenes and phenanthrene/anthracene, mainly because of its propeller-like conformation with rich intercalation effects. Moreover, it exhibited good column repeatability (intra-day, inter-day) and reproducibility (between-column) with RSD values on the retention times less than 0.08% for intra-day, 0.32% for inter-day and 3.8% for between-column, respectively. Also, it showed good potential for determination of minor isomer impurities in real samples. To the best of our knowledge, this work presents the first example of employing an neat aromatic hydrocarbon material as the GC stationary phase with high selectivity for analytes of a wide ranging polarity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Fate of microbial metabolites of hydrocarbons in a coastal plain aquifer: The role of electron acceptors

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cozzarelli, I.M.; Herman, J.S.; Baedecker, M. Jo

    1995-01-01

    A combined field and laboratory study was undertaken to understand the distribution and geochemical conditions that influence the prevalence of low molecular weight organic acids in groundwater of a shallow aquifer contaminated with gasoline. Aromatic hydrocarbons from gasoline were degraded by microbially mediated oxidation-reduction reactions, including reduction of nitrate, sulfate, and Fe(III). The biogeochemical reactions changed overtime in response to changes in the hydrogeochemical conditions in the aquifer. Aliphatic and aromatic organic acids were associated with hydrocarbon degradation in anoxic zones of the aquifer. Laboratory microcosms demonstrated that the biogeochemical fate of specific organic acids observed in groundwater varied with the structure of the acid and the availability of electron acceptors. Benzoic and phenylacetic acid were degraded by indigenous aquifer microorganisms when nitrate was supplied as an electron acceptor. Aromatic acids with two or more methyl substituants on the benzene ring persisted under nitrate-reducing conditions. Although iron reduction and sulfate reduction were important processes in situ and occurred in the microcosms, these reactions were not coupled to the biological oxidation of aromatic organic acids that were added to the microcosms as electron donors. ?? 1995 American Chemical Society.

  19. Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons trigger human skin cells aging through aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

    PubMed

    Qiao, Yuan; Li, Qiang; Du, Hong-Yang; Wang, Qiao-Wei; Huang, Ye; Liu, Wei

    2017-07-01

    Accumulating evidence suggests that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) which adsorbed on the surface of ambient air particulate matters (PM), are the major toxic compound to cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, even cancer. However, its detrimental effects on human skin cell remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that SRM1649b, a reference urban dust material of PAH, triggers human skin cells aging through cell cycle arrest, cell growth inhibition and apoptosis. Principally, SRM1649b facilitated Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) translocated into nucleus, subsequently activated ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, and upregulated aging-related genes expression. Most important, we found that AhR antagonist efficiently revert the aging of skin cells. Thus our novel findings firstly revealed the mechanism of skin aging under PAH contamination and provided potential strategy for clinical application. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. Method for determining processability of a hydrocarbon containing feedstock

    DOEpatents

    Schabron, John F.; Rovani, Jr., Joseph F.

    2013-09-10

    Disclosed herein is a method involving the steps of (a) precipitating an amount of asphaltenes from a liquid sample of a first hydrocarbon-containing feedstock having solvated asphaltenes therein with one or more first solvents in a column; (b) determining one or more solubility characteristics of the precipitated asphaltenes; (c) analyzing the one or more solubility characteristics of the precipitated asphaltenes; and (d) correlating a measurement of feedstock reactivity for the first hydrocarbon-containing feedstock sample with a mathematical parameter derived from the results of analyzing the one or more solubility characteristics of the precipitated asphaltenes.

  1. A simple thermodynamic model useful for calculating gas solubilities in water/brine/hydrocarbon mixtures from 0 to 250 C and 1 to 150 bars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perez, R. J.; Shevalier, M.; Hutcheon, I.

    2004-05-01

    Gas solubility is of considerable interest, not only for the theoretical understanding of vapor-liquid equilibria, but also due to extensive applications in combined geochemical, engineering, and environmental problems, such as greenhouse gas sequestration. Reliable models for gas solubility calculations in salt waters and hydrocarbons are also valuable when evaluating fluid inclusions saturated with gas components. We have modeled the solubility of methane, ethane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and five other gases in a water-brine-hydrocarbon system by solving a non-linear system of equations composed by modified Henry's Law Constants (HLC), gas fugacities, and assuming binary mixtures. HLCs are a function of pressure, temperature, brine salinity, and hydrocarbon density. Experimental data of vapor pressures and mutual solubilities of binary mixtures provide the basis for the calibration of the proposed model. It is demonstrated that, by using the Setchenow equation, only a relatively simple modification of the pure water model is required to assess the solubility of gases in brine solutions. Henry's Law constants for gases in hydrocarbons are derived using regular solution theory and Ostwald coefficients available from the literature. We present a set of two-parameter polynomial expressions, which allow simple computation and formulation of the model. Our calculations show that solubility predictions using modified HLCs are acceptable within 0 to 250 C, 1 to 150 bars, salinity up to 5 molar, and gas concentrations up to 4 molar. Our model is currently being used in the IEA Weyburn CO2 monitoring and storage project.

  2. Role of Pt during hydrodeoxygenation of biomass pyrolysis vapors over Pt/HBEA

    DOE PAGES

    Yung, Matthew M.; Foo, Guo Shiou; Sievers, Carsten

    2017-03-27

    1.3 wt% Pt/HBEA and HBEA were studied as catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of pine pyrolysis vapors at 500 °C. Both catalysts showed high initial conversion of oxygenated pyrolysis products into aromatic hydrocarbons, while Pt/HBEA showed higher stability in terms of hydrocarbon productivity and deferred breakthrough of oxygenated compounds. Among 1-, 2- and 3-ring aromatic hydrocarbons, Pt/HBEA had a significantly higher selectivity than HBEA towards unalkylated aromatics (e.g., benzene) as compared to the corresponding alkylated aromatics (e.g., toluene and xylene). Additionally, Pt addition to HBEA decreased coke deposition and improved resistance to pore and acid site blockage as determined by TPO,more » N 2 physisorption, and NH 3 TPD. The ability of Pt to promote cleavage and hydrogenation of methoxy and methyl groups was observed by increased methane production over Pt/HBEA relative to HBEA. A progressive decrease in the methane production over Pt/HBEA correlated with deactivation in terms of reduced benzene formation, breakthrough of oxygenated products, and increased formation of polynuclear aromatics and their degree of substitution, which indicate coke formation. In conclusion, the increased methane yield and suppressed coke formation with the addition of Pt is attributed to hydrogen spillover, through which hydrogen activated on Pt can subsequently migrate to the HBEA support to reverse the coke-forming hydrogen abstraction reaction.« less

  3. Organic superalkalis with closed-shell structure and aromaticity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Srivastava, Ambrish Kumar

    2018-06-01

    Benzene (C6H6) and polycyclic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene (C10H8), anthracene (C14H10) and coronene (C24H12) are well known aromatic organic compounds. We study the substitution of Li replacing all H-atoms in these hydrocarbons using density functional method. The vertical ionisation energy of such lithiated species, i.e. C6Li6, C10Li8, C14Li10 and C24Li12 ranges 4.24-4.50 eV, which is lower than the ionisation energy (IE) of Li atom. Thus, these species may behave as superalkalis due to their lower IE than alkali metal. However, these lithiated species possess planar and closed-shell structure, unlike typical superalkalis. Furthermore, all Li-substituted species are aromatic although their degree of aromaticity is reduced as compared to corresponding hydrocarbon analogues. We have further explored the structure of C6Li6 as star-like, unlike its inorganic analogue B3N3Li6, which appears as fan-like structure. We have also demonstrated that the interaction of C6Li6 with a superhalogen (such as BF4) is similar to that of a typical superalkali (such as OLi3). This may further suggest that the proposed lithiated species may form a new class of closed-shell organic superalkalis with aromaticity.

  4. Role of Pt during hydrodeoxygenation of biomass pyrolysis vapors over Pt/HBEA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yung, Matthew M.; Foo, Guo Shiou; Sievers, Carsten

    1.3 wt% Pt/HBEA and HBEA were studied as catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of pine pyrolysis vapors at 500 °C. Both catalysts showed high initial conversion of oxygenated pyrolysis products into aromatic hydrocarbons, while Pt/HBEA showed higher stability in terms of hydrocarbon productivity and deferred breakthrough of oxygenated compounds. Among 1-, 2- and 3-ring aromatic hydrocarbons, Pt/HBEA had a significantly higher selectivity than HBEA towards unalkylated aromatics (e.g., benzene) as compared to the corresponding alkylated aromatics (e.g., toluene and xylene). Additionally, Pt addition to HBEA decreased coke deposition and improved resistance to pore and acid site blockage as determined by TPO,more » N 2 physisorption, and NH 3 TPD. The ability of Pt to promote cleavage and hydrogenation of methoxy and methyl groups was observed by increased methane production over Pt/HBEA relative to HBEA. A progressive decrease in the methane production over Pt/HBEA correlated with deactivation in terms of reduced benzene formation, breakthrough of oxygenated products, and increased formation of polynuclear aromatics and their degree of substitution, which indicate coke formation. In conclusion, the increased methane yield and suppressed coke formation with the addition of Pt is attributed to hydrogen spillover, through which hydrogen activated on Pt can subsequently migrate to the HBEA support to reverse the coke-forming hydrogen abstraction reaction.« less

  5. Isolation and Characterization of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Yeast Strains from Petroleum Contaminated Industrial Wastewater

    PubMed Central

    Gargouri, Boutheina; Mhiri, Najla; Karray, Fatma; Aloui, Fathi; Sayadi, Sami

    2015-01-01

    Two yeast strains are enriched and isolated from industrial refinery wastewater. These strains were observed for their ability to utilize several classes of petroleum hydrocarbons substrates, such as n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons as a sole carbon source. Phylogenetic analysis based on the D1/D2 variable domain and the ITS-region sequences indicated that strains HC1 and HC4 were members of the genera Candida and Trichosporon, respectively. The mechanism of hydrocarbon uptaking by yeast, Candida, and Trichosporon has been studied by means of the kinetic analysis of hydrocarbons-degrading yeasts growth and substrate assimilation. Biodegradation capacity and biomass quantity were daily measured during twelve days by gravimetric analysis and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry techniques. Removal of n-alkanes indicated a strong ability of hydrocarbon biodegradation by the isolated yeast strains. These two strains grew on long-chain n-alkane, diesel oil, and crude oil but failed to grow on short-chain n-alkane and aromatic hydrocarbons. Growth measurement attributes of the isolates, using n-hexadecane, diesel oil, and crude oil as substrates, showed that strain HC1 had better degradation for hydrocarbon substrates than strain HC4. In conclusion, these yeast strains can be useful for the bioremediation process and decreasing petroleum pollution in wastewater contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. PMID:26339653

  6. Isolation and Characterization of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Yeast Strains from Petroleum Contaminated Industrial Wastewater.

    PubMed

    Gargouri, Boutheina; Mhiri, Najla; Karray, Fatma; Aloui, Fathi; Sayadi, Sami

    2015-01-01

    Two yeast strains are enriched and isolated from industrial refinery wastewater. These strains were observed for their ability to utilize several classes of petroleum hydrocarbons substrates, such as n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons as a sole carbon source. Phylogenetic analysis based on the D1/D2 variable domain and the ITS-region sequences indicated that strains HC1 and HC4 were members of the genera Candida and Trichosporon, respectively. The mechanism of hydrocarbon uptaking by yeast, Candida, and Trichosporon has been studied by means of the kinetic analysis of hydrocarbons-degrading yeasts growth and substrate assimilation. Biodegradation capacity and biomass quantity were daily measured during twelve days by gravimetric analysis and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry techniques. Removal of n-alkanes indicated a strong ability of hydrocarbon biodegradation by the isolated yeast strains. These two strains grew on long-chain n-alkane, diesel oil, and crude oil but failed to grow on short-chain n-alkane and aromatic hydrocarbons. Growth measurement attributes of the isolates, using n-hexadecane, diesel oil, and crude oil as substrates, showed that strain HC1 had better degradation for hydrocarbon substrates than strain HC4. In conclusion, these yeast strains can be useful for the bioremediation process and decreasing petroleum pollution in wastewater contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.

  7. Distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Osaka Bay, Japan.

    PubMed

    Miki, Shizuho; Uno, Seiichi; Ito, Kazuki; Koyama, Jiro; Tanaka, Hiroyuki

    2014-08-30

    Contaminations in sediments by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated PAHs were investigated at 44 sites in Osaka Bay, Japan. Concentrations of total PAHs and alkylated PAHs were in the range 6.40-7800 ng/g dry weights and 13.7-1700 ng/g dry weights, respectively. The PAH concentrations tended to be higher along the shoreline in the vicinities of big ports, industrialized areas, and densely populated regions such as the cities of Osaka and Kobe. The major sources appeared to be pyrogenic or both pyrogenic and petrogenic at most of the sites. PAH concentrations were remarkably high at a site near Kobe, where the concentrations of dibenzo(a,h)anthracene and benzo(g,h,i)perylene exceeded the effects-range-medium concentration and eight PAHs were above the corresponding effects-range-low concentrations. Those PAHs may have been derived from the great fire associated with the large earthquake in 1995. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Geochemical changes in crude oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez supertanker into Prince William Sound, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hostettler, Frances D.; Kvenvolden, Keith A.

    1994-01-01

    North Slope crude oil spilled from the T/V Exxon Valdez in March 1989 and contaminated about 500 km of Prince William Sound shoreline. Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in oil samples collected in August 1990 and June 1992 from beaches on six islands impacted by the spill have been compared with the hydrocarbons from North Slope crude oil taken from the stricken tanker. Degradation processes have changed the physical appearance of this residual spilled oil; the beached oil as collected ranged from a light brown color, to a heavy black viscous oil, to a black, powder-like residue. In these physically different samples, terpane, sterane, and aromatic sterane distributions, as well as carbon isotope values, are similar and correlate with the original Exxon Valdez oil. On the other hand, n-alkanes, isoprenoids, and many of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are present in the original crude oil are dramatically altered in the oil samples collected from the beaches.

  9. Improvement of neutral oil quality in the production of sulfonate additives

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhurba, A.S.; Bludilin, V.M.; Antonov, V.N.

    This paper is concerned with improvement of neutral oil used as materials for sulfonation to produce additives for lubricating oils. In this article the authors analyze the basic reasons for the unsatisfactory quality of the neutral oil and attempt to define the ways in which the process technology can be improved so as to produce neutral oil with the required composition, at the same time raising the efficiency of utilization of the MSG-8 oil used as a feedstock for this process. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate the feasibility of sulfonating neutral oil in the high-speed mixer under near-optimal conditions.more » The yield of sulfonic acid approaches the theoretical yield. With the lowest contents of aromatic hydrocarbons in the original neutral oil, the aromatic hydrocarbons are almost completely converted to sulfonic acids. The yield of neutral oil is sufficiently high, and the residual content of aromatic hydrocarbons in the oil is no greater than 3%.« less

  10. Concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples from different stages of treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pogorzelec, Marta; Piekarska, Katarzyna

    2017-11-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze the presence and concentration of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples from different stages of treatment and to verify the usefulness of semipermeable membrane devices for analysis of drinking water. For this purpose, study was conducted for a period of 5 months. Semipermeable membrane devices were deployed in a surface water treatment plant located in Lower Silesia (Poland). To determine the effect of water treatment on concentration of PAHs, three sampling places were chosen: raw water input, stream of water just before disinfection and treated water output. After each month of sampling SPMDs were changed for fresh ones and prepared for further analysis. Concentrations of fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Presented study indicates that the use of semipermeable membrane devices can be an effective tool for the analysis of aquatic environment, including monitoring of drinking water, where organic micropollutants are present at very low concentrations.

  11. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation by biosurfactant-producing Pseudomonas sp. IR1.

    PubMed

    Kumara, Manoj; Leon, Vladimir; De Sisto Materano, Angela; Ilzins, Olaf A; Galindo-Castro, Ivan; Fuenmayor, Sergio L

    2006-01-01

    We characterized a newly isolated bacterium, designated as IR1, with respect to its ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and to produce biosurfactants. Isolated IR1 was identified as Pseudomonas putida by analysis of 16S rRNA sequences (99.6% homology). It was capable of utilizing two-, three- and four-ring PAHs but not hexadecane and octadecane as a sole carbon and energy source. PCR and DNA hybridization studies showed that enzymes involved in PAH metabolism were related to the naphthalene dioxygenase pathway. Observation of both tensio-active and emulsifying activities indicated that biosurfactants were produced by IR1 during growth on both water miscible and immiscible substrates. The biosurfactants lowered the surface tension of medium from 54.9 dN cm(-1) to 35.4 dN cm(-1) and formed a stable and compact emulsion with an emulsifying activity of 74% with diesel oil, when grown on dextrose. These findings indicate that this isolate may be useful for bioremediation of sites contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons.

  12. MOLECULAR BASIS OF BIODEGRADATION OF CHLOROAROMATIC COMPOUNDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons are widely used in industry and agriculture, and comprise the bulk of environmental pollutants. Although simple aromatic compounds are biodegradable by a variety of degradative pathways, their halogenated counterparts are more resistant to bacter...

  13. POSSIBLE MOLECULAR TARGETS OF HALOGENATED ARMOATIC HYDROCARBONS IN NEURONAL CELLS.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent bioaccumulative toxicants. Due to these characteristics, there is considerable regulatory concern over the potential adverse health affects, especially to children, associated with exposur...

  14. Photoionization of environmentally polluting aromatic chlorides and nitrides on the water surface by laser and synchrotron radiations.

    PubMed

    Sato, Miki; Maeda, Yuki; Ishioka, Toshio; Harata, Akira

    2017-11-20

    The detection limits and photoionization thresholds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their chlorides and nitrides on the water surface are examined using laser two-photon ionization and single-photon ionization, respectively. The laser two-photon ionization methods are highly surface-selective, with a high sensitivity for aromatic hydrocarbons tending to accumulate on the water surface in the natural environment due to their highly hydrophobic nature. The dependence of the detection limits of target aromatic molecules on their physicochemical properties (photoionization thresholds relating to excess energy, molar absorptivity, and the octanol-water partition coefficient) is discussed. The detection limit clearly depends on the product of the octanol-water partition coefficient and molar absorptivity, and no clear dependence was found on excess energy. The detection limits of laser two-photon ionization for these types of molecules on the water surface are formulated.

  15. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Adsorption onto Graphene: A DFT and AIMD Study.

    PubMed

    Li, Bing; Ou, Pengfei; Wei, Yulan; Zhang, Xu; Song, Jun

    2018-05-03

    Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations were performed to understand graphene and its interaction with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) molecules. The adsorption energy was predicted to increase with the number of aromatic rings in the adsorbates, and linearly correlate with the hydrophobicity of PAHs. Additionally, the analysis of the electronic properties showed that PAHs behave as mild n-dopants and introduce electrons into graphene; but do not remarkably modify the band gap of graphene, indicating that the interaction between PAHs and graphene is physisorption. We have also discovered highly sensitive strain dependence on the adsorption strength of PAHs onto graphene surface. The AIMD simulation indicated that a sensitive and fast adsorption process of PAHs can be achieved by choosing graphene as the adsorbent. These findings are anticipated to shed light on the future development of graphene-based materials with potential applications in the capture and removal of persistent aromatic pollutants.

  16. Fungal Unspecific Peroxygenases Oxidize the Majority of Organic EPA Priority Pollutants

    PubMed Central

    Karich, Alexander; Ullrich, René; Scheibner, Katrin; Hofrichter, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs) are secreted fungal enzymes with promiscuity for oxygen transfer and oxidation reactions. Functionally, they represent hybrids of P450 monooxygenases and heme peroxidases; phylogenetically they belong to the family of heme-thiolate peroxidases. Two UPOs from the basidiomycetous fungi Agrocybe aegerita (AaeUPO) and Marasmius rotula (MroUPO) converted 35 out of 40 compounds listed as EPA priority pollutants, including chlorinated benzenes and their derivatives, halogenated biphenyl ethers, nitroaromatic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalic acid derivatives. These oxygenations and oxidations resulted in diverse products and—if at all—were limited for three reasons: (i) steric hindrance caused by multiple substitutions or bulkiness of the compound as such (e.g., hexachlorobenzene or large PAHs), (ii) strong inactivation of aromatic rings (e.g., nitrobenzene), and (iii) low water solubility (e.g., complex arenes). The general outcome of our study is that UPOs can be considered as extracellular counterparts of intracellular monooxygenases, both with respect to catalyzed reactions and catalytic versatility. Therefore, they should be taken into consideration as a relevant biocatalytic detoxification and biodegradation tool used by fungi when confronted with toxins, xenobiotics and pollutants in their natural environments. PMID:28848501

  17. Treatment Of Groundwater Contaminated With PAHs, Gasoline Hydrocarbons, And Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether In A Laboratory Biomass-Retaining Bioreactor

    EPA Science Inventory

    In this study, we investigated the treatability of co-mingled groundwater contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), gasoline hydrocarbons, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) using an ex-situ aerobic biotreatment system. The PAHs of interest were nap...

  18. The evolution of hydrocarbons past the asymptotic giant branch: the case of MSX SMC 029

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pauly, Tyler; Sloan, Gregory C.; Kraemer, Kathleen E.; Bernard-Salas, Jeronimo; Lebouteiller, Vianney; Goes, Christopher; Barry, Donald

    2015-01-01

    We present an optimally extracted high-resolution spectrum of MSX SMC 029 obtained by the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. MSX SMC 029 is a carbon-rich object in the Small Magellanic Cloud that has evolved past the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). The spectrum reveals a cool carbon-rich dust continuum with emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and absorption from simpler hydrocarbons, both aliphatic and aromatic, including acetylene and benzene. The spectrum shows many similarities to the carbon-rich post-AGB objects SMP LMC 011 in the Large Magellanic Cloud and AFGL 618 in the Galaxy. Both of these objects also show infrared absorption features from simple hydrocarbons. All three spectra lack strong atomic emission lines in the infrared, indicating that we are observing the evolution of carbon-rich dust and free hydrocarbons in objects between the AGB and planetary nebulae. These three objects give us a unique view of the elusive phase when hydrocarbons exist both as relatively simple molecules and the much more complex and ubiquitous PAHs. We may be witnessing the assembly of amorphous carbon into PAHs.

  19. Suppression of evaporation of hydrocarbon liquids and fuels by films containing aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) concentrate FC-196. Interim report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leonard, J.T.; Burnett, J.C.

    1974-12-31

    Suppression of evaporation of hydrocarbon liquids and fuels by aqueous film containing a fluorocarbon surfactant has been examined as a function of film thickness, time, and hydrocarbon type. The hydrocarbon liquids included the homologous series of n-alkanes from pentane to dodecane, aromatic compounds, motor and aviation gasolines and jet fuels JP-4 and JP-5, and Navy distillate fuel. The surfactant solution used to form the films was a 6 percent solution of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) concentrate FC-196. Films of the surfactant solution, ranging in thickness from 5 to 100 micrometers, were placed on the surface of the hydrocarbon liquidmore » to test the ability of the film to suppress evaporation over a 1-hr period. Results indicated that for the n-alkanes and the hydrocarbon fuels a certain critical thickness of surfactant solution was required for optimum vapor suppression. In comparison with the n-alkanes, it was considerably more difficult to suppress evaporation of the aromatic compounds. (GRA)« less

  20. MODELING GALACTIC EXTINCTION WITH DUST AND 'REAL' POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mulas, Giacomo; Casu, Silvia; Cecchi-Pestellini, Cesare

    We investigate the remarkable apparent variety of galactic extinction curves by modeling extinction profiles with core-mantle grains and a collection of single polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our aim is to translate a synthetic description of dust into physically well-grounded building blocks through the analysis of a statistically relevant sample of different extinction curves. All different flavors of observed extinction curves, ranging from the average galactic extinction curve to virtually 'bumpless' profiles, can be described by the present model. We prove that a mixture of a relatively small number (54 species in 4 charge states each) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can reproducemore » the features of the extinction curve in the ultraviolet, dismissing an old objection to the contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the interstellar extinction curve. Despite the large number of free parameters (at most the 54 Multiplication-Sign 4 column densities of each species in each ionization state included in the molecular ensemble plus the 9 parameters defining the physical properties of classical particles), we can strongly constrain some physically relevant properties such as the total number of C atoms in all species and the mean charge of the mixture. Such properties are found to be largely independent of the adopted dust model whose variation provides effects that are orthogonal to those brought about by the molecular component. Finally, the fitting procedure, together with some physical sense, suggests (but does not require) the presence of an additional component of chemically different very small carbonaceous grains.« less

  1. Proteomic Characterization of Plasmid pLA1 for Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Marine Bacterium, Novosphingobium pentaromativorans US6-1

    PubMed Central

    Yun, Sung Ho; Choi, Chi-Won; Lee, Sang-Yeop; Lee, Yeol Gyun; Kwon, Joseph; Leem, Sun Hee; Chung, Young Ho; Kahng, Hyung-Yeel; Kim, Sang Jin; Kwon, Kae Kyoung; Kim, Seung Il

    2014-01-01

    Novosphingobium pentaromativorans US6-1 is a halophilic marine bacterium able to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Genome sequence analysis revealed that the large plasmid pLA1 present in N. pentaromativorans US6-1 consists of 199 ORFs and possess putative biodegradation genes that may be involved in PAH degradation. 1-DE/LC-MS/MS analysis of N. pentaromativorans US6-1 cultured in the presence of different PAHs and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) identified approximately 1,000 and 1,400 proteins, respectively. Up-regulated biodegradation enzymes, including those belonging to pLA1, were quantitatively compared. Among the PAHs, phenanthrene induced the strongest up-regulation of extradiol cleavage pathway enzymes such as ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase, putative biphenyl-2,3-diol 1,2-dioxygenase, and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase in pLA1. These enzymes lead the initial step of the lower catabolic pathway of aromatic hydrocarbons through the extradiol cleavage pathway and participate in the attack of PAH ring cleavage, respectively. However, N. pentaromativorans US6-1 cultured with p-hydroxybenzoate induced activation of another extradiol cleavage pathway, the protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase pathway, that originated from chromosomal genes. These results suggest that N. pentaromativorans US6-1 utilizes two different extradiol pathways and plasmid pLA1 might play a key role in the biodegradation of PAH in N. pentaromativorans US6-1. PMID:24608660

  2. Diversity of organotrophic bacteria, activity of dehydrogenases and urease as well as seed germination and root growth Lepidium sativum, Sorghum saccharatum and Sinapis alba under the influence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Lipińska, Aneta; Wyszkowska, Jadwiga; Kucharski, Jan

    2015-12-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are organic compounds with highly toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic properties, which adversely affect the basic biological parameters of the soil, including the count of microorganisms, and the enzymatic activity. In addition to disturbances to the biological activity of the soil, PAHs may also exhibit toxic effects on plants. In view of the above, the study involved testing aimed at the determination of the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a form of naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene and pyrene on the count, colony development (CD) index, ecophysiological (EP) diversity index of organotrophic bacteria, and the activity of soil dehydrogenases and soil urease. Moreover, an attempt was made to determine the soil's resistance based on the activity of the above-listed enzymes, and the effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on seed germination and root growth was assessed by Lepidium sativum, Sorghum saccharatum, and Sinapis alba. In addition, the species of bacteria found in a soil subjected to strong pressure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were isolated. The experiment was performed in a laboratory on samples of loamy sand. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were introduced into the soil in an amount of 0, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg kg(-1) of soil dry matter. Germination and growth of cress (L. sativum), white mustard (S. alba), and sweet sorghum (S. saccharatum) were determined using Phytotoxkit tests. It was found that the tested PAHs increased the average colony counts of organotrophic soil bacteria; pyrene did so to the greatest extent (2.2-fold relative to non-contaminated soil), phenanthrene to the smallest extent (1.4-fold relative to non-contaminated soil). None of the PAHs changed the value of the bacterial colony development (CD) index, while anthracene and pyrene increased the value of the eco-physiological (EP) diversity indicator. PAHs lowered the activity of the tested enzymes. The activity of dehydrogenases was dependent on a greater extent by the type of hydrocarbon (54.56%) rather than by the dose (10.64%), while for the activity of urease, it was the opposite. The greater extent was dependent on dose (95.42%) rather than by type (0.21%). Dehydrogenases are characterised by greater resistance to the action of PAHs than urease. Based on seed germination and root growth, it has shown that S. alba is best suited, being the most vulnerable plant, while S. saccharatum is the least suited. Subjecting a soil to strong pressure of PAHs leads to disturbances to the biological parameters of the soil, seed germination, and root growth L. sativum, S. saccharatum, and S. alba.

  3. Comparative genomics reveals adaptation by Alteromonas sp. SN2 to marine tidal-flat conditions: cold tolerance and aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism.

    PubMed

    Math, Renukaradhya K; Jin, Hyun Mi; Kim, Jeong Myeong; Hahn, Yoonsoo; Park, Woojun; Madsen, Eugene L; Jeon, Che Ok

    2012-01-01

    Alteromonas species are globally distributed copiotrophic bacteria in marine habitats. Among these, sea-tidal flats are distinctive: undergoing seasonal temperature and oxygen-tension changes, plus periodic exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons. Strain SN2 of the genus Alteromonas was isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated sea-tidal flat sediment and has been shown to metabolize aromatic hydrocarbons there. Strain SN2's genomic features were analyzed bioinformatically and compared to those of Alteromonas macleodii ecotypes: AltDE and ATCC 27126. Strain SN2's genome differs from that of the other two strains in: size, average nucleotide identity value, tRNA genes, noncoding RNAs, dioxygenase gene content, signal transduction genes, and the degree to which genes collected during the Global Ocean Sampling project are represented. Patterns in genetic characteristics (e.g., GC content, GC skew, Karlin signature, CRISPR gene homology) indicate that strain SN2's genome architecture has been altered via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Experiments proved that strain SN2 was far more cold tolerant, especially at 5°C, than the other two strains. Consistent with the HGT hypothesis, a total of 15 genomic islands in strain SN2 likely confer ecological fitness traits (especially membrane transport, aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis) specific to the adaptation of strain SN2 to its seasonally cold sea-tidal flat habitat.

  4. Comparative Genomics Reveals Adaptation by Alteromonas sp. SN2 to Marine Tidal-Flat Conditions: Cold Tolerance and Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Math, Renukaradhya K.; Jin, Hyun Mi; Kim, Jeong Myeong; Hahn, Yoonsoo; Park, Woojun; Madsen, Eugene L.; Jeon, Che Ok

    2012-01-01

    Alteromonas species are globally distributed copiotrophic bacteria in marine habitats. Among these, sea-tidal flats are distinctive: undergoing seasonal temperature and oxygen-tension changes, plus periodic exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons. Strain SN2 of the genus Alteromonas was isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated sea-tidal flat sediment and has been shown to metabolize aromatic hydrocarbons there. Strain SN2's genomic features were analyzed bioinformatically and compared to those of Alteromonas macleodii ecotypes: AltDE and ATCC 27126. Strain SN2's genome differs from that of the other two strains in: size, average nucleotide identity value, tRNA genes, noncoding RNAs, dioxygenase gene content, signal transduction genes, and the degree to which genes collected during the Global Ocean Sampling project are represented. Patterns in genetic characteristics (e.g., GC content, GC skew, Karlin signature, CRISPR gene homology) indicate that strain SN2's genome architecture has been altered via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Experiments proved that strain SN2 was far more cold tolerant, especially at 5°C, than the other two strains. Consistent with the HGT hypothesis, a total of 15 genomic islands in strain SN2 likely confer ecological fitness traits (especially membrane transport, aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis) specific to the adaptation of strain SN2 to its seasonally cold sea-tidal flat habitat. PMID:22563400

  5. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, trace elements and monooxygenase activity in birds nesting on the North Platte River, Casper, Wyoming, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Custer, T.W.; Custer, Christine M.; Dickerson, K.; Allen, K.; Melancon, M.J.; Schmidt, L.J.

    2001-01-01

    Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) and house wren (Troglodytes aedon) eggs and chicks were collected near a refinery site on the North Platte River, Casper, Wyoming, USA and at a reference site 10 km upstream. Total polycylic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in swallow and wren chicks were higher at the refinery site than at the reference site. Polycylic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in sediment and chick dietary samples were consistent with these findings. The general lack of methylated PAHs in sediment, diet, and bird carcasses suggested that the PAHs were derived from combustion and not from petroleum. The predominance of odd numbered aliphatic hydrocarbons and the low ratios (≤ 0.25) of pristane: n-C17 and phytane: n-C18 in chick and diet samples also suggested that swallow and wren chicks were not being chronically exposed to petroleum. Mean ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase and benzyloxyresorufin-O-dealkylase activities in tree swallow livers averaged nine times higher at the refinery site than at the reference site and were probably induced by exposure to PAHs. Trace element concentrations in eggs and livers of swallows and wrens were similar or greater at the reference site than at the refinery site. Selenium, strontium, and boron concentrations were elevated in eggs and livers of swallows and wrens at both the refinery and reference sites.

  6. Determination of thiaarenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in workplace air of an aluminum reduction plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Becker, G.; Colmsjoe, A.; Oestman, C.

    1999-05-01

    Quantitation of a variety of tetra-, penta-, and hexacyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (thiaarenes) in workplace air of an aluminum reduction plant has been made by help of gas chromatography with atomic emission detection (GC-AED). Personal exposure to those thiaarenes and to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons depending on work categories has been evaluated. Summarized concentrations of the thiaarenes investigated have been found to be 0.4--19.0 {micro}g/m{sup 3}. When using sulfur selective AED, samples could be analyzed without a prior separation of the thiaarenes from the PAH. The present data indicate a contribution of thiaarenes to the overall toxicity of coal tar pitchmore » volatiles in this work environment.« less

  7. Multifunctional receptor model for dioxin and related compound toxic action: possible thyroid hormone-responsive effector-linked site.

    PubMed Central

    McKinney, J D

    1989-01-01

    Molecular/theoretical modeling studies have revealed that thyroid hormones and toxic chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons of environmental significance (for which dioxin or TCDD is the prototype) have similar structural properties that could be important in molecular recognition in biochemical systems. These molecular properties include a somewhat rigid, sterically accessible and polarizable aromatic ring and size-limited, hydrophobic lateral substituents, usually contained in opposite adjoining rings of a diphenyl compound. These molecular properties define the primary binding groups thought to be important in molecular recognition of both types of structures in biochemical systems. Similar molecular reactivities are supported by the demonstration of effective specific binding of thyroid hormones and chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons with four different proteins, enzymes, or receptor preparations that are known or suspected to be involved in the expression of thyroid hormone activity. These binding interactions represent both aromatic-aromatic (stacking) and molecular cleft-type recognition processes. A multiple protein or multifunctional receptor-ligand binding mechanism model is proposed as a way of visualizing the details and possible role of both the stacking and cleft type molecular recognition factors in the expression of biological activity. The model suggests a means by which hormone-responsive effector-linked sites (possible protein-protein-DNA complexes) can maintain highly structurally specific control of hormone action. Finally, the model also provides a theoretical basis for the design and conduct of further biological experimentation on the molecular mechanism(s) of action of toxic chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons and thyroid hormones. Images FIGURE 3. A FIGURE 3. B FIGURE 3. C FIGURE 3. D PMID:2551666

  8. Bioconcentration of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic macrophytes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gobas, F.A.P.C.; McNeil, E.J.; Lovett-Doust, L.

    1991-05-01

    This study reports the bioconcentration and the uptake and elimination kinetics of a series of nonreactive, hydrophobic organic substances in the submerged aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum. The tested substances represent a wide range of aqueous solubilities and 1-octanol-water partition coefficients (K{sub OW}). The plant-water bioconcentration factor is shown to follow a linear relationship with the octanol-water partition coefficient for all chemicals, including the superhydrophobic chemicals with log K{sub OW} up to 8.3. The uptake and elimination rate constants tend to follow a biphasic relationship with K{sub OW}. A kinetic model is developed for organic chemical bioconcentration is submerged aquatic macrophytemore » species. This model is applied to the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair to illustrate the role of aquatic macrophytes in chemical dynamics in aquatic systems.« less

  9. Nitrogen Isotopic Composition of Organic Matter in a Pristine Collection IDP

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Messenger, S.; Nakamura-Messenger, K.; Keller, L. P.; Clemett, S. J.; Nguyen, A. N.; Walker, Robert M.

    2012-01-01

    Anhydrous chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP IDPs) are probable cometary materials that show primitive characteristics, such as unequilibrated mineralogy, fragile structure, and abundant presolar grains and organic matter [1-3]. CP IDPs are richer in aliphatic species and N-bearing aromatic hydrocarbons than meteoritic organics and commonly exhibit highly anomalous H and N isotopic compositions [4,5]. Cometary organic matter is of interest in part because it has escaped the hydrothermal processing experienced by meteorites. However, IDPs are collected using silicon oil that must be removed with strong organic solvents such as hexane. This procedure is likely to have removed some fraction of soluble organic phases in IDPs. We recently reported the first stratospheric collection of IDPs without the use of silicone oil [6]. Here we present initial studies of the carbonaceous material in an IDP from this collection.

  10. DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: GRACE DEARBORN INC. DARAMEND™ BIOREMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The DARAMEND™ Bioremediation Technology may be applied to the remediation of soils and sediments contaminated by a wide variety of organic contaminants including chlorinated phenols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons. The technology may be ap...

  11. Organics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chian, Edward S. K.; DeWalle, Foppe B.

    1978-01-01

    Presents water analysis literature for 1978. This review is concerned with organics, and it covers: (1) detergents and surfactants; (2) aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons; (3) pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons; and (4) naturally occurring organics. A list of 208 references is also presented. (HM)

  12. Evaluating the aquatic toxicity of complex organic chemical mixtures: lessons learned from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and petroleum hydrocarbon case studies.

    PubMed

    Landrum, Peter F; Chapman, Peter M; Neff, Jerry; Page, David S

    2012-04-01

    Experimental designs for evaluating complex mixture toxicity in aquatic environments can be highly variable and, if not appropriate, can produce and have produced data that are difficult or impossible to interpret accurately. We build on and synthesize recent critical reviews of mixture toxicity using lessons learned from 4 case studies, ranging from binary to more complex mixtures of primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons, to provide guidance for evaluating the aquatic toxicity of complex mixtures of organic chemicals. Two fundamental requirements include establishing a dose-response relationship and determining the causative agent (or agents) of any observed toxicity. Meeting these 2 requirements involves ensuring appropriate exposure conditions and measurement endpoints, considering modifying factors (e.g., test conditions, test organism life stages and feeding behavior, chemical transformations, mixture dilutions, sorbing phases), and correctly interpreting dose-response relationships. Specific recommendations are provided. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

  13. Development of miniaturized submersible fluorometers for the detection of aromatic hydrocarbons in marine waters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tedetti, Marc; Bachet, Caroline; Joffre, Pascal; Ferretto, Nicolas; Guigue, Catherine; Goutx, Madeleine

    2014-05-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most widespread organic contaminants in aquatic environments. Due to their physico-chemical properties, PAHs are persistent and mobile, can strongly bioaccumulate in food chains and are harmful to living organisms. They are thus recognized by various international organizations as priority contaminants and are included in the list of 45 priority regulated substances by the European Union. Because of their aromatic structure, PAHs are "optically active" and have inherent fluorescence properties in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral domain (200-400 nm). Therefore, UV fluorescence spectroscopy has been successfully used to develop PAH sensors (i.e. UV fluorometers). Currently, five UV submersible fluorometers are commercially available for in situ measurements of PAHs: EnviroFlu-HC (TriOS Optical Sensors, Germany), Hydrocarbon Fluorometer (Sea & Sun Technology, Germany), HydroC ™ / PAH (CONTROS, Germany), UviLux AquaTracka (Chelsea Technology Group, UK) and Cyclops-7 (Turner Designs, US). These UV fluorometers are all dedicated to the measurement of phenanthrene (λEx /λEm: 255/360 nm), one of the most abundant and fluorescent PAHs found in the aquatic environment. In this study, we developed original, miniaturized submersible fluorometers based on deep UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for simultaneous measurements of two PAHs of interest: the MiniFluo-UV 1 for the detection of phenanthrene (PHE, at λEx /λEm: 255/360 nm) and naphthalene (NAP, at λEx /λEm: 270/340 nm), and the MiniFluo-UV 2 for the detection of fluorene (FLU, at λEx /λEm: 255/315 nm) and pyrene (PYR, at λEx /λEm: 270/380 nm). The MiniFluo-UV sensors have several features: measurements of two PAHs at the same time, small size (puck format, 80 x 60 mm), very low energy consumption (500 mW at 12V), LED monitoring, analog and numerical communication modes. The two MiniFluo-UV sensors were first tested in the laboratory: 1) on standard solutions of PHE, NAP, FLU and PYR in the range 0.1-100 µg l-1 and 2) on a water soluble fraction (WSF) of crude oil diluted in 0.2 µm filtered seawater (0 to 50% of WSF in seawater). Then, the MiniFluo-UV sensors were mounted onto a conductivity temperature depth (CTD) vertical profiler and tested at sea. Several profiles were performed in the Bay of Marseilles, in different harbours and hydrocarbon-impacted sites. The MiniFluo-UV measurements performed in the laboratory and in the field were associated with spectrofluorometric (EEM/PARAFAC) and/or chromatographic (GC-MS) analyses. The result obtained show that the MiniFluo-UV are pertinent and efficient tool for monitoring hydrocarbon pollutions in the marine environment. This work is a contribution of three projects labelled by the Competitivity Cluster Mer PACA: FUI SEA EXPLORER, DGCIS - Eco industries VASQUE (PI: ACSA-ALCEN, Meyreuil, France) and ANR - ECOTECH IBISCUS (PI: M. Goutx, MIO, Marseille, France).

  14. Enzymatic transformation of hydrocarbons by methanotrophic organisms

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Patel, R.N.; Hou, C.T.

    Soluble methane monooxygenase from a facultative methane-utilizing organism, Methylobacterium sp. CRL-26 or R6, catalyzed the NAD(P)H-dependent epoxidation/hydroxylation of a variety of hydrocarbons, including terminal alkenes, internal alkenes, substituted alkenes, branch-chain alkenes, alkanes (C1-C8), substituted alkanes, branch-chain alkanes, carbon monoxide, ether, cyclic and aromatic compounds. The NAD -linked dehydrogenases such as formate dehydrogenase or secondary alcohol dehydrogenase in the presence of formate or secondary alcohol, respectively, regenerated NAD/NADH required for the methane monooxygenase in a coupled enzymes reactions. Oxidation of secondary alcohols to the corresponding methylketones in methanotrophs is catalyzed by an NAD -dependent, zinc-containing, secondary alcohol hydrogenase. Primary alcohols weremore » oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes by a phenazine methosulfate-dependent, pyrollo quinoline quinone (methoxatin or PQQ) containing, methanol dehydrogenase. Oxidation of aldehydes (C1 to C10) to the corresponding carboxylic acids is catalyzed by a heme-containing aldehyde dehydrogenase. Methanotrophs have been considered potentially useful for single cell protein (SCP), amino acids, and biopolymer production at the expense of growth on cheap and readily available C1 compounds. 80 references, 1 figure, 6 tables.« less

  15. Effects of exposure to the water-soluble fraction of crude oil on the swimming performance and the metabolic and ionic recovery postexercise in Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi).

    PubMed

    Kennedy, Christopher J; Farrell, Anthony P

    2006-10-01

    The swimming performance and recovery from exercise were determined in juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) following exposure to the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of North Slope crude oil for more than eight weeks. Total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations (mean +/- standard error) at the beginning of exposures were as follows: control, 0.2 +/- 0.1 microg/L; low, 9.6 +/- 2.5 microg/L; medium, 40.7 +/- 6.9 microg/L; and high, 120.2 +/- 11.4 microg/L. Biological availability of hydrocarbons was confirmed by a significant induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 content and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity. Critical swimming speed (Ucrit) was significantly reduced in fish exposed to the highest concentration of WSF for 96 h (11% +/- 3.7% reduction) and at the two highest concentrations at four weeks (16% +/- 3.6% and 29% +/- 5.4% reductions) and eight weeks (11% +/- 3.8% and 40% +/- 5.7% reductions). Mortality occurred in all groups 24 h following Ucrit swim trials, with significantly higher mortalities observed in fish exposed to WSF in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (maximum mortality of 72.2% +/- 5.5% in the eight-week, high-exposure group). Burst swimming alone resulted in increased plasma cortisol, lactate, Na+, and Cl- concentrations and decreased muscle glycogen levels that returned to baseline values by 24 h. An interpretation of the effect of WSF exposure on postexercise metabolic recovery was complicated by pre-exercise alterations in several parameters. The time courses and magnitudes of several key postexercise parameters, including plasma cortisol, lactate, and muscle glycogen, were significantly altered by exposure to WSE The present study clearly shows that hydrocarbon exposure can reduce the swimming ability of fish and their ability to recover from exhaustive exercise.

  16. Hydrocarbons on Saturns Satellites: Relationship to Interstellar Dust and the Solar Nebula

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cruikshank, D. P.

    2012-01-01

    To understand the origin and evolution of our Solar System, and the basic components that led to life on Earth, we study interstellar and planetary spectroscopic signatures. The possible relationship of organic material detected in carbonaceous meteorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), comets and the interstellar medium have been the source of speculation over the years as the composition and processes that governed the early solar nebula have been explored to understand the extent to which primitive material survived or became processed. The Cassini VIMS has provided new data relevant to this problem. Three of Saturn's satellites, Phoebe, Iapetus, and Hyperion, are found to have aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons on their surfaces. The aromatic hydrocarbon signature (C-H stretching mode at 3.28 micrometers) is proportionally significantly stronger (relative to the aliphatic bands) than that seen in other Solar System bodies (e.g., comets) and materials (Stardust samples, IDPs, meteorites) and the distinctive sub-features of the 3.4 micrometer aliphatic band (CH2 and CH3 groups) are reminiscent of those widely detected throughout the diffuse ISM. Phoebe may be a captured object that originated in the region beyond the present orbit of Neptune, where the solar nebula contained a large fraction of original interstellar ice and dust that was less processed than material closer to the Sun. Debris from Phoebe now resident on Iapetus and Hyperion, as well as o Phoebe itself, thus presents a unique blend of hydrocarbons, amenable to comparisons with interstellar hydrocarbons and other Solar System materials. The dust ring surrounding Saturn, in which Phoebe is embedded, probably originated from a collision with Phoebe. Dust ring particles are the likely source of the organic-bearing materials, and perhaps the recently identified small particles of Fe detected on Saturn's satellites. Lab measurements of the absolute band strengths of representative aliphatic and aromatic molecules, together with measurements from the VIMS data, allow us to calculate the number of C atoms to find the relative abundances of C atoms in the two kinds of organic molecules. The strength of the prominent aromatic C-H stretch band relative to the aliphatic band complex in Phoebe and Iapetus indicates that the relative abundance of aromatic to aliphatic carbon is very large (greater than 200). In contract, the aromatic band is nearly imperceptible in spectra of interplanetary dust particles (IDP), returned samples from comet 91P/Wild 2, insoluable carbonaceous material in most meteorites, and the diffuse interstellar dust (DISM) (although aromatics are known in all these materials-here we consider only the spectroscopic signature)

  17. Laboratory rotational spectroscopy of cyano substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McNaughton, Don; Jahn, Michaela K.; Travers, Michael J.; Wachsmuth, Dennis; Godfrey, Peter D.; Grabow, Jens-Uwe

    2018-06-01

    The rotational spectra of the four cyano substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules 1-cyanonaphthalene, 2-cyanonaphthalene, 9-cyanoanthracene, and 9-cyanophenanthrene have been recorded in molecular expansions using a Stark-modulated millimetre-wave spectrometer and a Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in the centimetre-wave region. The spectra have been assigned and fitted to provide molecular constants and quadrupole hyperfine constants of sufficient accuracy to enable complete hyperfine structure line predictions for interstellar searches. The data may provide a route into detection of small PAHs in the interstellar medium.

  18. Petroleum and individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Albers, Peter H.; Hoffman, David J.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Burton, G. Allen; Cairns, John

    1995-01-01

    Crude petroleum, refined-petroleum products, and individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contained within petroleum are found throughout the world. their presence has been detected in living and nonliving components of ecosystems. Petroleum can be an environmental hazard for wild animals and plants. Individual PAHs are also hazardous to wildlife, but they are most commonly associated with human illnesses. Because petroleum is a major environmental source of these PAHs, petroleum and PAHs are jointly presented in this chapter. Composition, sources, environmental fate, and toxic effects on all living components of aquatic and terrestrial environments are addessed.

  19. Organic solids produced by electrical discharges in reducing atmospheres: Molecular analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Khare, B. N.; Sagan, C.; Zumberge, J. E.; Sklarew, D.; Nagy, B.

    1978-01-01

    The complex brown polymer produced on passage of an electrical discharge through a mixture of methane, ammonia, and water, is analyzed by pyrolytic GC/MS. Pyrolyzates include a wide range of alkanes, alkenes, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic and aromatic nitriles, pyrroles, and pyridine. Similar pyrolyzates are obtained from polypeptides and polynucleotides with hydrocarbon moieties. This polymer is remarkably stable up to 950 C; its degradation products are candidate constituents of planetary aerosols in the outer solar system and the grains and gas in the interstellar medium.

  20. The C-H Stretching Features at 3.2--3.5 μm of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Aliphatic Sidegroups

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, X. J.; Li, Aigen; Glaser, R.; Zhong, J. X.

    2016-07-01

    The so-called “unidentified” infrared emission (UIE) features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 μm are ubiquitously seen in a wide variety of astrophysical regions. The UIE features are characteristic of the stretching and bending vibrations of aromatic hydrocarbon materials, e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. The 3.3 μm aromatic C-H stretching feature is often accompanied by a weaker feature at 3.4 μm. The latter is generally thought to result from the C-H stretch of aliphatic groups attached to the aromatic systems. The ratio of the observed intensity of the 3.3 μm aromatic C-H feature to that of the 3.4 μm aliphatic C-H feature allows one to estimate the aliphatic fraction of the UIE carriers, provided that the intrinsic oscillator strengths of the 3.3 μm aromatic C-H stretch ({A}3.3) and the 3.4 μm aliphatic C-H stretch ({A}3.4) are known. While previous studies on the aliphatic fraction of the UIE carriers were mostly based on the {A}3.4/{A}3.3 ratios derived from the mono-methyl derivatives of small PAH molecules, in this work we employ density functional theory to compute the infrared vibrational spectra of PAH molecules with a wide range of sidegroups including ethyl, propyl, butyl, and several unsaturated alkyl chains, as well as all the isomers of dimethyl-substituted pyrene. We find that, except for PAHs with unsaturated alkyl chains, the corresponding {A}3.4/{A}3.3 ratios are close to that of mono-methyl PAHs. This confirms the predominantly aromatic nature of the UIE carriers previously inferred from the {A}3.4/{A}3.3 ratio derived from mono-methyl PAHs.

  1. Biodegradation and detoxification of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons by new yeast strains.

    PubMed

    Hashem, Mohamed; Alamri, Saad A; Al-Zomyh, Sharefah S A A; Alrumman, Sulaiman A

    2018-04-30

    Seeking new efficient hydrocarbon-degrading yeast stains was the main goal of this study. Because microorganisms are greatly affected by the environmental factors, the biodegradation potentiality of the microorganisms varies from climatic area to another. This induces research to develop and optimize the endemic organisms in bioremediation technology. In this study, 67 yeast strains were tested for their growth potentiality on both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The most efficient six strains were identified using sequence analysis of the variable D1/D2 domain of the large subunit 26S ribosomal DNA. The identity of these strains was confirmed as Yamadazyma mexicana KKUY-0160, Rhodotorula taiwanensis KKUY-0162, Pichia kluyveri KKUY-0163, Rhodotorula ingeniosa KKUY-0170, Candida pseudointermedia KKUY-0192 and Meyerozyma guilliermondii KKUY-0214. These species are approved for their ability to degrade both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons for the first time in this study. Although, all of them were able to utilize and grow on both hydrocarbons, Rhodotorula taiwanensis KKUY-0162 emerged as the best degrader of octane, and Rhodotorula ingeniosa KKUY-170 was the best degrader of pyrene. GC-MS analysis approved the presence of many chemical compounds that could be transitional or secondary metabolites during the utilization of the hydrocarbons. Our results recommend the application of these yeast species on large scale to approve their efficiency in bioremediation of oil-contamination of the environment. Using these yeasts, either individually or in consortia, could offer a practical solution for aquatic or soil contamination with the crude oil and its derivatives in situ. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons/aromatics, BDNF and child development

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Perera, Frederica, E-mail: fpp1@columbia.edu; Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th St., New York, NY 10032; Phillips, David H.

    Objectives: Within a New York City (NYC) birth cohort, we assessed the associations between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and other aromatic DNA adducts and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations in umbilical cord blood, and neurodevelopment at age 2 years and whether BDNF is a mediator of the associations between PAH/aromatic-DNA adducts and neurodevelopment. Methods: PAH/aromatic-DNA adduct concentrations in cord blood were measured in 505 children born to nonsmoking African-American and Dominican women residing in NYC, and a subset was assessed for neurodevelopment at 2 years using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Mental Development Index (MDI). A spectrum ofmore » PAH/aromatic-DNA adducts was measured using the {sup 32}P-postlabeling assay; DNA adducts formed by benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a representative PAH, were measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)/fluorescence. BDNF mature protein in cord blood plasma was quantified by an ELISA. Multivariate regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounders, was conducted. Results: PAH/aromatic-DNA adduct concentration measured by postlabeling was inversely associated with BDNF concentration (p=0.02) and with MDI scores at 2 years (p=0.04). BDNF level was positively associated with MDI scores (p=0.003). Restricting to subjects having all three measures (PAH/aromatic-DNA adducts by postlabeling, MDI, and BDNF), results were similar but attenuated (p=0.13, p=0.05, p=0.01, respectively). Associations between B[a]P-DNA adducts and BDNF and B[a]P-DNA adducts and MDI at age 2 years were not significant. At age 3 years, the positive association of BDNF with MDI was not observed. Conclusions: The results at age 2 suggest that prenatal exposure to a spectrum of PAH/aromatic pollutants may adversely affect early neurodevelopment, in part by reducing BDNF levels during the fetal period. However, the same relationship was not seen at age 3. - Highlights: • Cord blood Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH)/aromatic-DNA adducts were assayed. • Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) concentration was measured concurrently. • Associations between biomarkers and neurodevelopment at age 2 years were assessed. • Adduct level was inversely associated with BDNF concentration and neurodevelopment. • BDNF level was positively associated with neurodevelopment scores at age 2 years.« less

  3. Selective thermal and photooxidation of hydrocarbons in zeolites by oxygen

    DOEpatents

    Frei, Heinz; Blatter, Fritz; Sun, Hai

    1999-01-01

    A process for selective thermal oxidation or photooxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions or under irradiation with visible light. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts.

  4. Production of High Density Aviation Fuels via Novel Zeolite Catalyst Routes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-10-23

    range fraction of a naphthenic crude; saturation of an aromatic FCC cycle stock I the appropriate boiling range: saturation of an appropriate boiling...aromatic hydrocarbons and selected aromatic feedstocks to the corresponding mono- and dicyclic naphthenes in the aviation turbine fuel boiling range; and...Paraffins from Naphthenic Refinery Feed Streams .......... 8 Solvent Extraction ........................................... 8 Shape Selective Catalytic

  5. The effect of aromatization on the isotopic compositions of hydrocarbons during early diagenesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, K. H.; Boreham, C. J.; Summons, R. E.; Hayes, J. M.

    1994-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with varying degrees of aromatization were isolated from the Eocene Messel Shale (Rheingraben, Germany). The high abundances of these compounds and their structural resemblances to cyclic triterpenoid lipids are consistent with derivation from microbial rather than thermal processes. Compounds structurally related to oleanane contain from five to nine double bonds; those within a series of aromatized hopanoids contain from three to nine. All are products of diagenetic reactions that remove hydrogen or methyl groups, and, in several cases, break carbon-carbon bonds to open rings. Aromatized products are on average depleted in 13C relative to possible precursors by l.2% (range: l.5% enrichment to 4% depletion, n = 9). The dependence of 13C content on the number of double bonds is not, however, statistically significant and it must be concluded that there is no strong evidence for isotopic fractionation accompanying diagenetic aromatization. Isotopic differences between series (structures related to ursane, des-A-ursane, des-A-lupane, des-A-arborane, and possibly, des-A-gammacerane are present) are much greater, indicating that 13C contents are controlled primarily by source effects. Fractionations due to chromatographic isotope effects during HPLC ranged from 0.1 to 2.8%.

  6. Biodegradation of polycyclic hydrocarbons by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

    EPA Science Inventory

    The ability of the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are present in anthracene oil (a distillation product obtained from coal tar) was demonstrated. Analysis by capillary gas chromatography and high-performance li...

  7. Relationship between hydrocarbon structure and induction of P450: effects on protein levels and enzyme activities.

    PubMed

    Backes, W L; Sequeira, D J; Cawley, G F; Eyer, C S

    1993-12-01

    1. Treatment of male rat with the small aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene, m-xylene, and p-xylene increased several P450-dependent activities, with ethylbenzene, m-xylene, and n-propylbenzene producing the greatest response. Hydrocarbon treatment differentially affected toluene metabolism, producing a response dependent on the metabolite monitored. In untreated rats, benzyl alcohol was the major hydroxylation product of toluene metabolism, comprising > 99% of the total metabolites formed. Hydrocarbon treatment increased the overall rate of toluene metabolism by dramatically increasing the amount of aromatic hydroxylation. Ethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene and m-xylene were the most effective inducers of aromatic hydroxylation of toluene. In contrast, production of the major toluene metabolite benzyl alcohol was increased only after treatment with m-xylene. 2. P450 2B1/2B2 levels were induced by each of the hydrocarbons examined, with the magnitude of induction increasing with increasing hydrocarbon size. P450 1A1 was also induced after hydrocarbon exposure; however, the degree of induction was smaller than that observed for P450 2B1/2B2. P450 2C11 levels were suppressed after treatment with benzene, ethylbenzene and n-propylbenzene. 3. Taken together these results display two induction patterns. The first generally corresponds to changes in the P450 2B subfamily, where activities (e.g. the aromatic hydroxylations of toluene) were most effectively induced by ethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene and m-xylene. In the second, induction was observed only after m-xylene treatment, a pattern that was found when the metabolism of the substrate was catalysed by both the P450 2B subfamily and P450 2C11. Hydrocarbons that both induced P450 2B1/2B2 and suppressed P450 2C11 (such as ethylbenzene and n-propylbenzene) showed little change in activities catalysed by both isozymes (e.g. aliphatic hydroxylation of toluene, and aniline hydroxylation); however, m-xylene treatment led to elevated P450 2B1/2B2 levels without significantly suppressing P450 2C11. m-Xylene produced significant increases in activities efficiently catalysed by both isozymes. Therefore, the unique induction pattern observed after m-xylene treatment can be accounted for by induction of P450 2B1/2B2 without concomitant suppression of P450 2C11.

  8. Effect of compositional heterogeneity on dissolution of non-ideal LNAPL mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasudevan, M.; Johnston, C. D.; Bastow, T. P.; Lekmine, G.; Rayner, J. L.; Nambi, I. M.; Suresh Kumar, G.; Ravi Krishna, R.; Davis, G. B.

    2016-11-01

    The extent of dissolution of petroleum hydrocarbon fuels into groundwater depends greatly on fuel composition. Petroleum fuels can consist of thousands of compounds creating different interactions within the non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL), thereby affecting the relative dissolution of the components and hence a groundwater plume's composition over long periods. Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the variability in the effective solubilities and activity coefficients for common constituents of gasoline fuels (benzene, toluene, p-xylene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) (BTX) in matrices with an extreme range of molar volumes and chemical affinities. Four synthetic mixtures were investigated comprising BTX with the bulk of the NAPL mixtures made up of either, ethylbenzene (an aromatic like BTX with similar molar volume); 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (an aromatic with a greater molar volume); n-hexane (an aliphatic with a low molar volume); and n-decane (an aliphatic with a high molar volume). Equilibrium solubility values for the constituents were under-predicted by Raoult's law by up to 30% (higher experimental concentrations) for the mixture with n-hexane as a filler and over-predicted by up to 12% (lower experimental concentrations) for the aromatic mixtures with ethylbenzene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene as fillers. Application of PP-LFER (poly-parameter linear free energy relationship) model for non-ideal mixtures also resulted in poor correlation between experimentally measured and predicted concentrations, indicating that differences in chemical affinities can be the major cause of deviation from ideal behavior. Synthetic mixtures were compared with the dissolution behavior of fresh and naturally weathered unleaded gasoline. The presence of lighter aliphatic components in the gasoline had a profound effect on estimating effective solubility due to chemical affinity differences (estimated at 0.0055 per percentage increase in the molar proportion of aliphatic) as well as reduced molar volumes (estimated at - 0.0091 in the activity coefficient per unit increase in molar volume, mL/mol). Previously measured changes in activity coefficients due to natural weathering of 0.25 compares well to 0.27 calculated here based on changes in the chemical affinity and molar volumes. The study suggests that the initial estimation of the composition of a fuel is crucial in evaluating dissolution processes due to ideal and non-ideal dissolution, and in predicting long term dissolution trends and the longevity of NAPL petroleum plume risks.

  9. Effectiveness of Liquid-Liquid Extraction, Solid Phase Extraction, and Headspace Technique for Determination of Some Volatile Water-Soluble Compounds of Rose Aromatic Water

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Steam distillation is used to isolate scent of rose flowers. Rose aromatic water is commonly used in European cuisine and aromatherapy besides its use in cosmetic industry for its lovely scent. In this study, three different sampling techniques, liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), headspace technique (HS), and solid phase extraction (SPE), were compared for the analysis of volatile water-soluble compounds in commercial rose aromatic water. Some volatile water-soluble compounds of rose aromatic water were also analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). In any case, it was concluded that one of the solid phase extraction methods led to higher recoveries for 2-phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) in the rose aromatic water than the liquid-liquid extraction and headspace technique. Liquid-liquid extraction method provided higher recovery ratios for citronellol, nerol, and geraniol than others. Ideal linear correlation coefficient values were observed by GCMS for quantitative analysis of volatile compounds (r2 ≥ 0.999). Optimized methods showed acceptable repeatability (RSDs < 5%) and excellent recovery (>95%). For compounds such as α-pinene, linalool, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, methyl eugenol, and eugenol, the best recovery values were obtained with LLE and SPE. PMID:28791049

  10. Toxic effects of unresolved complex mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons accumulated by mussels, Mytilus edulis, from contaminated field sites.

    PubMed

    Donkin, Peter; Smith, Emma L; Rowland, Steven J

    2003-11-01

    Exposure of marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) to an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of aromatic hydrocarbons isolated from a crude oil has been shown to reduce their feeding rate by 40%. The present study was undertaken to determine whether UCMs bioaccumulated by mussels in the field are also toxic. The feeding rate of mussels derived from polluted sites increased when they were placed in clean water, pointing to a loss of toxic agents from the tissues. At the end of the depuration period, water in which mussels from an oil-polluted site had been held contained a UCM. Steam-distillation extracts of the tissues of mussels taken from several polluted sites were shown to be highly toxic to the feeding activity of juvenile mussels. The tissues of mussels from these sites contained UCMs. Nontoxic steam distillates from clean mussels did not. Steam-distillation extracts of mussels from an oil-polluted site were fractionated by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A fraction, largely comprising a "monoaromatic" UCM, reduced the feeding rate of juvenile mussels by 70%. Two later-eluting fractions containing aromatic UCMs also produced smaller depressions in feeding rate. These results support our contention that some aromatic UCM hydrocarbons constitute a forgotten pollutant burden in the marine environment.

  11. Chemical quality of water, sediment, and fish in Mountain Creek Lake, Dallas, Texas, 1994-97

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Van Metre, Peter C.; Jones, S.A.; Moring, J. Bruce; Mahler, B.J.; Wilson, Jennifer T.

    2003-01-01

    The occurrence, trends, and sources of numerous inorganic and organic contaminants were evaluated in Mountain Creek Lake, a reservoir in Dallas, Texas. The study, done in cooperation with the Southern Division Naval Facilities Engineering Command, was prompted by the Navy’s concern for potential off-site migration of contaminants from two facilities on the shore of Mountain Creek Lake, the Naval Air Station Dallas and the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant. Sampling of stormwater (including suspended sediment), lake water, bottom sediment (including streambed sediment), and fish was primarily in Mountain Creek Lake but also was in stormwater outfalls from the Navy facilities, nearby urban streams, and small streams draining the Air Station.Volatile organic compounds, predominantly solvents from the Reserve Plant and fuel-related compounds from the Air Station, were detected in stormwater from both Navy facilities. Fuel-related compounds also were detected in Mountain Creek Lake at two locations, one near the Air Station inlet where stormwater from a part of the Air Station enters the lake and one at the center of the lake. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds at the two lake sites were small, all less than 5 micrograms per liter.Elevated concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, and zinc, from 2 to 4 times concentrations at background sites and urban reference sites, were detected in surficial bottom sediments in Cottonwood Bay, near stormwater outfalls from the Reserve Plant. Elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls, compared to background and urban reference sites, were detected in surficial sediments in Cottonwood Bay. Elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, indicative of urban sources, also were detected in Cottonwood Creek, which drains an urbanized area apart from the Navy facilities. Elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls were detected in two inlets near the Air Station shoreline. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and heavy metal concentrations near the Air Station shoreline were not elevated compared to urban reference sites.Much larger concentrations of selected heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls were detected in deeper, older sediments than in surficial sediments in Cottonwood Bay. The decreases in concentrations coincide with changes in wastewater discharge practices at the Reserve Plant. Elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls also were detected in older sediments in the Air Station inlet.On the basis of dated sediment cores and contaminant discharge histories, contaminant accumulation rates in Cottonwood Bay were much greater historically than recently. Most heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls that accumulated in the central and eastern parts of Cottonwood Bay appear to have come from the west lagoon on the Reserve Plant. Treated sewage and industrial-process wastewater were discharged to the west lagoon from about 1941 to 1974. Estimated annual contaminant accumulation rates in Cottonwood Bay decreased by from 1 to 2 orders of magnitude after 1974, when most point-source discharges to the west lagoon ceased.Polychlorinated biphenyls were detected in 61 of 62 individual fish-tissue samples. The largest average concentrations were in eviscerated channel catfish and the smallest were in largemouth bass fillets. Polychlorinated biphenyl and selenium concentrations from analyses of this study were large enough to prompt the Texas State Department of Health to issue a fish-possession ban for Mountain Creek Lake in 1996.Suspended sediments in stormwater at the lagoon outfalls and at sites on Cottonwood Creek were sampled and analyzed for major and trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls. The suspended sediments from the outfalls contained about the same mixture of heavy metals and organic compounds, in elevated concentrations compared to reference sites, as bottom sediments from the lagoons and surficial bottom sediments in Cottonwood Bay.Diagnostic ratios of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons indicate that uncombusted fuel sources contribute to older sediments and that pyrogenic sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dominate recently deposited sediments in Cottonwood Bay and along the Air Station shoreline.

  12. A geochemical investigation into the effect of coal rank on the potential environmental effects of CO2 sequestration in deep coal beds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kolak, Jonathan J.; Burruss, Robert A.

    2005-01-01

    Coal samples of different rank were extracted in the laboratory with supercritical CO2 to evaluate the potential for mobilizing hydrocarbons during CO2 sequestration or enhanced coal bed methane recovery from deep coal beds. The concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons mobilized from the subbituminous C, high-volatile C bituminous, and anthracite coal samples were 41.2, 43.1, and 3.11 ?g g-1 dry coal, respectively. Substantial, but lower, concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were mobilized from these samples: 2.19, 10.1, and 1.44 ?g g-1 dry coal, respectively. The hydrocarbon distributions within the aliphatic and aromatic fractions obtained from each coal sample also varied with coal rank and reflected changes to the coal matrix associated with increasing degree of coalification. Bitumen present within the coal matrix may affect hydrocarbon partitioning between coal and supercritical CO2. The coal samples continued to yield hydrocarbons during consecutive extractions with supercritical CO2. The amount of hydrocarbons mobilized declined with each successive extraction, and the relative proportion of higher molecular weight hydrocarbons increased during successive extractions. These results demonstrate that the potential for mobilizing hydrocarbons from coal beds, and the effect of coal rank on this process, are important to consider when evaluating coal beds for CO2 storage.

  13. Hydrocarbons in the Surface Layer of Bottom Sediments in the Northwestern Caspian Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nemirovskaya, I. A.; Ostrovskaya, E. V.

    2018-03-01

    The paper presents research results on the concentrations and compositions of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface layer of bottom sediments in the Northwestern Caspian Sea (2014) and compares them to data for sediments of the Middle and Southern Caspian (2012-2013). The seepage of hydrocarbons out of the sediment mass, resulting in abnormally high concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons per dry weight (up to 468 μg/g), as well as within the Corg composition (up to 35.2%), is considered the main source of hydrocarbons in sediments in the surveyed area of the Northern Caspian. This is also confirmed by the absence of any correlation between the hydrocarbon and Corg distributions, as well as by the transformed oil composition of high-molecular alkanes. The distribution of markers within polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons points to a mixed genesis—petrogenic and pyrogenic—with prevalence of the latter. Unlike the shallow-water northern part of the Caspian Sea, the content and composition of hydrocarbons in deep-seated sediments are affected by facial conditions of sedimentation and by matter exchange at the water-bottom interface. Therefore, despite high Corg concentrations (up to 9.9%), sediments in deep-water depressions are characterized by a quite low concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons (52 μg/g on average; 0.2% of Corg) with prevailing natural allochthonous alkanes.

  14. Hydrous pyrolysis/oxidation process for in situ destruction of chlorinated hydrocarbon and fuel hydrocarbon contaminants in water and soil

    DOEpatents

    Knauss, Kevin G.; Copenhaver, Sally C.; Aines, Roger D.

    2000-01-01

    In situ hydrous pyrolysis/oxidation process is useful for in situ degradation of hydrocarbon water and soil contaminants. Fuel hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum distillates and other organic contaminants present in the soil and water are degraded by the process involving hydrous pyrolysis/oxidation into non-toxic products of the degradation. The process uses heat which is distributed through soils and water, optionally combined with oxygen and/or hydrocarbon degradation catalysts, and is particularly useful for remediation of solvent, fuel or other industrially contaminated sites.

  15. Docking and QSAR comparative studies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other procarcinogen interactions with cytochromes P450 1A1 and 1B1.

    PubMed

    Gonzalez, J; Marchand-Geneste, N; Giraudel, J L; Shimada, T

    2012-01-01

    To obtain chemical clues on the process of bioactivation by cytochromes P450 1A1 and 1B1, some QSAR studies were carried out based on cellular experiments of the metabolic activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic compounds by those enzymes. Firstly, the 3D structures of cytochromes 1A1 and 1B1 were built using homology modelling with a cytochrome 1A2 template. Using these structures, 32 ligands including heterocyclic aromatic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and corresponding diols, were docked with LigandFit and CDOCKER algorithms. Binding mode analysis highlighted the importance of hydrophobic interactions and the hydrogen bonding network between cytochrome amino acids and docked molecules. Finally, for each enzyme, multilinear regression and artificial neural network QSAR models were developed and compared. These statistical models highlighted the importance of electronic, structural and energetic descriptors in metabolic activation process, and could be used for virtual screening of ligand databases. In the case of P450 1A1, the best model was obtained with artificial neural network analysis and gave an r (2) of 0.66 and an external prediction [Formula: see text] of 0.73. Concerning P450 1B1, artificial neural network analysis gave a much more robust model, associated with an r (2) value of 0.73 and an external prediction [Formula: see text] of 0.59.

  16. Can two-dimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometric identification of bicyclic aromatic acids in petroleum fractions help to reveal further details of aromatic hydrocarbon biotransformation pathways?

    PubMed

    West, Charles E; Pureveen, Jos; Scarlett, Alan G; Lengger, Sabine K; Wilde, Michael J; Korndorffer, Frans; Tegelaar, Erik W; Rowland, Steven J

    2014-05-15

    The identification of key acid metabolites ('signature' metabolites) has allowed significant improvements to be made in our understanding of the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons, in reservoir and in contaminated natural systems, such as aquifers and seawater. On this basis, anaerobic oxidation is now more widely accepted as one viable mechanism, for instance. However, identification of metabolites in the complex acid mixtures from petroleum degradation is challenging and would benefit from use of more highly resolving analytical methods. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC/TOFMS) with both nominal mass and accurate mass measurement was used to study the complex mixtures of aromatic acids (as methyl esters) in petroleum fractions. Numerous mono- and di-aromatic acid isomers were identified in a commercial naphthenic acids fraction from petroleum and in an acids fraction from a biodegraded petroleum. In many instances, compounds were identified by comparison of mass spectral and retention time data with those of authentic compounds. The identification of a variety of alkyl naphthalene carboxylic and alkanoic and alkyl tetralin carboxylic and alkanoic acids, plus identifications of a range of alkyl indane acids, provides further evidence for 'signature' metabolites of biodegradation of aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons. Identifications such as these now offer the prospect of better differentiation of metabolites of bacterial processes (e.g. aerobic, methanogenic, sulphate-reducing) in polar petroleum fractions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. CHEMISTRY OF OXIDATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS BY SOIL PSEUDOMONADS

    PubMed Central

    Rogoff, Martin H.

    1962-01-01

    Rogoff, Martin H. (U.S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa.). Oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by soil pseudomonads. J. Bacteriol. 83:998–1004. 1962.—Substitution of phenanthrene by a methyl group at the 9-carbon blocks oxidation of the compound by a resting-cell suspension of a phenanthrene-grown soil pseudomonad. When 2-methylphenanthrene is provided, the oxidation rate is considerably higher; 3-methylphenanthrene is oxidized at a rate intermediate between the other two, even though the methyl group is attached to a carbon directly involved in ring splitting. Cells grown on naphthalene or anthracene oxidize phenanthrene at a much lower rate than cells grown with phenanthrene or 2-methylnaphthalene as the source of carbon. Naphthalene-grown cells also absorb less phenanthrene from aqueous solution than do their phenanthrene-grown counterparts. The data are in keeping with the hypothesis that polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons attach to the relevant bacterial enzymes at carbon-carbon bonds of high electron density (K regions; localized double bonds), and that the ring-splitting reactions then occur at other bonds on the substrate molecule. The actual bond that undergoes fission is determined by the electronic and steric configurations of the enzyme-substrate complex. When linearly arranged aromatic compounds such as naphthalene or anthracene are attacked, attachment to an enzyme and ring splitting may take place on the same ring; angular aromatic compounds such as phenanthrene afford attachment to an enzyme at a bond in a ring other than the one containing the ring-splitting site. PMID:14493381

  18. Analogies between Vanadoborates and Planar Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A High-Spin Analogue of Aromaticity.

    PubMed

    King, R Bruce

    2017-12-23

    The vanadium-vanadium interactions in the polygonal aggregates of d¹ vanadium(IV) atoms, with a total of 4 k + 2 vanadium electrons ( k an integer) imbedded in an electronically inactive borate matrix in certain vanadoborate structures are analogous to the ring carbon-carbon interactions in diamagnetic planar cyclic hydrocarbons. They thus represent a high-spin analogue of aromaticity. Thus, the vanadoborate anion [V₆B 20 O 50 H₈] 8- with six V(IV) electrons (i.e., 4 k + 2 for k = 1) contains a macrohexagon of d¹ V(IV) atoms with four unpaired electrons. This high-spin system is related to the low-spin aromaticity in the diamagnetic benzene having six π electrons. Similarly, the vanadoborate anion [V 10 B 28 O 74 H₈] 16- with ten V(IV) electrons (i.e., 4 k + 2 for k = 2) contains a macrodecagon of d¹ V(IV) atoms with eight unpaired electrons. Again, this high-spin system is related to the aromaticity in the diamagnetic 1,6-methanol[10]annulene, having ten π electrons.

  19. The high-temperature oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brezinsky, K.

    1986-01-01

    Chemical mechanisms of the atmospheric pressure, high-temperature (875-1500 K) gas-phase oxidation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and propylbenzene are described and discussed. Oxidation trends evident from turbulent flow reactor experiments serve as the basis for the mechanisms of the oxidation of benzene and alkylated aromatics. The potential effects of very high temperatures and pressures on the chemistry of oxidation of aromatics are described. The oxidation of benzene and phenyl radical has been found to proceed in a stepwise C6-C5-C4 sequence. Species profiles obtained from flow-reactor experiments suggest that the oxidation of benzene and phenyl radical follows the generalized route via phenoxy, cyclopentadienyl and butadienyl radical. The oxidation of the C4 species branches into multiple pathways that yield copious amounts of ethylene and acetylene. Certain major trends are evident: the alkylated aromatics on initial attack either form styrene, benzyl radical or benzene. The styrene reacts further to produce a benzyl radical or benzene. The oxidation of an alkylated aromatic hydrocarbon appears eventually to reduce to the oxidation of either phenyl radical or benzene.

  20. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Astrophysics: The State of the Pah Model and a Possible Tracer of Nitrogen in Carbon-Rich Dust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hudgins, Douglas M.; Allamandola, Louis J.

    2003-01-01

    Over the past fifteen years, thanks to significant, parallel advancements in observational, experimental, and theoretical techniques, tremendous strides have been made in our understanding of the role aromatic materials play in the interstellar medium (ISM). Twenty years ago, the possible existence of an abundant population of large, carbon-rich molecules in the ISM was unthinkable. Today, the unmistakable spectroscopic signatures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (PAHs) - shockingly large molecules by the standards of traditional interstellar chemistry - are recognized throughout the Universe. In this paper, we will examine the current state of the interstellar PAH model and its utility as a diagnostic tool to derive insight into the nature of the interstellar PAH population. As an example of this application, we will examine the results of our recent spectroscopic studies of polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles (PANHs)-PAHs with an atom of nitrogen substituted into the aromatic skeleton-and discuss a possible tracer of such species amongst the interstellar PAH emission bands in the latest observational data.

  1. Atmospheric chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in East Asia.

    PubMed

    Kakimoto, Kensaku; Nagayoshi, Haruna; Konishi, Yoshimasa; Kajimura, Keiji; Ohura, Takeshi; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Toriba, Akira

    2014-09-01

    This study estimates atmospheric concentrations of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in East Asia using a Gas Chromatograph with High Resolution Mass Spectrometer (GC-HRMS). ClPAHs are ubiquitously generated from PAHs through substitution, and some ClPAHs show higher aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated activities than their parent PAHs. Atmospheric particles were collected using a high-volume air sampler equipped with a quartz-fiber filter. We determined the ClPAH concentrations of atmospheric particles collected in Japan (Sapporo, Sagamihara, Kanazawa, and Kitakyushu), Korea (Busan), and China (Beijing). The concentrations of ClPAHs were highest in the winter Beijing sample, where the total mean concentration was approximately 15-70 times higher than in the winter samples from Japan and Korea. The concentrations of Σ19ClPAHs and Σ9PAHs were significantly correlated in the Kanazawa and the Busan samples. This indicates that within those cities ClPAHs and PAHs share the same origin, implying direct chlorination of parent PAHs. Toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQs) of the total ClPAHs and PAHs were lowest in Kanazawa in the summer, reaching 1.18 and 2610fg-TEQm(-3) respectively, and highest in Beijing in the winter, reaching 627 and 4240000fg-TEQm(-3) respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Fluorescent aromatic sensors and their methods of use

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meador, Michael A. (Inventor); Tyson, Daniel S. (Inventor); Ilan, Ulvi F. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    Aromatic molecules that can be used as sensors are described. The aromatic sensors include a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon core with a five-membered imide rings fused to the core and at least two pendant aryl groups. The aromatic sensor molecules can detect target analytes or molecular strain as a result of changes in their fluorescence, in many cases with on-off behavior. Aromatic molecules that fluoresce at various frequencies can be prepared by altering the structure of the aromatic core or the substituents attached to it. The aromatic molecules can be used as sensors for various applications such as, for example, the detection of dangerous chemicals, biomedical diagnosis, and the detection of damage or strain in composite materials. Methods of preparing aromatic sensor molecules are also described.

  3. The Dose–Response Decrease in Heart Rate Variability: Any Association with the Metabolites of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Coke Oven Workers?

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Huaxin; Zhang, Wangzhen; Kuang, Dan; Deng, Qifei; Dai, Xiayun; Lin, Dafeng; Huang, Suli; Xin, Lili; He, Yunfeng; Huang, Kun; He, Meian; Guo, Huan; Zhang, Xiaomin; Wu, Tangchun

    2012-01-01

    Background Air pollution has been associated with an increased risk of cardiopulmonary mortality and decreased heart rate variability (HRV). However, it is unclear whether coke oven emissions (COEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are associated with HRV. Objectives Our goal in the present study was to investigate the association of exposure to COEs and the urinary metabolite profiles of PAHs with HRV of coke oven workers. Methods We measured benzene soluble matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matters, and PAHs at different workplaces of a coke oven plant. We determined 10 urinary PAH metabolites and HRV indices of 1333 workers using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and a 3-channel digital Holter monitor, respectively. Results Our results showed that there was a significant COEs-related dose-dependent decrease in HRV, and an inverse relationship between the quartiles of urinary 2-hydroxynaphthalene and five HRV indices (p trend<0.01 for all). After adjustment for potential confounders, elevation per interquartile range (IQR) (1.81 µg/mmol creatinine) of urinary 2-hydroxynaphthalene was associated with a 5.46% (95% CI, 2.50–8.32) decrease in standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN). As workers worked more years, SDNN gradually declined in the same quartiles of 2-hydroxynaphthalene levels (p trend = 1.40×10−4), especially in workers with the highest levels of 2-hydroxynaphthalene. Conclusions Occupational exposure to COEs is associated with a dose-response decrease in HRV. In particular, increased exposure to 2-hydroxynaphthalene is associated with significantly decreased HRV. Increase of working years and exposure levels has resulted in a gradual decline of HRV. PMID:23024753

  4. The dose-response decrease in heart rate variability: any association with the metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coke oven workers?

    PubMed

    Li, Xiaohai; Feng, Yingying; Deng, Huaxin; Zhang, Wangzhen; Kuang, Dan; Deng, Qifei; Dai, Xiayun; Lin, Dafeng; Huang, Suli; Xin, Lili; He, Yunfeng; Huang, Kun; He, Meian; Guo, Huan; Zhang, Xiaomin; Wu, Tangchun

    2012-01-01

    Air pollution has been associated with an increased risk of cardiopulmonary mortality and decreased heart rate variability (HRV). However, it is unclear whether coke oven emissions (COEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are associated with HRV. Our goal in the present study was to investigate the association of exposure to COEs and the urinary metabolite profiles of PAHs with HRV of coke oven workers. We measured benzene soluble matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matters, and PAHs at different workplaces of a coke oven plant. We determined 10 urinary PAH metabolites and HRV indices of 1333 workers using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and a 3-channel digital Holter monitor, respectively. Our results showed that there was a significant COEs-related dose-dependent decrease in HRV, and an inverse relationship between the quartiles of urinary 2-hydroxynaphthalene and five HRV indices (p(trend)<0.01 for all). After adjustment for potential confounders, elevation per interquartile range (IQR) (1.81 µg/mmol creatinine) of urinary 2-hydroxynaphthalene was associated with a 5.46% (95% CI, 2.50-8.32) decrease in standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN). As workers worked more years, SDNN gradually declined in the same quartiles of 2-hydroxynaphthalene levels (p(trend) = 1.40×10(-4)), especially in workers with the highest levels of 2-hydroxynaphthalene. Occupational exposure to COEs is associated with a dose-response decrease in HRV. In particular, increased exposure to 2-hydroxynaphthalene is associated with significantly decreased HRV. Increase of working years and exposure levels has resulted in a gradual decline of HRV.

  5. Comparison of two indices of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a retrospective aluminium smelter cohort.

    PubMed

    Friesen, Melissa C; Demers, Paul A; Spinelli, John J; Lorenzi, Maria F; Le, Nhu D

    2007-04-01

    The association between coal tar-derived substances, a complex mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and cancer is well established. However, the specific aetiological agents are unknown. To compare the dose-response relationships for two common measures of coal tar-derived substances, benzene-soluble material (BSM) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and to evaluate which among these is more strongly related to the health outcomes. The study population consisted of 6423 men with > or =3 years of work experience at an aluminium smelter (1954-97). Three health outcomes identified from national mortality and cancer databases were evaluated: incidence of bladder cancer (n = 90), incidence of lung cancer (n = 147) and mortality due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI, n = 184). The shape, magnitude and precision of the dose-response relationships and cumulative exposure levels for BSM and BaP were evaluated. Two model structures were assessed, where 1n(relative risk) increased with cumulative exposure (log-linear model) or with log-transformed cumulative exposure (log-log model). The BaP and BSM cumulative exposure metrics were highly correlated (r = 0.94). The increase in model precision using BaP over BSM was 14% for bladder cancer and 5% for lung cancer; no difference was observed for AMI. The log-linear BaP model provided the best fit for bladder cancer. The log-log dose-response models, where risk of disease plateaus at high exposure levels, were the best-fitting models for lung cancer and AMI. BaP and BSM were both strongly associated with bladder and lung cancer and modestly associated with AMI. Similar conclusions regarding the associations could be made regardless of the exposure metric.

  6. Ground-water contamination at an inactive coal and oil gasification plant site, Gas Works Park, Seattle, Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Turney, G.L.; Goerlitz, D.F.

    1989-01-01

    Gas Works Park, in Seattle, Washington, is located on the site of a coal and oil gasification plant that ceased operation in 1956. During operation, many types of wastes, including coal, tar, and oil, accumulated on site. The park soil is presently (1986) contaminated with compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, trace metals, and cyanide. Analyses of water samples from a network of observation wells in the park indicate that these compounds are also present in the groundwater. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds were identified in groundwater samples in concentrations as large as 200 mg/L. Concentrations of organic compounds were largest where groundwater was in contact with a nonaqueous phase liquid in the soil. Concentrations in groundwater were much smaller where no nonaqueous phase liquid was present, even if the groundwater was in contact with contaminated soils. This condition is attributed to weathering processes at the site, such as dissolution, volatilization, and biodegradation. Soluble, volatile, low-molecular-weight organic compounds are preferentially dissolved from the nonaqueous phase liquid into the groundwater. Where no nonaqueous phase liquid is present, only stained soils containing relatively insoluble, high-molecular-weight compounds remain; therefore, contaminant concentrations in the groundwater are much smaller. Concentrations of organic contaminants in the soils may still remain large. Values of specific conductance were as large as 5,280 microsiemens/cm, well above a background of 242 microsiemens/cm, suggesting large concentrations of minerals in the groundwater. Trace metal concentrations, however , were generally < 0.010 mg/L, and below limits of US EPA drinking water standards. Cyanide was present in groundwater samples from throughout the park, ranging in concentration from 0.01 to 8.6 mg/L. (Author 's abstract)

  7. Plant responses to a phytomanaged urban technosol contaminated by trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

    PubMed

    Marchand, Lilian; Sabaris, Celestino-Quintela; Desjardins, Dominic; Oustrière, Nadège; Pesme, Eric; Butin, Damien; Wicart, Gaetan; Mench, Michel

    2016-02-01

    Medicago sativa was cultivated at a former harbor facility near Bordeaux (France) to phytomanage a soil contaminated by trace elements (TE) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In parallel, a biotest with Phaseolus vulgaris was carried out on potted soils from 18 sub-sites to assess their phytotoxicity. Total soil TE and PAH concentrations, TE concentrations in the soil pore water, the foliar ionome of M. sativa (at the end of the first growth season) and of Populus nigra growing in situ, the root and shoot biomass and the foliar ionome of P. vulgaris were determined. Despite high total soil TE, soluble TE concentrations were generally low, mainly due to alkaline soil pH (7.8-8.6). Shoot dry weight (DW) yield and foliar ionome of P. vulgaris did not reflect the soil contamination, but its root DW yield decreased at highest soil TE and/or PAH concentrations. Foliar ionomes of M. sativa and P. nigra growing in situ were generally similar to the ones at uncontaminated sites. M. sativa contributed to bioavailable TE stripping by shoot removal (in g ha(-1) harvest(-1)): As 0.9, Cd 0.3, Cr 0.4, Cu 16.1, Ni 2.6, Pb 4, and Zn 134. After 1 year, 72 plant species were identified in the plant community across three subsets: (I) plant community developed on bare soil sowed with M. sativa; (II) plant community developed in unharvested plots dominated by grasses; and (III) plant community developed on unsowed bare soil. The shoot DW yield (in mg ha(-1) harvest(-1)) varied from 1.1 (subset I) to 6.9 (subset II). For subset III, the specific richness was the lowest in plots with the highest phytotoxicity for P. vulgaris.

  8. Analogs of solid nanoparticles as precursors of aromatic hydrocarbons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gadallah, K. A. K.; Mutschke, H.; Jäger, C.

    2013-06-01

    Context. Aromatic =CH and C=C vibrational bands have been observed within shocked interstellar regions, indicating the presence of aromatic emission carriers such as PAHs, which may have been created from adjacent molecular cloud material by interaction with a shock front. Aims: We investigate the evolution of the aromatic =CH and C=C vibrational modes at 3.3 and 6.2 μm wavelength in heated HAC materials, PAHs and mixed PAHs and HACs, respectively, aiming at an explanation of the evolution of carbonaceous dust grains in the shocked regions. Methods: Materials used in these analogs (HAC and PAH materials) were prepared by the laser ablation and the laser pyrolysis methods, respectively. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in high-resolution mode was used as an analytical technique to characterize the aromatic layers in HACs. Spectroscopic analysis was prformed in the mid-IR range. Results: A remarkable destruction of aliphatic structures in HACs has been observed with the thermal processing, while aromatic structures become dominating by increasing the diameters of the graphene layers. The aromatic bands at 3.3 and 6.2 μm, observed in the laboratory spectra of PAHs and of the combination of the PAHs and HAC materials, are also clearly observed in the spectrum of the heated HACs. These bands agree with those of aromatic bands observed in astronomical observations. Conclusions: Aromatization of HACs could be a pre-stage in the decomposition process of hydrocarbons that form PAH-clusters in such hot interstellar medium.

  9. CONTROL OF AROMATIC WASTE AIR STREAMS BY SOIL BIOREACTORS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Three soils were examined for the ability to degrade hydrocarbon vapors of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX). Each of these compounds are major aromatic constituents of gasolines. The soils examined were Rubicon Sand from Traverse City, Michigan, Durant Loam fro...

  10. Long term trends in atmospheric concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: A study of Japanese cities from 1997 to 2014.

    PubMed

    Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Tang, Ning; Nagato, Edward Gou; Toriba, Akira; Sakai, Shigekatsu; Kano, Fumio; Goto, Sumio; Endo, Osamu; Arashidani, Kei-Ichi; Kakimoto, Hitoshi

    2018-02-01

    Total suspended particulate matter (TSP) was collected during the summer and winter in five Japanese cities spanning Hokkaido to Kyushu (Sapporo, Kanazawa, Tokyo, Sagamihara and Kitakyushu) from 1997 to 2014. Nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with four to six rings, including pyrene (Pyr) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Two nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs), 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (6-NBaP), were identified by HPLC with chemiluminescence detection. A comparison of PAH and NPAH concentrations and [NPAH]/[PAH] ratios such as [1-NP]/[Pyr] and [6-NBaP]/[BaP] revealed the following characteristics in the five cities: (1) In Sapporo, Kanazawa, Tokyo and Sagamihara, the concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs were high at the beginning of the sampling period and then steadily decreased, with NPAHs decreasing faster than PAHs. The large initial [1-NP]/[Pyr] ratios suggest that the major contributor was automobiles but subsequent decreases in this ratio suggest decreased automobile contributions. (2) By contrast, PAH concentrations in Kitakyushu did not decrease during the sampling period, though concentrations of NPAHs decreased. The consistently smaller [1-NP]/[Pyr] ratio and larger [6-NBaP]/[BaP] ratio in Kitakyushu suggests that the major contributor of PAHs was not automobiles but iron manufacturing which uses a large amount of coal. The sudden increase in atmospheric PAH concentrations in the winter of 2014 may also be due to iron manufacturing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Atmospheric pressure solid analysis probe coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry as a tool for screening and semi-quantitative approach of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxo-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in complex matrices.

    PubMed

    Carrizo, Daniel; Domeño, Celia; Nerín, Isabel; Alfaro, Pilar; Nerín, Cristina

    2015-01-01

    A new screening and semi-quantitative approach has been developed for direct analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitro and oxo derivatives in environmental and biological matrices using atmospheric pressure solid analysis probe (ASAP) quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS). The instrumental parameters were optimized for the analysis of all these compounds, without previous sample treatment, in soil, motor oil, atmospheric particles (ashes) and biological samples such as urine and saliva of smokers and non-smokers. Ion source parameters in the MS were found to be the key parameters, with little variation within PAHs families. The optimized corona current was 4 µA, sample cone voltage 80 V for PAHs, nitro-PAHs and oxo-PAHs, while the desolvation temperatures varied from 300°C to 500°C. The analytical method performance was checked using a certified reference material. Two deuterated compounds were used as internal standards for semi-quantitative purposes together with the pure individual standard for each compound and the corresponding calibration plot. The compounds nitro PAH 9-nitroanthracene and oxo-PAH 1,4-naphthalenedione, were found in saliva and urine in a range below 1 µg/g while the range of PAHs in these samples was below 2 µg/g. Environmental samples provided higher concentration of all pollutants than urine and saliva. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Groundwater contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon due to diesel spill from a telecom base station in a Nigerian City: assessment of human health risk exposure.

    PubMed

    Ugochukwu, Uzochukwu Cornelius; Ochonogor, Alfred

    2018-03-26

    Diesel pollution of groundwater poses great threat to public health, mainly as a result of the constituent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, the human health risk exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in diesel contaminated groundwater used by several families at Ring Road, Jos, Nigeria (as caused by diesel spill from a telecom base station) was assessed. Prior to the groundwater being treated, the residents were using the water after scooping off the visible diesel sheen for purposes of cooking, washing, and bathing. Until this study, it is not clear whether the groundwater contamination had resulted in sub-chronic exposure of the residents using the water to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the extent of the PAHs posing a health risk. The diesel contaminated groundwater and uncontaminated nearby groundwater (control) were collected and analyzed for PAHs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The dosage of the dermal and oral ingestion entry routes of PAHs was determined. The estimation of the non-carcinogenic health risk was via hazard quotients (HQ) and the associated hazard index (HI), while the estimation of the carcinogenic health risk was via lifetime cancer risks (LCR) and the associated risk index (RI). Obtained results indicate that the exposure of the residents to the PAHs may have made them susceptible to the risk of non-carcinogenic health effects of benzo(a)pyrene and the carcinogenic health effects of benzo(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene.

  13. Aromatic Structure in Simulates Titan Aerosol

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trainer, Melissa G.; Loeffler, M. J.; Anderson, C. M.; Hudson, R. L.; Samuelson, R. E.; Moore, M. A.

    2011-01-01

    Observations of Titan by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) between 560 and 20 per centimeter (approximately 18 to 500 micrometers) have been used to infer the vertical variations of Titan's ice abundances, as well as those of the aerosol from the surface to an altitude of 300 km [1]. The aerosol has a broad emission feature centered approximately at 140 per centimeter (71 micrometers). As seen in Figure 1, this feature cannot be reproduced using currently available optical constants from laboratory-generated Titan aerosol analogs [2]. The far-IR is uniquely qualified for investigating low-energy vibrational motions within the lattice structures of COITIDlex aerosol. The feature observed by CIRS is broad, and does not likely arise from individual molecules, but rather is representative of the skeletal movements of macromolecules. Since Cassini's arrival at Titan, benzene (C6H6) has been detected in the atmosphere at ppm levels as well as ions that may be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [3]. We speculate that the feature may be a blended composite that can be identified with low-energy vibrations of two-dimensional lattice structures of large molecules, such as PAHs or nitrogenated aromatics. Such structures do not dominate the composition of analog materials generated from CH4 and N2 irradiation. We are performing studies forming aerosol analog via UV irradiation of aromatic precursors - specifically C6H6 - to understand how the unique chemical architecture of the products will influence the observable aerosol characteristics. The optical and chemical properties of the aromatic analog will be compared to those formed from CH4/N2 mixtures, with a focus on the as-yet unidentified far-IR absorbance feature. Preliminary results indicate that the photochemically-formed aromatic aerosol has distinct chemical composition, and may incorporate nitrogen either into the ring structure or adjoined chemical groups. These compositional differences are demonstrated in the aerosol mass spectra shown in Figure 2. The aromatic aerosol also demonstrates strong chemical reactivity when exposed to laboratory air, indicating substantial stored chemical potential. Oxidatoin and solubility studies wil be presented and implicatoins for prebiotic chemistry o nTitan will be discussed.

  14. Tidal river sediments in the Washington, D.C. area. 11. Distribution and sources of organic containmants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wade, T.L.; Velinsky, D.J.; Reinharz, E.

    1994-06-01

    Concentrations of aliphatic, aromatic, and chlorinated hydrocarbons were determined from 33 surface-sediment samples taken from the Tidal Basin, Washington Ship Channel, and the Anacostia and Potomac rivers in Washington, D.C. In conjunction with these samples, selected storm sewers and outfalls also were sampled to help elucidate general sources of contamination to the area. All of the sediments contained detectable concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT (total dichlorodiphenytrichloroethande), DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene), DDD (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane), PCBx (total polychlorinated biphenyls) and total chlordanes (oxy-, {alpha}-, and {gamma}-chlordane and cis + trans-nonachlor). Sediment concentrations of most contaminants were highest in the Anacostia River just downstreammore » of the Washington Navy Yard, except for total chlordane, which appeared to have upstream sources in addition to storm and combined sewer runoff. This area has the highest number of storm and combined sewer outfalls in the river. Potomac River stations had lower concentrations than other stations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, saturated hydrocarbons, and the unresolved complex mixture (UCM) distributions reflect mixtures of combustion products and direct discharges of petroleum products. Sources of PCBs appear to be related to specific outfalls, while hydrocarbon inputs, especially PAHs, are diffuse, and may be related to street runoff. This study indicates that in large urban areas, nonpoint sources deliver substantial amounts of contaminants to ecosystems through storm and combined sewer systems, and control of these inputs must be addressed. 33 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.« less

  15. Hot foam for weed control-Do alkyl polyglucoside surfactants used as foaming agents affect the mobility of organic contaminants in soil?

    PubMed

    Cederlund, H; Börjesson, E

    2016-08-15

    Use of alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) as a foaming agent during hot water weed control may influence the environmental fate of organic contaminants in soil. We studied the effects of the APG-based foaming agent NCC Spuma (C8-C10) on leaching of diuron, glyphosate, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sand columns. We also examined how APG concentration affected the apparent water solubility and adsorption of the herbicides and of the PAHs acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and fluorene. Application of APGs at the recommended concentration of 0.3% did not significantly affect leaching of any of the compounds studied. However, at a concentration of 1.5%, leaching of both diuron and glyphosate was significantly increased. The increased leaching corresponded to an increase in apparent water solubility of diuron and a decrease in glyphosate adsorption to the sand. However, APG addition did not significantly affect the mobility of PAHs even though their apparent water solubility was increased. These results suggest that application of APG-based foam during hot water weed control does not significantly affect the mobility of organic contaminants in soil if used according to recommendations. Moreover, they suggest that APGs could be useful for soil bioremediation purposes if higher concentrations are used. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Using solid phase micro extraction to determine salting-out (Setschenow) constants for hydrophobic organic chemicals.

    PubMed

    Jonker, Michiel T O; Muijs, Barry

    2010-06-01

    With increasing ionic strength, the aqueous solubility and activity of organic chemicals are altered. This so-called salting-out effect causes the hydrophobicity of the chemicals to be increased and sorption in the marine environment to be more pronounced than in freshwater systems. The process can be described with empirical salting-out or Setschenow constants, which traditionally are determined by comparing aqueous solubilities in freshwater and saline water. Aqueous solubilities of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) however are difficult to determine, which might partly explain the limited size of the existing data base on Setschenow constants for these chemicals. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach for determining the constants, which is based on the use of solid phase micro extraction (SPME) fibers. Partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to SPME fibers increased about 1.7 times when going from de-ionized water to seawater. From the log-linear relationship between SPME fiber-water partition coefficients and ionic strength, Setschenow constants were derived, which measured on average 0.35 L mol(-1). These values agreed with literature values existing for some of the investigated PAHs and were independent of solute hydrophobicity or molar volume. Based on the present data, SPME seems to be a convenient and suitable alternative technique to determine Setschenow constants for HOCs. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Strong binding of apolar hydrophobic organic contaminants by dissolved black carbon released from biochar: A mechanism of pseudomicelle partition and environmental implications.

    PubMed

    Fu, Heyun; Wei, Chenhui; Qu, Xiaolei; Li, Hui; Zhu, Dongqiang

    2018-01-01

    Dissolved black carbon (DBC), the soluble fraction of black carbon (BC), is an important constituent of dissolved organic matter pool. However, little is known about the binding interactions between hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) and DBC and their significance in the fate process. This study determined the binding ability of DBC released from rice-derived BC for a series of apolar HOCs, including four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and four chlorinated benzenes, using batch sorption and solubility enhancement techniques. Bulk BC and a dissolved soil humic acid (DSHA) were included as benchmark sorbents. The organic carbon-normalized sorption coefficient of phenanthrene to DBC was slightly lower than bulk BC, but was over ten folds higher than DSHA. Consistently, DBC was more effective than DSHA in enhancing the apparent water solubility of the tested HOCs, and the enhancement positively correlated with solute n-octanol-water partition coefficient, indicating the predominance of hydrophobic partition. The much higher binding ability of DBC relative to DSHA was mainly attributed to its higher tendency to form pseudomicellar structures as supported by the fluorescence quenching and the pH-edge data. Our findings suggest that DBC might play a significant role in the environmental fate and transport of HOCs as both sorbent and carrier. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The Infrared Spectra of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Excess Peripheral H Atoms (H(sub n)-PAHs) and their Relation to the 3.4 and 6.9 Micrometer PAH Emission Features

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sandford, Scott A.; Bernstein, Max P.; Materese, Christopher K.

    2013-01-01

    A population of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and related materials are thought to be responsible for the family of infrared emission features that are seen towards a wide variety of astrophysical environments. A potentially important subclass of these materials are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons whose edges contain excess H atoms (H(sub n)-PAHs). While it has been suggested that this type of compound may be present in the interstellar population, it has been difficult to properly assess this possibility because of a lack of suitable infrared laboratory spectra to assist with analysis of the astronomical data. We present the 4000-500 cm(exp -1) (2.5-20 micrometers) infrared spectra of 23 H(sub n)-PAHs and related molecules isolated in argon matrices, under conditions suitable for use in the interpretation of astronomical data. The spectra of molecules with mixed aromatic and aliphatic domains show unique characteristics that distinguish them from their fully aromatic PAH equivalents. We discuss the changes to the spectra of these types of molecules as they transition from fully aromatic to fully aliphatic forms. The implications for the interpretation of astronomical spectra are discussed with specific emphasis on the 3.4 and 6.9 micrometer features. Laboratory data is compared with emission spectra from IRAS 21282+5050, an object with normal PAH emission features, in addition to IRAS 22272+5435 and IRAS 0496+3429, two protoplanetary nebulae with abnormally large 3.4 micrometer features. We show that 'normal' PAH emission objects contain relatively few H(sub n)-PAHs in their emitter populations, but less evolved protoplanetary nebulae may contain significant abundances of these molecules.

  19. Characterization of secondary organic aerosol from photo-oxidation of gasoline exhaust and specific sources of major components.

    PubMed

    Ma, Pengkun; Zhang, Peng; Shu, Jinian; Yang, Bo; Zhang, Haixu

    2018-01-01

    To further explore the composition and distribution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) components from the photo-oxidation of light aromatic precursors (toluene, m-xylene, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (1,3,5-TMB)) and idling gasoline exhaust, a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometer (VUV-PIMS) was employed. Peaks of the molecular ions of the SOA components with minimum molecular fragmentation were clearly observed from the mass spectra of SOA, through the application of soft ionization methods in VUV-PIMS. The experiments comparing the exhaust-SOA and light aromatic mixture-SOA showed that the observed distributions of almost all the predominant cluster ions in the exhaust-SOA were similar to that of the mixture-SOA. Based on the characterization experiments of SOA formed from individual light aromatic precursors, the SOA components with molecular weights of 98 and 110 amu observed in the exhaust-SOA resulted from the photo-oxidation of toluene and m-xylene; the components with a molecular weight of 124 amu were derived mainly from m-xylene; and the components with molecular weights of 100, 112, 128, 138, and 156 amu were mainly derived from 1,3,5-TMB. These results suggest that C 7 -C 9 light aromatic hydrocarbons are significant SOA precursors and that major SOA components originate from gasoline exhaust. Additionally, some new light aromatic hydrocarbon-SOA components were observed for the first time using VUV-PIMS. The corresponding reaction mechanisms were also proposed in this study to enrich the knowledge base of the formation mechanisms of light aromatic hydrocarbon-SOA compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Sphingomonas strains isolated from the terrestrial subsurface

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shi, T; Fredrickson, Jim K.; Balkwill, David L.

    Several strains of Sphingomonas isolated from deep Atlantic coastal plain aquifers at the US Department of Energy Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, SC were shown to degrade a variety of aromatic hydrocarbons in a liquid culture medium. Sphingomonas aromaticivorans strain B0695 was the most versatile of the five strains examined. This strain was able to degrade acenaphthene, anthracene, phenanthrene, 2,3-benzofluorene, 2-methyl naphthalene, 2,3-dimethylnaphthalene, and fluoranthene in the presence of 400 mg l(-1) Tween 80. Studies involving microcosms composed of aquifer sediments showed that S. aromaticivorans B0695 could degrade phenanthrene effectively in sterile sediment and could enhance the rate atmore » which this compound was degraded in nonsterile sediment. These findings indicate that it may be feasible to carry out (or, at least, to enhance) in situ bioremediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soils and subsurface environments with S. aromaticivorans B0695. In contrast, stra in B0695 was unable to degrade fluoranthene in microcosms containing aquifer sediments, even though it readily degraded this polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in a defined liquid growth medium.« less

  1. Pollution characteristics of volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalate esters emitted from plastic wastes recycling granulation plants in Xingtan Town, South China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, De-Yin; Zhou, Shun-Gui; Hong, Wei; Feng, Wei-Feng; Tao, Liang

    2013-06-01

    With the aim to investigate the main pollution characteristics of exhaust gases emitted from plastic waste recycling granulation plants, mainly volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalate esters (PAEs) were analyzed in Xingtan Town, the largest distribution center of plastic waste recycling in China. Both inside and outside the plants, the total concentrations of volatile monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs), PAHs and PAEs ranged from 2000 to 3000 μg m-3, 450 to 1200 ng m-3, and 200 to 1200 ng m-3, respectively. Their concentration levels inside the plants were higher than those outside the plants, and PAHs and PAEs were mainly distributed in the gas-phase. Notably, highly toxic benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) could be detected inside the plants, and harmful PAEs could be detected not only inside but also outside the plants, although PAEs are non-volatile. The exhaust gas composition and concentration were related to the plastic feedstock and granulation temperature.

  2. Study of carbon nanotube-rich impedimetric recognition electrode for ultra-low determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water.

    PubMed

    Muñoz, Jose; Navarro-Senent, Cristina; Crivillers, Nuria; Mas-Torrent, Marta

    2018-04-14

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied as an electrochemical recognition element for the impedimetric determination of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water, using hexocyanoferrate as a redox probe. For this goal, an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode functionalized with a silane-based self-assembled monolayer carrying CNTs has been engineered. The electroanalytical method, which is similar to an antibody-antigen assay, is straightforward and exploits the high CNT-PAH affinity obtained via π-interactions. After optimizing the experimental conditions, the resulting CNT-based impedimetric recognition platform exhibits ultra-low detection limits (1.75 ± 0.04 ng·L -1 ) for the sum of PAHs tested, which was also validated by using a certified reference PAH mixture. Graphical abstract Schematic of an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrode functionalized with a silane-based self-assembled monolayer carrying carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a recognition platform for the ultra-low determination of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water via π-interactions using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS).

  3. A quantum chemical study for exploring the inhibitory effect of nitrogen containing species on the adsorption of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons over a Bronsted acid site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Celis-Cornejo, C. M.; Garnica Mantilla, M. M.; Baldovino-Medrano, V. G.; Ramírez-Caballero, G. E.

    2016-08-01

    The analysis of the inhibitory effect of nitrogenated compounds on the hydroprocessing and hydropurification of oil derived fuels is important to produce cleaner fuels. In this work, density functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the effect of the nitrogen containing molecules on the adsorption of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Mordenite was chosen as a zeolitic structure for simulating a Bronsted acid site. The character of the acid site was confirmed by both a vibrational frequency calculation and a Bader charge analysis. From the adsorption calculations, it was found that the adsorption energy of PAHs increases with the number of aromatic rings in the structure. Also, the nitrogen containing species possibly inhibit more extensively two and three rings PAHs because of their lower adsorption energies. Finally, it was observed that the nitrogen species tend to drag the proton from the mordenite acid site. This explains the inhibitory effect in the adsorption of PAHs and contributes to understanding the dynamics of hydrocarbon hydroprocessing in refineries.

  4. Selective thermal and photooxidation of hydrocarbons in zeolites by oxygen

    DOEpatents

    Frei, H.; Blatter, F.; Sun, H.

    1999-06-22

    A process is described for selective thermal oxidation or photooxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions or under irradiation with visible light. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts. 19 figs.

  5. Selective thermal and photooxidation of hydrocarbons in zeolites by oxygen

    DOEpatents

    Frei, Heinz; Blatter, Fritz; Sun, Hai

    2001-01-01

    A process for a combined selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly combined selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions or under irradiation with visible light. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts.

  6. Synthesis of Novel Hydrocarbon Soluble Multifunctional Anionic Initiators: Tools for Synthesis of Novel Dendrimer and Molecular Brush Polymer Architectures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-02-09

    Synthesis of Novel Dendrimer and Molecular Brush Polymer Architectures. Research Area:7.4 The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report...journals: Final Report: Synthesis of Novel Hydrocarbon Soluble Multifunctional Anionic Initiators: Tools for Synthesis of Novel Dendrimer and Molecular

  7. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in oyster tissue around three coastal marinas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marcus, J.M.; Stokes, T.P.

    1985-12-01

    Marinas present the potential for introduction of various pollutants into the surrounding waters such as coliform bacteria, primary pathogens, heavy metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Little data have been presented specifically addressing the effects of recreational marinas on petroleum hydrocarbon levels or, for that matter, other constituent levels in oysters near those marinas. In order to obtain such data, a comprehensive assessment of water and oyster quality around three coastal marinas was conducted by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental control (SCDHEC) during 1983. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were selected as the petroleum hydrocarbon fraction of interest since theymore » are mainly of pyrogenic origin; have been shown to be the most toxic/carcinogenic fraction of oil; have been shown to affect the respiration and heart rates of mussels; and have been shown to be linked to neoplasia in clams and proliferative disorders in mussels. C. virginica was chosen as the mollusc of interest because of its widespread distribution in the estuaries of South Carolina, its importance as an economic and recreational resource, and its suitability as a sentinel organism for monitoring coastal pollution.« less

  8. A detailed kinetic modeling study of aromatics formation in laminar premixed acetylene and ethylene flames

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, H.; Frenklach, M.

    1997-07-01

    A computational study was performed for the formation and growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in laminar premixed acetylene and ethylene flames. A new detailed reaction mechanism describing fuel pyrolysis and oxidation, benzene formation, and PAH mass growth and oxidation is presented and critically tested. It is shown that the reaction model predicts reasonably well the concentration profiles of major and intermediate species and aromatic molecules in a number of acetylene and ethylene flames reported in the literature. It is demonstrated that reactions of n-C{sub 4}H{sub x} + C{sub 2}H{sub 2} leading to the formation of one-ring aromatics are asmore » important as the propargyl recombination, and hence must be included in kinetic modeling of PAH formation in hydrocarbon flames. It is further demonstrated that the mass growth of PAHs can be accounted for by the previously proposed H-abstraction-C{sub 2}H{sub 2}-addiction mechanism.« less

  9. Deuterium enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by photochemically induced exchange with deuterium-rich cosmic ices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sandford, S. A.; Bernstein, M. P.; Allamandola, L. J.; Gillette, J. S.; Zare, R. N.

    2000-01-01

    The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) coronene (C24H12) frozen in D2O ice in a ratio of less than 1 part in 500 rapidly exchanges its hydrogen atoms with the deuterium in the ice at interstellar temperatures and pressures when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Exchange occurs via three different chemical processes: D atom addition, D atom exchange at oxidized edge sites, and D atom exchange at aromatic edge sites. Observed exchange rates for coronene (C24H12)-D2O and d12-coronene (C24D12)-H2O isotopic substitution experiments show that PAHs in interstellar ices could easily attain the D/H levels observed in meteorites. These results may have important consequences for the abundance of deuterium observed in aromatic materials in the interstellar medium and in meteorites. These exchange mechanisms produce deuteration in characteristic molecular locations on the PAHs that may distinguish them from previously postulated processes for D enrichment of PAHs.

  10. One-shot K-region-selective annulative π-extension for nanographene synthesis and functionalization.

    PubMed

    Ozaki, Kyohei; Kawasumi, Katsuaki; Shibata, Mari; Ito, Hideto; Itami, Kenichiro

    2015-02-16

    The optoelectronic nature of two-dimensional sheets of sp(2)-hydridized carbons (for example, graphenes and nanographenes) can be dramatically altered and tuned by altering the degree of π-extension, shape, width and edge topology. Among various approaches to synthesize nanographenes with atom-by-atom precision, one-shot annulative π-extension (APEX) reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons hold significant potential not only to achieve a 'growth from template' synthesis of nanographenes, but also to fine-tune the properties of nanographenes. Here we describe one-shot APEX reactions that occur at the K-region (convex armchair edge) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by the Pd(CH3CN)4(SbF6)2/o-chloranil catalytic system with silicon-bridged aromatics as π-extending agents. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the complete K-region selectivity stems from the olefinic (decreased aromatic) character of the K-region. The protocol is applicable to multiple APEX and sequential APEX reactions, to construct various nanographene structures in a rapid and programmable manner.

  11. One-shot K-region-selective annulative π-extension for nanographene synthesis and functionalization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozaki, Kyohei; Kawasumi, Katsuaki; Shibata, Mari; Ito, Hideto; Itami, Kenichiro

    2015-02-01

    The optoelectronic nature of two-dimensional sheets of sp2-hydridized carbons (for example, graphenes and nanographenes) can be dramatically altered and tuned by altering the degree of π-extension, shape, width and edge topology. Among various approaches to synthesize nanographenes with atom-by-atom precision, one-shot annulative π-extension (APEX) reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons hold significant potential not only to achieve a ‘growth from template’ synthesis of nanographenes, but also to fine-tune the properties of nanographenes. Here we describe one-shot APEX reactions that occur at the K-region (convex armchair edge) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by the Pd(CH3CN)4(SbF6)2/o-chloranil catalytic system with silicon-bridged aromatics as π-extending agents. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the complete K-region selectivity stems from the olefinic (decreased aromatic) character of the K-region. The protocol is applicable to multiple APEX and sequential APEX reactions, to construct various nanographene structures in a rapid and programmable manner.

  12. Solubility of polyethers in hydrocarbons at low temperatures. A model for potential genetic backbones on warm titans.

    PubMed

    McLendon, Christopher; Opalko, F Jeffrey; Illangkoon, Heshan I; Benner, Steven A

    2015-03-01

    Ethers are proposed here as the repeating backbone linking units in linear genetic biopolymers that might support Darwinian evolution in hydrocarbon oceans. Hydrocarbon oceans are found in our own solar system as methane mixtures on Titan. They may be found as mixtures of higher alkanes (propane, for example) on warmer hydrocarbon-rich planets in exosolar systems ("warm Titans"). We report studies on the solubility of several short polyethers in propane over its liquid range (from 85 to 231 K, or -188 °C to -42 °C). These show that polyethers are reasonably soluble in propane at temperatures down to ca. 200 K. However, their solubilities drop dramatically at still lower temperatures and become immeasurably low below 170 K, still well above the ∼ 95 K in Titan's oceans. Assuming that a liquid phase is essential for any living system, and genetic biopolymers must dissolve in that biosolvent to support Darwinism, these data suggest that we must look elsewhere to identify linear biopolymers that might support genetics in Titan's surface oceans. However, genetic molecules with polyether backbones may be suitable to support life in hydrocarbon oceans on warm Titans, where abundant organics and environments lacking corrosive water might make it easier for life to originate.

  13. SOA YIELDS AND ORGANIC PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION FROM NATURAL HYDROCARBON/NOX IRRADIATIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) typically comprises one-quarter to one-third of the ambient aerosol mass in summertime urban atmospheres. In tropospheric environments, the main precursors of SOA come from aromatic and natural hydrocarbons. Recent work by various investigators...

  14. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons residues in sandstorm depositions in Beijing, China

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fu, S.; Li, K.; Xia, X.J.

    2009-02-15

    This study was conducted to determine the concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sandstorm depositions in Beijing, China. The PAH concentrations in 13 samples collected in Beijing ranged from 0.18 to 3.52 {mu} g g{sup -1}. Analysis of the sources of contamination revealed that the PAHs were derived from a coal combustion source, although various effects of traffic emissions were also observed. Furthermore, the PAH levels in Beijing tended to be higher in the southeast. Finally, the Nemerow composite index revealed that the degree of pollution in the sandstorm depositions varied widely among sampling sites.

  15. Evidence that Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Two Carbonaceous Chondrites Predate Parent-Body Formation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Plows, F. L.; Elsila, J. E.; Zare, R. N.; Buseck, P. R.

    2003-01-01

    Organic material in meteorites provides insight into the cosmochemistry of the early solar system. The distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Allende and Murchison carbonaceous chondrites was investigated using spatially resolved microprobe laser-desorption laser-ionization mass spectrometry. Sharp chemical gradients of PAHs are associated with specific meteorite features. The ratios of various PAH intensities relative to the smallest PAH, naphthalene, are nearly constant across the sample. These findings suggest a common origin for PAHs dating prior to or contemporary with the formation of the parent body, consistent with proposed interstellar formation mechanisms.

  16. Direct spectroscopic evidence for ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the interstellar medium.

    PubMed

    Sloan, G C; Hayward, T L; Allamandola, L J; Bregman, J D; DeVito, B; Hudgins, D M

    1999-03-01

    Long-slit 8-13 micrometers spectroscopy of the nebula around NGC 1333 SVS 3 reveals spatial variations in the strength and shape of emission features that are probably produced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Close to SVS 3, the 11.2 micrometers feature develops an excess at approximately 10.8-11.0 micrometers and a feature appears at approximately 10 micrometers. These features disappear with increasing distance from the central source, and they show striking similarities to recent laboratory data of PAH cations, providing the first identification of emission features arising specifically from ionized PAHs in the interstellar medium.

  17. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in stellar medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rastogi, Shantanu

    2005-06-01

    Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important com- ponent of the Interstellar Medium (ISM). They are being used as probes for understanding of process and conditions of different astrophysical environments. The understanding of their IR spectra and its variations with PAH size and ionization state is useful in characterizing the ISM. Spectral features of model graphene sheets and also that of smaller PAH molecules are reported. The variation of intensity with charge state of the molecule shows that cations give a better correlation with observations. The relationship between changes in charge distribution with intensity changes upon ionization has been probed.

  18. Closed system Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over meteoritic iron, iron ore and nickel-iron alloy. [deuterium-carbon monoxide reaction catalysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nooner, D. W.; Gibert, J. M.; Gelpi, E.; Oro, J.

    1976-01-01

    Experiments were performed in which meteoritic iron, iron ore and nickel-iron alloy were used to catalyze (in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis) the reaction of deuterium and carbon monoxide in a closed vessel. Normal alkanes and alkenes and their monomethyl substituted isomers and aromatic hydrocarbons were synthesized. Iron oxide and oxidized-reduced Canyon Diablo used as Fischer-Tropsch catalysts were found to produce aromatic hydrocarbons in distributions having many of the features of those observed in carbonaceous chondrites, but only at temperatures and reaction times well above 300 C and 6-8 h.

  19. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Frost, K.J.; Lowry, L.F.

    In the weeks following the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) harbor seals, Phocavitulina richardsi, swam through oil and inhaled aromatic hydrocarbons as they breathed at the air/water interface. Concentrations of fluorescent aromatic compounds in bile clearly indicated that most seals from oiled areas had been exposed to hydrocarbons. Before the EVOS, harbor seals in Prince William Sound were declining at an average annual rate of 12% in both oiled and unoiled areas. Aerial surveys in 1989 indicated a 43% decline at oiled sites versus an 11% decline at unoiled sites. By 1992, there were still 34% fewer seals at oiledmore » sites than before the spill.« less

  20. Prediction of solubilities for ginger bioactive compounds in hot water by the COSMO-RS method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaimah Syed Jaapar, Syaripah; Azian Morad, Noor; Iwai, Yoshio

    2013-04-01

    The solubilities in water of four main ginger bioactives, 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol, 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol, were predicted using a conductor-like screening model for real solvent (COSMO-RS) calculations. This study was conducted since no experimental data are available for ginger bioactive solubilities in hot water. The σ-profiles of these selected molecules were calculated using Gaussian software and the solubilities were calculated using the COSMO-RS method. The solubilities of these ginger bioactives were calculated at 50 to 200 °C. In order to validate the accuracy of the COSMO-RS method, the solubilities of five hydrocarbon molecules were calculated using the COSMO-RS method and compared with the experimental data in the literature. The selected hydrocarbon molecules were 3-pentanone, 1-hexanol, benzene, 3-methylphenol and 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde. The calculated results of the hydrocarbon molecules are in good agreement with the data in the literature. These results confirm that the solubilities of ginger bioactives can be predicted using the COSMO-RS method. The solubilities of the ginger bioactives are lower than 0.0001 at temperatures lower than 130 °C. At 130 to 200 °C, the solubilities increase dramatically with the highest being 6-shogaol, which is 0.00037 mole fraction, and the lowest is 10-gingerol, which is 0.000039 mole fraction at 200 °C.

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