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The spontaneous ignition and ignition delays of liquid fuel droplets impinging on a hot surface are investigated. It is shown that the ignition delay–temperature curves follow closely the pattern of lifetime–temperature curves and that for the commercially important fuels, such as kerosine and diesel fuel, the ignition delays have a minimum value at some particular temperature. Zones of non-ignition are isolated and a hypothesis presented for their occurrence. It is further shown that within the temperature range investigated, the ignition delays of droplets impinging on a hot surface are much shorter than those of similar droplets undergoing spontaneous ignition when suspended in a stagnant atmosphere.

Experiments have been conducted in a normal atmosphere using a 0·25-in diameter mild-steel pin specimen sliding on a 10-in diameter mild-steel disc. The ranges of normal force and speed are 0·5–10·4 lbf and 20–190 ft/s respectively. Initially the coefficient of friction is comparatively large, and the wear is of the severe metallic form. However, frictional heating causes rapid oxidation of the surfaces and, if the sliding distance is sufficient, the eventual retention of an oxide layer causes a rapid decrease in the coefficient of friction and the wear rate decreases by 3–4 orders of magnitude. At speeds above about 75 ft/s and loads below about 5 lbf the formation, after several hours' sliding, of a continuous oxide layer on the track causes a further reduction in the pin wear rate. At higher loads and/or lower speeds this track condition is not attained. At speeds of 75 ft/s and above there exists a critical load (the magnitude of which depends on speed) above which periodic removals of the surface film(s) occur producing metallic wear and high friction. However, the subsequent increase in oxidation allows conditions of mild wear to be re-established generally within a few seconds. The steady-state coefficient of friction has been observed to be a function of load1/2 × speed, and periodic surface breakdowns found to occur when load1/2 × speed exceeds 170 lbf1/2 ft/s, the frequency decreasing with increasing load or speed.

Friction and endurance of five powdered solid lubricants were studied on a pin and ring machine. Simple methods were developed to produce layers of constant thickness (1 μm). The ease of rubbing-in varies widely with structure and with particle size. Ease of layer formation is completely unrelated to endurance: NbSe2 is rubbed in readily, but is rubbed off directly on loading. Layers of constant thickness from MoS2, WS2, and WSe2 powders behave roughly similarly, but MoS2 has a much longer life. The lubricant films are gradually destroyed by oxidation and therefore endurance increases in the series oxygen, air, and nitrogen (with 100 p.p.m. oxygen). The process of lubricant degradation is the same for the synthetic crystalline powders as found previously for MoS2: blistering of the run-in film surface on release of loading. Oxygen accelerates this process, leading finally to descaling and the onset of seizure. The endurance of MoSe2 goes through a pronounced maximum in oxygen–nitrogen mixtures. It is suggested that oxygen plays a dual role, first by enhancing film formation, and second by causing oxidative embrittlement of the lubricant.

Simple one and two layer models of the atmosphere are used to derive properties of the downwind position and value of the maximum in mean ground level concentration which can effect either the handling or the interpretation of field data. It is shown that this maximum is quite flat, implying that whilst the peak value can be found accurately its position will be subject to large errors. The effect of stable layers above the source is also discussed and it is indicated how much of the scatter in field results can be attributed to this cause. The distribution of maximum concentration values which arise from a simple distribution of stable layer heights is evaluated and compared with experiment.

Droplets of diameter 300–1300 μ are projected into collision at 140–220 cm/s within a steam atmosphere from two identical horizontally opposed vibrating capillary atomizers. High-speed photography of the events following collision enables an analysis of the collision process to be made in terms of momentum and energy continuity. Tests conducted in air and in steam at atmospheric pressure suggest that the outcome of a collision is dependent upon the relative velocity of the drops and on the phase angle of the collision. Drops which mutually strike a glancing blow tend to bounce. As the path interference becomes greater drops tend to coalesce unstably. Maximum path interference tends to result in a stable coalescence provided a limiting capacity for energy absorption by the coalesced mass is not exceeded. The significant energy quantities are those associated with motion, with the extent of the interfacial surface and with oscillation. To assess the latter it was assumed that an oscillating drop at its extreme deflection exchanged without loss its energy of internal motion for that of extended surface.

Experiments are described in which stationary copper specimens are rubbed in a normal atmosphere against a rotating S62 steel disc under normal loads up to 4·5 lbf. The coefficient of friction is measured at sliding speeds of 93, 220, 328, and 490 ft/s using ⅛-in diameter specimens. Except at the lowest speed a gradual buildup of a continuous copper oxide layer on the disc track is observed with increasing normal load together with a corresponding decrease in the coefficient of friction. Having established an oxide layer on the track the coefficient of friction observed is low for all normal loads. The coefficient of friction is shown to decrease with normal load N and sliding speed U, to be a function of N1/2 U, and to depend on the state of the disc surface. Wear of -in diameter specimens is measured by weighing before and after a test. The wear rate is shown to decrease with sliding speed and increase with load, and for speeds of 220 and 328 ft/s to be a function of N/U. The wear rates measured at 93 ft/s are the same function of N/U for low values of N/U.

Wood pellets are a commonly used biomass for energy production. However, due to the growing demand, many entrepreneurs have begun to produce non-wood biomass pellets. During experimental research, the process of combusting pellets of forest and agricultural origin at different furnace temperatures and different oxidizing atmospheres in a two-phase flow with the use of inert material modelling conditions in the upper zone of the fluidized bed reactor was analyzed. Inert material caused very significant differences in the time and mechanism of forest and agro biomass combustion. These differences are mainly associated with problematic phenomena during combustion, including sintering of ashes. The inert material accelerated the mass loss of forest biomass pellets at all temperatures by about 50–60%. In the case of agro biomass, the combustion time at the temperatures of 650 °C and 750 °C was shortened by about 20–30%, and in the case of the temperature of 850 °C, it was extended by about 10%. Increasing the value of the inert material stream resulted in a reduction of the combustion time at all temperatures. Increasing the concentration of oxidant in the atmosphere of combustion caused the reduction of the combustion time of all tested fuels.

The aim of the present work is to provide a preliminary support and research foundation for developing integrated technology of methane dry reforming and pine wood pyrolysis to produce high value chemicals and fuels. The chemical properties of bio-oil produced by pine wood pyrolysis under traditional N2, H2, CO2, CH4 atmospheres and mixtures of CH4 and CO2 were investigated. Experimental studies were conducted in a fixed bed reactor at a temperature of 500 °C. The results show that pine wood pyrolysis under mixtures of methane and CO2 can promote bio-oil production (0.98% increase) compared with traditional pyrolysis (under N2). GC-MS results show that the contents of phenols and sugars in bio-oil decreased, while the amount of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and furans increased. NMR spectroscopy provides additional support of the results. Results indicate that bio-oil can be used as a source of value-added chemicals. High proportions of CO were obtained in the gas products from pine wood pyrolysis under CH4 and mixtures of CH4 and CO2. Finally, a possible reaction pathway of pine wood pyrolysis under mixtures of methane and CO2 is proposed. Methane bi-reforming with CO2 and steam from pine wood pyrolysis could promote the production of high value oxygen-containing chemicals during pine wood pyrolysis under mixtures of CH4 and CO2.

The observations of transient decreases or holes in the EUV dayglow reported by Frank et al. (1986) and attributed to an influx of small comets into the earth atmosphere are discussed critically. The techniques used in acquiring and analyzing the observational data are examined, and it is argued that the decreases are probably instrument artifacts. A critique of the geophysical basis of the comet hypothesis is also included. In a reply by Frank et al., the instrument-artifact argument is rejected, in part on the basis of the statistical properties of the holes observed. Additional observational data are presented in graphs and dynamics Explorer 1 images are analyzed in detail.

The proposal by Frank et al. (1986) that clouds of small comets periodically inject large amounts of H2O into the upper atmospheres of the earth, Venus, and Mars is examined critically, with a focus on transport and disposal mechanisms invoked to account for the large H2O masses involved. It is argued that observed parameter values (such as mixing ratios, vertical wind velocities, and H escape flows) prohibit transport by eddy, molecular diffusion, vertical avection, or coherent movement. In a reply by Frank et al., these objections are discussed in terms of an overall description of the decelerataion and penetration of a cometary water cloud, and H2O concentrations and mixing mechanisms consistent with observed values for the earth are proposed. It is suggested that an increase in cometary H2O influx could lead to concentrations attaining the frost point and to formation of a global mesospheric cloud with significant climate effects. A lower H2O influx rate for Venus (consistent with observed H loss and atmospheric H2O concentration) and relatively rapid loading of the Mars surface and atmosphere with H2O ice and vapor (followed by brief warming periods with increased exospheric H2O outflow and surface flow of liquid H2O) are considered.

Night-time variations of the OH nightglow intensity reported by Wiens and Weill are compared with the theoretical predictions of a number of models. The behaviour of this emission agrees better with the theoretical one for locations in the equatorial zone but becomes more variable and less predictable for mid-latitude stations. It is calculated that, as a result of an increase of the eddy diffusion coefficient K, the OH emission can deviate from the typical night-time variation and increase by a factor as high as 2 if K is multiplied by 10. It is suggested that the eddy diffusion coefficient in the upper atmosphere is lower and undergoes lower amplitude variations in the equatorial zone than in the mid-latitude regions.

A critique is presented of an analysis by Penn and Martell (J. Geophys. Res., 68: 4195-207(1963)), in which it was concluded that practically all the fallout in the southeastern U. S. in late Sept. 1961 resulted from radioactivity vented to the atmosphere from an underground nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site on Sept. 15, 1961. A reply to the critique is also included. (T.F.H.)

Summary Using a 2,6-lutidine-water (5:1) system in an atmosphere of 0.88 s.g. ammonia, it is possible to separate mesoporphyrins I and IX. Five parts of the former is detectable when admixed with 95 parts of the latter. Since haems and protoporphyrins may be converted to mesoporphyrins without change in isomer type the technique renders possible the detection of this proportion of protoporphyrin I in haem or porphyrincontaining biological materials.

Being living organs, fresh harvested fruits and vegetables remain metabolically active and undergo ripening and senescence processes. They needs oxygen to stay alive, which is vital for energy production through respiration process. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) technology utilises in-packaging equilibrium atmosphere, in which the relatively low oxygen and high carbondioxide concentration is achieved naturally inside the package as respiration occurs, which later on leads to a lower respiration rate. Low oxygen concentration could also be achieved by replacing some oxygen with nitrogen and/or application of oxygen scavenger inside in package, thus the respiration rate is reduced and the aging process is retarded. The use of packaging films of correct intermediary permiability to meet a desirable equilibrium modified atmosphere become a key to the succes of MAP. A new technique, so called Perforation-Mediated Modified Atmosphere Packaging (PM-MAP), by having microperforation in the plastic films is applied to correct the exchange of air during storage. Therefore Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) technology offers advantages which leads to extension of the shelf life of fresh produces. Fresh and fresh-cut food industry utilise this advantages to meet the growing demand of convinient and fresh quality fruits and vegetables, in order to maintain freshness quality attributes and to extend the shelf life.

In the terrestrial dipolar magnetic field, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of UV sunlight by paramagnetic O(2) in an Archean atmosphere (mostly CO(2) and N(2)) results in circular polarization anisotropy (~ 10(−10)). This is used to calculate enantiomeric excess (EE~10(−13)) of glyceraldehyde (3-carbon sugar) with a model that includes racemic production and asymmetric photolysis of its enantiomers. The sign and magnitude of enantiomeric excess (EE) vary with the Earth’s latitude. Unlike random noise fluctuation in spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking (SMSB) models, the sign of EE is deterministic and constant over large areas of prebiotic Earth. The magnitude is several orders greater than the mean amplitude of stochastically fluctuating EE. MCD could provide the initial EE for growth of homochirality by asymmetric autocatalysis.

Co-pelletization of sewage sludge (SS) and conventional fuels for combustion is considered to be a feasible SS disposal method. Oxy-fuel combustion is recognized as a promising technology to reduce the emission of CO2. In practical applications, the combustion atmosphere in oxy-fuel boiler is O2/CO2/H2O, which is different from that in the conventional boiler (O2/N2). Therefore, the effects of gas composition on the combustion characteristics of boiler fuels should be both taken into consideration. In this work, the SS/pine sawdust (PS) and SS/bituminous coal (BC) blended fuel particles were prepared, and the single particle combustion experiments were conducted in O2/N2, O2/CO2 and O2/CO2/H2O atmospheres. The influences of SS blending proportion and gas composition on combustion characteristics of fuel particles were analyzed. The results reveal that increasing the blending proportion of SS from 20 to 40 wt% decreases the ignition delay time, burnout time and combustion temperature. The substitution of N2 by CO2 increases the ignition delay time and burnout time, while decreases the combustion temperature. Replacing CO2 by 10 vol%, 20 vol% and 30 vol% H2O decreases the ignition delay time and burnout time, while increases the combustion temperature.

The emphasis of this paper is on reviewing previous studies of the atmospheric transport processes affecting sulfur and nitrogen compounds. More future-oriented perspectives are in Chapter 7.

This is a scholarly presentation of Niels Albertsen's article 'Urban Atmospheres' as part of it's translation into English and subsequent publication in the Journal 'Ambiances'.

Many, if not most, sulfur and nitrogen compounds are introduced into the troposphere as gases (see Chapters 1 and 2) and a portion of these compounds are removed directly to the earth’s surface. Before their removal, most of the remaining fraction undergo both chemical transformation to another molecular form and physical transformation to a condensed phase, either in aerosol particles or in cloud droplets. Simultaneously, all the substances are mixed by eddy motions into the planetary boundary layer and, in some cases, throughout the troposphere and into the stratosphere. Volcanoes sporadically inject relatively small but important amounts of some species directly into the stratosphere where transformations also occur before slow transport back to the earth’s surface via the troposphere. Because three physical states are involved (gas, solid or liquid aerosol particles, and solute in cloud droplets), the transformations occurring in each phase and between the three phases need to be described.

The publication by the Royal Society of Edinburgh of the hourly observations made at the observatory on the summit of Ben Nevis along with corresponding observations at Fort-William at the sea level is an important contribution to meteorological science. The study of this work reveals at once the important characteristic of the Ben Nevis Observatory. It is situated on a true peak, and that the highest point in the British Islands. Its height above the sea is such that it is usually enveloped in cloud, and its records are for the most part those of an observatory established in the clouds, and in an atmosphere habitually saturated with moisture.

Airborne black carbon is a strong warming component of the atmosphere. Therefore, curbing black carbon emissions should slow down global warming. The 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is a unique opportunity for studying the response of black carbon to the varied human activities, in particular due to lockdown policies. Actually, there is few knowledge on the variations of black carbon in China during lockdowns. Here, we studied the concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon before, during, and after the lockdown in nine sites of the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China. Results show 40-60% reduction of PM2.5 and 40-50% reduction of black carbon during the lockdown. The classical bimodal peaks of black carbon in the morning and evening rush hours were highly weakened, indicating the substantial decrease of traffic activities. Contributions from fossil fuels combustion to black carbon decreased about 5-10% during the lockdown. Spatial correlation analysis indicated the clustering of the multi-site black carbon concentrations in the Yangtze River Delta during the lockdown. Overall, control of emissions from traffic and industrial activities should be efficient to curb black carbon levels in the frame of a 'green public transit system' for mega-city clusters such as the Yangtze River Delta. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10311-021-01327-3.

The pyrolysis characteristics of sewage sludge, wheat straw and its mixture were studied by non-isotropic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In the temperature range of 400 K–950 K, 40 K/min, 45 K/min and 50 K/min heating rate were set respectively, in N2 atmosphere and CO2/N2 mixed atmosphere. According to the thermal analysis chart obtained from TGA, it was observed the vast majority of mass loss spread at the range of 450–800 K in all samples. The Co-pyrolysis kinetics of sewage sludge and wheat straw was described by a fourth-order DAEM model. It is proved that the model can well match the TG experimental data. The results obtained from the optimized parameters show that the activation of sewage sludge is lower than that of wheat straw, and the activity of the mixture gradually increased with the increase of wheat straw content. The presence of CO2 has a slight inhibitory effect on the pyrolysis of the mixture below 900 K compared to that in an N2 atmosphere, but with temperature increasing, CO2 will have a secondary reaction with biochar.

The efficient production of high calorific value solid fuel from palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) was investigated by experimenting hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) with initial absolute pressures of 0.1 MPa, 1.3 MPa, and 3.1 MPa in N2 atmosphere and in CO2 atmosphere. The pressure increase in HTC is expected to promote the improvement of calorific value in efficient way, while the alteration of reaction atmosphere from N2 to CO2 is aimed at obtaining higher extent of carbonization. Increasing the initial pressure of N2 improved calorific value of the derived fuel from 19.3 MJ/kg to 22.2 MJ/kg, while creating only trivial effect on energy yield. Increasing the initial pressure of CO2 further enhanced the carbonization and resulted in fuel with maximum calorific value of 23.6 MJ/kg. However, it also resulted in up to 6% reduction on energy yield compared with the cases with N2. The advantages of pressurized HTC in N2 atmosphere and in CO2 atmosphere over conventional HTC were evident when used for the production of fuels with comparable heating value. Process efficiencies of the pressurized HTC in both N2 and CO2 atmospheres were shown to be 4–8% higher than those of conventional HTC with normal initial reaction pressure.

An experimental study on co-pyrolysis of bituminous coal and biomass was performed in a pressured fluidized bed reactor. The blend ratio of biomass in the mixture was varied between 0 and 100 wt%, and the temperature was over a range of 550–650 °C under 1.0 MPa pressure with different atmospheres. On the basis of the individual pyrolysis behavior of bituminous coal and biomass, the influences of the biomass blending ratio, temperature, pressure and atmosphere on the product distribution were investigated. The results indicated that there existed a synergetic effect in the co-pyrolysis of bituminous coal and biomass in this pressured fluidized bed reactor, especially when the condition of bituminous coal and biomass blend ratio of 70:30 (w/w), 600 °C, and 0.3 MPa was applied. The addition of biomass influenced the tar and char yields and gas and tar composition during co-pyrolysis. The tar yields were higher than the calculated values from individual pyrolysis of each fuel, and consequently the char yields were lower. The experimental results showed that the composition of the gaseous products was not in accordance with those of their individual fuel. The improvement of composition in tar also indicated synergistic effect in the co-pyrolysis.

The aim of this work was to evaluate simultaneously the effect of produced ethanolic biodiesel from several feedstocks (soybean, crambe, macaw, sunflower, and waste cooking oil) and engine operational conditions (low and high engine speed) during combustion of biodiesel/diesel blends on the N2O, NOx, NO, CO2, and CO emission levels in the atmosphere. The biodiesel samples were prepared in one and/or two reaction steps, according to the acid index of each raw material, by esterification using H2SO4 and/or chemical transesterification using sodium ethoxide, both, through ethanolic route. The quality of the produced biodiesels was confirmed by ASTM/EN specifications. Then, biodiesel/diesel blends were prepared according to the following proportions: 10% (B10), 15% (B15), 25% (B25), and 50% (B50). In general way, all raw materials under combustion at low and high engine speed contributed to the formation of NOx and this effect was more drastically increased as the biodiesel concentration in the blends increases. N2O presented a similar behavior except for blends containing crambe and macaw biodiesel whose emissions were slightly reduced as a function of biodiesel content in these blends. Then, Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to discriminate the effect of engine operating conditions, biodiesel kind, and biodiesel content in the blends during their combustion on the exhaust emissions. The attained results point to crambe and macaw as more environmentally sustainable feedstocks for biodiesel production because they generate less greenhouse gas emissions. These results are particularly attractive considering that, both, crambe and macaw are non-edible feedstocks with great potential for biodiesel production.

Straw sample was torrefied at 260 °C and 300 °C in N2, respectively, to prepare torrefied straw named as T-260 and T-300, and the reduction effect of co-firing straw or torrefied straw and steam coal on PM1 is investigated. The combustion experiments were conducted in a high temperature drop tube furnace (DTF) at 1400 °C to collect the inorganic PM10 for further analysis. Combustion atmosphere was air for all cases and 50% O2/50% CO2 (OXY50) for coal, T-260 and their blends of 1:1 and 4:1. The results show that all three biomass fuels show obvious emission reduction of PM with aerodynamic diameters of ≤ 0.3 µm (PM0.3) under both mix ratios. Reduction ratios of co-firing are overall higher at mix ratio of 1:1 than 4:1, and co-firing of T-260 or T-300 with coal shows higher reduction ratio than co-firing of straw. The higher ash content in torrefied straw leads to higher contents of alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM), which will further react with both Si and S during co-firing and coagulate into particles of larger sizes, leading to higher reduction ratios of PM0.3 and unconspicuous reduction effects in PM0.3–1 emitted from co-firing. During co-firing in oxyfuel atmosphere, a higher combustion temperature compared to air leads to an intensitive gasification, may resulting in effective and even higher reduction ratio in PM0.3.

In order to supply the growing world demand of energy and relieve the global warming, biomass is considered a potential clean energy source. In this work, the thermochemical conversion of the elephant grass, through CO 2 gasification, for the production of a combustible gas was evaluated. The gasification experiment was conducted at the temperature of 900 °C for 90 min under a carbon dioxide atmosphere. CO presented a maximum production rate of 2.25 mmol/min.g biomass and a maximum concentration of 82 %mol/mol. The fuel gas produced had an average high heating value of 8.5 MJ/Nm³. Considerable hydrogen production rates were observed throughout the experiment. The experiment had an energy yield of 28.4 kJ/g biomass . Tar produced was mainly composed of primary products and phenolic derivatives compounds. The results showed that CO 2 gasification of elephant grass has the potential to produce a combustible gas allowing the reduction of CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere. http://dx.doi.org/10.18226/23185279.v6iss3p27

Developing cleaner and affordable alternatives to the sole reliance on fossil fuels has intensified efforts to improve the thermochemical conversion property of the second-generation lignocellulosic biomass. This study aimed to explore the effects of the two torrefaction temperatures (200 and 300 °C), the two reaction atmospheres (N2/O2 and CO2/O2), and the three heating rates (5, 10, and 15 °C/min) on the combustion regime of water hyacinth (WH). Decomposition behaviors, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanisms, evolved emissions and functional groups, and fuel microstructure properties were quantified. The deoxygenation and dehydration reactions acted as the main drivers of the torrefaction process, with the peak degree of deoxygenation of 86.21% for WH torrefied at 300 °C (WH300). WH300 significantly reduced the quantity of oxygen-containing functional groups and altered the fuel microstructure properties. The order of the decomposition rates of the pseudo-components were hemicellulose > cellulose > lignin for both WH and WH torrefied at 200 °C (WH200) and cellulose > lignin > hemicellulose for WH300. The average activation energy fell from 197.71 to 195.71 kJ/mol for WH, 287.90 to 195.97 kJ/mol for WH200, and 226.92 to 184.94 kJ/mol for WH300 when the atmosphere changed from N2/O2 to CO2/O2. The heating rate exerted a stronger control on their combustion behaviors than did the reaction atmosphere. CO2, NO, and NO2 emissions dropped by 46.0, 53.1, and 65.9% for WH200 and 29.6, 42.8, and 62.5% for WH300, respectively, when compared to WH. 473.7 °C, 5 °C/min, and the CO2/O2 atmosphere were the optimal settings for the maximized combustion efficiency. 717.1 °C was determined as the optimal setting for the minimized combustion emissions. Our study can yield new insights into the large-scale and cleaner combustion of the torrefied water hyacinth.