Search

Abstract: China's air pollution control policies during the 12th Five Year Plan (2011–2015) are characterized by the targets of 10% nitrogen oxides (NO x ) reduction and 8% sulfur dioxide (SO2) reduction from the 2010 levels. In this study, the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system was used to evaluate the impact of only SO2, only NO x , and joint SO2/NO x control measures on particulate matter pollution, the greatest concern for urban air quality in China. Four emission scenarios were developed for 2015, including a business-as-usual scenario, a reference NO x control scenario based on the governmental plan, an accelerated NO x control technology scenario, and a scenario assuming joint controls of NO x and SO2 based on the governmental plan. Under the planned NO x control measures, the annual mean concentrations of particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) decline by 1.5–6 μg m−3, i.e. 1.6%–8.5%, in the majority of eastern China. The largest reduction occurs in the middle reach of the Yangtze River. Under accelerated NO x control measures, the annual average PM2.5 concentration reductions (compared with the business-as-usual scenario) in eastern China are 65% higher than the reductions under planned control measures. The unusual increase of PM2.5 concentrations in the North China Plain and the Yangtze River Delta during January after the reductions of NO x emissions was an integrated effect of excessive NO x , the ammonia-rich inorganic aerosol chemistry, and the non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) sensitive photochemical regime. Under the joint controls of NO x and SO2, the annual mean PM2.5 concentrations decline over 3 μg m−3, i.e. 3.2%–13%, in the majority of eastern China, and some areas in the middle reach of the Yangtze River have reductions as large as 6–8.3 μg m−3, i.e. 5.0%–13%. The average PM2.5 concentration reductions in eastern China are 1.20 μg m−3, 3.14 μg m−3, 3.57 μg m−3, 4.22 μg m−3 in January, May, August, and November, respectively. The corresponding declining rates are 2.3%, 12.2%, 14.3%, and 8.1%, respectively. More stringent policies should be implemented in winter to reduce the heavy pollution periods. The annual average PM2.5 concentration reductions in three major city clusters are comparable with the average reductions of eastern China. Stringent regional control policies are required for the significant improvement of particulate air quality in major city clusters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nowadays, using a polymeric membrane ion-selective electrode (ISE) to achieve reliable ion sensing in complex samples remains challenging because of electrode fouling. To address this challenge, we describe a polymeric membrane ISE with excellent anti-fouling and self-cleaning properties based on surface covalent modification of an anatase TiO 2 coating. Under ultraviolet illumination, the reactive oxygen species produced by photocatalytic TiO 2 can not only kill microorganisms but also degrade organic foulants into carbon dioxide and water, and a formed superhydrophilic film can effectively prevent the adsorption of foulants, thus inhibiting the occurrence of biofouling and organic fouling of the sensors. More importantly, residual foulants could be fully self-cleaned through the flow of water droplets. By using Ca 2+ -ISE as a model, an anti-fouling polymeric membrane potentiometric sensor has been developed. Compared to the unmodified electrode, the TiO 2 -coated Ca 2+ -ISE exhibits remarkably improved anti-biofouling properties with a low bacterial adhesion rate of 4.74% and a high inhibition rate of 96.62%. In addition, the proposed electrode displays unique properties of anti-organic dye fouling and a superior self-cleaning ability even after soaking in a concentrated bacterial suspension of 10 9 CFU mL -1 for 60 days. The present approach can be extended to improve the fouling resistance of other electrochemical or optical membrane sensors and is promising for the construction of contamination-free sensors.

The serious fine particle (PM 2.5 ) pollution in China causes millions of premature deaths. Driven by swift economic growth and stringent control policies, air pollutant emissions in China have changed significantly in the last decade, but the change in the source contribution of PM 2.5 -related health impacts remains unclear. In this study, we develop a multi-pollutant emission inventory in China for 2005-2015, and combine chemical transport modeling, ambient/household exposure evaluation and health impact assessment to quantify the contribution of eight emission sectors to PM 2.5 exposure and associated health risk. From 2005 to 2015, the mortality due to PM 2.5 from ambient air pollution (AAP) decreases from 1.04 (95% confidence interval, 0.84-1.25) million to 0.87 (0.70-1.04) million. The agricultural sector contributes 25% and 32% to ambient PM 2.5 -attributed mortality in 2005 and 2015, respectively, representing the largest contributor during this period. The contribution of power plants drops monotonously from 13% to 6%. The percentage contribution of industrial process drops significantly while the contribution of industrial combustion stays the same level. The overall contribution of industry is still as large as 26% in 2015 in spite of strict control measures. For transportation, despite strict emission standards, its contribution increases remarkably due to the rapid growth of vehicle population. When both ambient and household PM 2.5 exposures are taken into account, the mortality due to integrated population-weighted exposure to PM 2.5 (IPWE) drops from 1.78 (1.46-2.09) million in 2005 to 1.28 (1.05-1.52) million in 2015. Most of the IPWE reduction comes from domestic combustion as a result of urbanization and improved income, whereas this sector remains the largest contributor (58%) to IPWE-related health risk in 2015. Our results suggest that the government should dynamically adjust the air pollution control strategy according to the change in source contributions. Domestic combustion and agriculture should be prioritized considering their predominant contributions to mortality and the lack of effective control policies. More stringent control measures for industry and transportation are necessary since the existing policies have not adequately reduced their health impacts. Electricity production is no longer the top priority of air pollution control policies given its lower health impact compared with that of other sources., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)