Crucial role of the magnetic field in the evolution of life

The formation of a steady ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere is the most significant event in the evolutionary cycle of the earth which, in turn, has been responsible for the development of life with an oxygen metabolism. In addition to protecting biological life from exposure to ultraviolet radiation the ozone layer has also been responsible for maintaining the water and oxygen balance in the atmosphere. It is argued that the magnetic field of the earth is really responsible for the formation of this steady ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere. Because of the earth’s magnetic field and associated trapped charge particle belts and the magnetosphere, the earth’s atmosphere does not directly interact with the interplanetary space. Without such a shielding, the free oxygen atoms could have been depleted considerably causing a severe depletion in the ozone concentration to start with. The impact of charged particles from galactic and solar cosmic rays over the entire earth’s atmosphere and the consequent production of NO _x would have given rise to a major ozone sink, if earth were devoid of a magnetic field. The net result would have been the absence of a steady ozone layer and the absence of life with an oxygen metabolism, as in the case of the atmospheres of Venus and Mars, if the earth did not have a magnetic field.     

Effect of complexones and tensides on selectivity of nitrogen dioxide determination in air with a chemiluminescence aerosol detector

Modification of the luminol solution by means of addition of various complexones and surfactants has been investigated to eliminate interferences from gaseous co-pollutants in the determination of ambient nitrogen dioxide using a chemiluminescence aerosol detector. The simultaneous presence of EDTA and triton X-100 or X-405 together with sulphite and iodide in the luminol solution suppressed interferences from ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate to a negligible level and no scrubbers or corrections of the NO₂ measurements were needed.

In general, the best composition of the reagent solution included luminol, KOH, Na₂SO₃, KI, Na₂EDTA and triton X-100. From the point of view of selectivity of NO₂ determination, an optimum reagent solution consisted of luminol (0.002 M), KOH (0.5 M), Na₂SO₃ (0.2 M), KI (0.1 M), Na₂EDTA (0.05 M) and triton X-100 (0.5 vol.%). Interferences from ozone (170 ppb (v/v)) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (81 ppb (v/v)) were 0.2 and 1.2%, respectively, for nitrogen dioxide at a concentration of 50 ppb (v/v) and 0.25 and 1.7%, respectively, for 0.5 ppb (v/v) NO₂. The calibration graph was linear for NO₂ concentrations ranging from 3 to 665 ppb (v/v). Below 3 ppb (v/v) NO₂ the detector response to nitrogen dioxide can be fitted with a linear equation of the third order.     

Stability and energy efficiency of pulsed corona discharge in treatment of dispersed high-conductivity aqueous solutions

Pulsed corona discharge (PCD) is an energy-efficient method of water treatment, although its instability in treatment of conductive solutions showered onto the electrodes presents a problem. The impact of conductivity and gaseous ozone concentration on the discharge stability and the energy transfer efficiency was established. The discharge was stabilized by adjusting the voltage pulse shape. Energy dissipation increases with the treated solution conductivity due to ohmic losses reaching 30% of the energy delivered to the reactor at 45 mS cm⁻¹. The PCD energy efficiency and safety was improved by the modified electrode system design reducing the losses.     

Non-Voigt line-shape effects on retrievals of atmospheric ozone: Line-mixing effects

A theoretical approach is proposed to model line-mixing (LM) effects on absorption coefficients of O₃ perturbed by N₂ and air. It uses state-to-state rotational cross-sections calculated with a semi-classical approach and two empirical parameters, which enable switching from the state space to the line space. The first, associated with couplings within Q branches is deduced from a room temperature far-infrared spectrum. The second, governing line-couplings between R (or P) lines, is determined from a spectrum measured in the ν₁+ν₂+ν₃ band. The model developed is then successfully compared with measurements performed at room temperature for a relatively large range of pressure (0.7-8 atm) and in four different bands (from 3 to 300 μm). Accurate predictions are, in particular, obtained in the 10 μm (ν₁, ν₃) region, which is widely used for remote sensing purposes. Consequences of LM effects on retrievals of ozone atmospheric volume mixing ratios are then studied using simulated atmospheric spectra. The results show that LM leads to systematic spectra fit residuals and errors on the retrieved ozone amounts, which are small but might be detectable in measured atmospheric spectra.     

Determination of halogenated hydrocarbons by flow injection ozone chemiluminescence

A flow injection gas phase chemiluminometer has been constructed for monitoring halogenated compounds which upon UV radiation consume ozone. The ozone concentration is followed by the ethylene-ozone chemiluminescent reaction and by UV absorption. The sensitivity depends on the ability of each compound to consume ozone and the limits of quantification vary from 9.6 and 25 nmol for CFCl₃ and CF₂Cl₂ to 22.5 and 17.2 μmol for CHCl₃ and CH₃CCl₃, respectively.     

Ozone synthesis in charged particle induced noble gas-oxygen and noble gas-oxygen-sulfur hexafluoride discharges

A series of experimental measurements of ozone concentration produced by irradiation of noble gas (He, Ne, and Ar)-O₂ and noble gas-O₂-SF₆ mixtures with energetic (MeV) helium and lithium ions are reported. Continuous irradiations at dose rates of 10¹⁵–10¹⁷ eV cm ^–3 s ^–1 for a few hundred milliseconds were used. The resulting ozone concentration was found to be nonlinear with dose rate for a given irradiation time. This nonlinearity was effectively reduced by an increase in noble gas pressure. Few mole percent addition of SF₆ generally resulted in an increase in the ozone concentration. This increase was highest for lower noble gas pressures and longer irradiation times. Further SF₆ addition, however, caused a reduction in the ozone concentration. Results are explained by considering the relevant reactions responsible for ozone production and loss.     

An indoor air purification technology using a non-thermal plasma reactor with multiple-wire-to-wire type electrodes and a fiber air filter

For indoor air purification, long-term operation of the air purifier induces the growth of germs and the proliferation of molds, and results in the performance degradation of the air filter. Non-thermal plasma technology could be an effective countermeasure against these problems. Ozone generated by the electric discharge has significant germicidal power and does not produce secondary residual contaminants. Electrostatic force can enable the air filter to function as an electric precipitator. In this study, a non-thermal plasma reactor with wire-wire type electrodes and an air filter is investigated experimentally to improve the performance of the used air filter.     

利用紫外和荧光光谱指示臭氧降解典型内分泌干扰物的研究

污水处理和再生回用是缓解我国水污染严重和水资源紧张的有效途径。二级出水水量大、稳定且水质相对良好,是污水再生回用的良好水源。然而,二级出水中广泛存在内分泌干扰物(endocrine disrupting compounds, EDCs),对其再生回用形成了潜在的安全风险。臭氧氧化是去除EDCs的有效方法,但二级出水中存在着多种有机质,臭氧降解EDCs的过程中同时和有机质中的活性基团发生反应,引起一定程度的臭氧衰减,从而对EDCs的臭氧氧化造成影响。有机质中与臭氧反应的活性基团变化可反映为特征紫外和荧光光谱的变化。因此,可以采用特征紫外和荧光光谱变化来指示臭氧对EDCs的降解效果。本研究通过考察二级出水中主要的三类有机质代表(腐殖酸、牛血清蛋白和海藻酸钠)对臭氧衰减动力学的影响,进一步解析有机质对5种典型EDCs臭氧降解规律的影响,在此基础上考察特征紫外和荧光光谱与EDCs臭氧降解效果的关系,以期筛选出二级出水中EDCs臭氧降解效果的指示参数,并建立其与EDCs降解效率之间的定量关系,从而以这些指示参数来预测EDCs的臭氧化降解情况,简化EDCs检测。该研究中五种目标EDCs(雌酮(E1)、雌二醇(E2)、雌三醇(E3)、17α-乙炔基雌二醇(EE2)和双酚A(BPA))采用超高效液相色谱-双质谱联用技术同时分析定量。通过考察不同种类二级出水有机质对臭氧衰减动力学和EDCs降解效果的影响发现三种有机质均可促进臭氧衰减,对EDCs的臭氧化降解效率均有抑制作用,顺序依次是腐殖酸>牛血清蛋白>海藻酸钠;三种有机质的紫外-可见光谱特征谱图表明有机质中能与臭氧反应的活性基团在紫外-可见光有特定的响应特征;三种有机质的三维荧光光谱特征谱图表明富里酸类腐殖质及喹啉类结构对臭氧消耗均有显著的贡献;腐殖酸在254,258和280 nm的紫外吸光度及激发波长/发射波长(Ex/Em)=240/396 nm,Ex/Em=345/436 nm的荧光吸光度去除率与臭氧投加量显著相关;其中280 nm处的特征紫外吸光度UVA₂₈₀,特征荧光吸光度Ex/Em=240/396 nm可作为臭氧降解EDCs的指示参数,具体为UVA₂₈₀去除率大于18%或者Ex/Em=240/396 nm去除率大于35%时,1 μmol·L-1的5种EDCs几乎被完全降解。此研究对污水处理厂臭氧去除EDCs过程中臭氧剂量的优化及EDCs去除效果具有指导作用,且可避免复杂的EDCs检测。     

Reactivity of ambient volatile organic compounds （VOCs） in summer of 2004 in Beijing

Ambient volatile organic compounds （VOCs） were sampled at six sites in Beijing in the summer of 2004 and analyzed by GCMS. The chemical reactivities of 73 quantified VOCs species were evaluated by OH loss rates （LOH） and ozone formation potentials （OFPs）. Top 15 reactive species, mainly alkenes and aromatics, were identified by these two methods, and accounted for more than 70% of total reactivity of VOCs. In urban areas, isoprene was the most reactive species in term of OH loss rate, contributing 11.4% to the LOH of VOCs. While toluene, accounting for 9.4% of OFPs, appeared to have a long-time role in the photochemical processes. Tongzhou site is obviously influenced by local chemical industry, but the other five sites showed typical urban features influenced mainly by vehicular emissions.     

Phase equilibrium for clathrate hydrates formed from an ozone + oxygen gas mixture coexisting with carbon tetrachloride or 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane

This paper reports an attempt at acquiring phase-equilibrium pressure (p) versus temperature (T) data for ozone-containing clathrate hydrates formed from an ozone + oxygen gas mixture, a hydrophobic hydrate-forming liquid, and water in the liquid state. For dealing with ozone (O₃), a chemically unstable material continuously decaying to oxygen (O₂) in the gas phase, we devised a new method, i.e., a modified pressure-search method, to determine the equilibrium p-T conditions while maintaining the ozone concentration in the gas phase nearly constant by repeatedly replacing the contents of the gas phase with a freshly generated O₃ + O₂ mixture. Using carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) as the hydrophobic hydrate-forming liquid, we obtained equilibrium p-T data in the range of 0.167 MPa ≤ p ≤ 0.361 MPa and 275.6 K ≤ T ≤ 277.3 K in the presence of a gas phase containing O₃ at the molar concentration of 6.9 ± 0.8%. We also obtained, for comparison, the corresponding p-T data, using pure O₂ gas, instead of the O₃ + O₂ mixture, and the conventional pressure-search method. The two data groups obtained from the O₃-containing and O₃-free systems, respectively, show simple, mutually consistent p-T relations each well fitted by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation assuming a constant enthalpy of hydrate dissociation. The paper also describes our additional attempt at obtaining equilibrium p-T data using 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (R141b) as a substitute for CCl₄. Because of the partial decomposition of R141b due to the coexistence of O₃ and water, however, we obtained only limited data which are tentative in nature.