Nanomaterials: Ecotoxicity, Safety, and Public Perception

Nanomaterials: Ecotoxicity, Safety, and Public Perception
Author: Mahendra Rai
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2019-01-04
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030051447

The environment is prone to suffer pollution and toxic insult from generations of nanomaterials as well from accidental releases during production, transportation, and disposal operations. The NMs could interact with and cause adverse biological effects at cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels. Assessing potential environmental/ecological risks requires quality information on transport and fate of nanoparticles in the environment, exposures and vulnerabilities of organisms to the nanomaterials and standard methods for assessing toxicity for aquatic or terrestrial organisms and human health. The systematic risk characterization and evaluation of the safety of nanomaterials require a multidisciplinary approach and convergence of knowledge and efforts from researchers and experts from toxicology, biotechnology, materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and other branches of life sciences. Although studies are beginning to appear in the literature addressing the toxicity of various nanomaterials and their potential for exposure, at this stage definitive statements regarding the impacts of nanomaterials on human health and the environment remain sketchy requiring an increased level of precautions with regard to nanomaterials, as has happened with other emerging contaminants and technologies (e.g., biotechnology). The need for an increased level of understanding the perception of risk and of benefits will vary and is likely to influence public, regulatory, and non-governmental activities regarding risk and benefit evaluations. Systematic identification and assessment of the risks posed by any new technology are essential. A prudent, integrated, and holistic approach is required to develop best practices based on the scientific understanding about what we know and what we don’t know but need to know. Nanomaterials addresses key issues of ecotoxicological actions and effects of nanomaterials on life and environment, their threats, vulnerability, risks, and public perception. The readers learn to read bad news objectively and think about and search for ecological ‘green’ solutions to current environmental and ecological problems with blue, grey, brown, and red shades for building a sustainable ecosystem. It shows how this molecular terrain is a common ground for interdisciplinary research and education that will be an essential component of science, engineering and technology in the future. The book is divided into three sections. Section I includes general topics related to ecotoxicity of nanomaterials to microbes, plants, human and environment. Section 2 incorporates risks generated by the use of nanomaterials. Section 3 discusss safety issues and the public.

Sediment Records of Biomass Burning and Global Change

Sediment Records of Biomass Burning and Global Change
Author: James S. Clark
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 512
Release: 1997-02-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9783540624349

Biomass burning profoundly affects atmospheric chemistry, the carbon cycle, and climate and may have done so for millions of years. Bringing together renowned experts from paleoecology, fire ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and organic chemistry, the volume elucidates the role of fire during global changes of the past and future. Topics covered include: the characterization of combustion products that occur in sediments, including char, soot/fly ash, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; the calibration of these constituents against atmospheric measurements from wildland and prescribed fire emissions; spatial and temporal patterns in combustion emissions at scales of individual burns to the globe.

Biomass Burning and Its Inter-Relationships with the Climate System

Biomass Burning and Its Inter-Relationships with the Climate System
Author: John L. Innes
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2006-04-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0306479591

JOHN L. INNES University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada The interactions between biomass burning and climate have been brought into focus by a number of recent events. Firstly, the Framework Convention on Climate Change and, more recently, the Kyoto Protocol, have drawn the attention of policy makers and others to the importance of biomass burning in relation to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Secondly, the use of prescribed fires has become a major management tool in some countries; with for example the area with fuel treatments (which include prescribed burns and mechanical treatments) having increased on US National Forest System lands from 123,000 ha in 1985 to 677,000 ha in 1998. Thirdly, large numbers of forest fires in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia and elsewhere in 1997 and 1998 received unprecedented media attention. Consequently, it is appropriate that one of the Wengen Workshops on Global Change Research be devoted to the relationships between biomass burning and climate. This volume includes many of the papers presented at the workshop, but is also intended to act as a contribution to the state of knowledge on the int- relationships between biomass burning and climate change. Previous volumes on biomass burning (e. g. Goldammer 1990,Levine 1991a, Crutzen and Goldammer 1993, Levine 1996a, 1996b, Van Wilgen et al. 1997) have stressed various aspects of the biomass–climate issue, and provide a history of the development of our understanding of the many complex relationships that are involved.

The Handbook of Biomass Combustion and Co-firing

The Handbook of Biomass Combustion and Co-firing
Author: Jaap Koppejan
Publisher: Earthscan
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2012-05-16
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1849773041

This unique handbook presents both the theory and application of biomass combustion and co-firing, from basic principles to industrial combustion and environmental impact, in a clear and comprehensive manner. It offers a solid grounding on biomass combustion, and advice on improving combustion systems.Written by leading international academics and industrial experts, and prepared under the auspices of the IEA Bioenergy Implementing Agreement, the handbook is an essential resource for anyone interested in biomass combustion and co-firing technologies varying from domestic woodstoves to utility-scale power generation. The book covers subjects including biomass fuel pre-treatment and logistics, modelling the combustion process and ash-related issues, as well as featuring an overview of the current R&D needs regarding biomass combustion.

Characterization of Lignocellulosic Biomass and Constituent Burning Aerosols

Characterization of Lignocellulosic Biomass and Constituent Burning Aerosols
Author: Luke P. McLaughlin
Publisher:
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2022
Genre: Aerosols
ISBN:

Biomass burning (BB) is a globally occurring phenomenon that is understood to produce significant quantities of aerosols that have a broad range of local and global effects on humans and the environment. The quantities and properties of primary BB aerosol emissions are difficult to measure and predict, however, due to the natural complexity of the feedstocks and the evolved species, as well as the potential variability in local conditions. Near-source burn parameters, such as fuel composition, fuel mass loss rate, oxygen availability, burn phase, and dilution conditions, contribute to the complexity of BB and have been identified as factors that influence the quantities and physical, optical, and chemical properties of primary BB aerosols. The research presented in this dissertation seeks to elucidate new insights into the mechanisms of primary aerosol formation in naturally occurring biomass burning events by isolating the influences of near-source burn parameters on lignocellulosic biomass and constituent burning aerosols in a controlled laboratory environment. The produced data sets are well-defined and contribute validation data for current and future state-of-the-art aerosol formation models and submodels, as well as other experimental data. Lignocellulosic biomass and the major constituents of lignocellulosic biomass—hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin—were pyrolyzed and oxidized using thermogravimetric analyzers (TGAs), and the highly repeatable aerosol emissions were characterized in terms of size-resolved number and mass emission factors, concentrations, size, and volatility. The aerosol emissions formed from biomass constituents were then compared to those of biomass, and a novel aerosol prediction model which utilizes superposition of individual constituent results and lignocellulosic biomass composition was developed to test a hypothesis that biomass burning aerosols can be predicted by lignocellulosic composition and constituent emissions when biomass and constituent aerosols are determined under similar conditions. Results showed that lignin and cellulose contents significantly contribute to BB aerosol formation, whereas hemicellulose contributions are less significant. Furthermore, lignin produced lower volatility aerosols compared to hemicellulose and cellulose. Increased absolute fuel mass loss rate was observed during oxidation compared to pyrolysis, and absolute fuel mass loss rate was found to positively correlate with median aerosol size. Increased oxygen availability during burning decreased mass and number emissions, and trends were attributed to complex influences of combustion chemistry and increased fuel mass loss rate from thermal feedback. In an air environment, aerosol number and mass emissions were found to increase and decrease, respectively, with successive pre-ignition pyrolysis, flaming, and post-flaming (smoldering) burn phases. Flaming combustion produced lower volatility emissions compared to pre-ignition pyrolysis and post-flaming smoldering. Results also showed a significant influence of dilution and thermodenuder (TD) temperature on particle size, number, and distribution, with increased dilution air and TD temperature decreasing total number and mass emissions. Regarding the developed superposition prediction model, simulated results well-predicted particle number and mass emission trends in each investigation. Prediction improvements were observed throughout the evolution of the work presented in this dissertation, and the successes and failures of the superposition model under the applied conditions were analyzed. Overall, the influence of near-source burn parameters on primary aerosol emissions was realized, and the potential of the superposition model to predict primary BB aerosol quantities and properties was demonstrated.

Sediment Records of Biomass Burning and Global Change

Sediment Records of Biomass Burning and Global Change
Author: James S. Clark
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2013-06-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 364259171X

Biomass burning profoundly affects atmospheric chemistry, the carbon cycle, and climate and may have done so for millions of years. Bringing together renowned experts from paleoecology, fire ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and organic chemistry, the volume elucidates the role of fire during global changes of the past and future. Topics covered include: the characterization of combustion products that occur in sediments, including char, soot/fly ash, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; the calibration of these constituents against atmospheric measurements from wildland and prescribed fire emissions; spatial and temporal patterns in combustion emissions at scales of individual burns to the globe.