Soot particles can significantly influence the Earth’s climate by absorbing and scattering solar radiation as well as by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. However, despite their environmental (as well as economic and political) importance, the way these properties are affected by atmospheric processing of the combustion exhaust gases is still a subject of discussion. In this work, individual...

Effects of nano-clay on weight loss of wood-plastic composites (WPC) by five fungi were studied. Nanoclay particles of 20 to 50 nm size were applied at 2, 4, and 6% WPC of 0,90 g/cm3 density. The white-rot fungi Physisporinus vitreus, Pleurotus ostreatus and Trametes versicolor as well as the brown-rot species Antrodia vaillantii and Coniophora puteana were used. Mass loss tests were conducted ...

The air quality in Sweden is strongly influenced by the geographic location and the climate in the northern part of Europe. During wintertime, the temperature is often below zero degree and rain and snow are common which cause slippery roads and needs for house heating. For anti-skid treatment, studded tyres and sand are frequently used which create a lot of road wear particles. Residential woo...

The amount of light scattered by airborne particles inside an aerosol photometer will vary not only with the mass concentration, but also with particle properties such as size, shape, and composition. This study conducted controlled experiments to compare the measurements of a real-time photometer, the SidePak AM510 monitor (SidePak), with gravimetric mass. PM sources tested were outdoor aeroso...

Wood vinegar is a substance, derived from cooling black carbon fire, which could be used instead of chemical materials in the agriculture industry as an organic compound. In order to study the effectiveness of pine wood vinegar on physiological and photosynthesis traits of cucumber, two experiments were conducted based on a completely randomized design with six treatments including 0, 1250, 200...

This research provides particle-scale understanding of PCB and PAH distribution in sediments obtained from three urban locations in the United States: Hunters Point, CA; Milwaukee Harbor, WI; and Harbor Point, NY. The sediments comprised mineral grains (primarily sand, silt, and clays) and carbonaceous particles (primarily coal, coke, charcoal, pitch, cenospheres, and wood). The carbonaceous se...

The degradability of ground hardwood by thermophilic anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium thermocellum with or without Thermoanaerobacter strain B6A) was greatly enhanced by pretreatment of the substrate with supercritical ammonia. Relative to C. thermocellum monocultures, cocultures of C. thermocellum and Thermoanaerobacter strain B6A degraded 1.5-fold more pretreated soft maple but produced 2- to ...

Wood dust generated during woodworking—particularly from hardwood species sanding—poses a health and safety hazard to workers in the wood industry. This study aimed determine particle-size distribution of selected content fine particles created machine sanding, which pose highest hazards woodworking Six were studied: black alder, European ash, common walnut, pedunculate oak, hornbeam, beech. Th...