04/02233 Development of kerosene fuel processing systemfor PEFC: Fukunaga, T. et al. Catalysis Today, 2003, 84, (3–4), 197–200

Abstract

Organic compounds, extracted from snow and ice from the Dasuopu glacier, on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Southwest China at an altitude of 7000 m above sea level (asl), were identified through pre-enrichment, solvent extraction and subsequent GC–MS analysis. The average concentration of the extractable organic matter reached 45.4 μg/l. C15–C33 n-alkanes, C6–C18 n-alkanoic acids, C24–C31 n-alkan-2-ones and esters were derived from subtropical higher plants, as well as marine algae and bacteria. Organic compounds, indicative of petroleum residues such as automobile and diesel exhaust were also unexpectedly identified in the glacial snow. These included n-alkanes, alkylcyclohexanes, pristane, phytane, extended C19–C29 tricyclic terpanes, a C24 tetracyclic terpane, C27–C35 αβ hopanes, and C27–C29 steranes. Their presence indicates that the remote mountainous region and, to some extent, the middle-upper troposphere are polluted by human activities. Concentrations of some organic compounds, and total extractable organic matter, display a weak seasonal variation, postulated to be related to the location of middle-upper troposphere. The C17 n-alkane abundance and some molecular ratios exhibit a stronger seasonal variation, which may signify strong climatic change.