Abundant Particle Type Research Articles

Quantification and Clustering of Inorganic Nanoparticles in Wastewater Treatment Plants across Switzerland.

Single particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (sp-ICP-TOFMS), in combination with online microdroplet calibration, allows the determination of particle number concentrations (PNCs) and the masses of elements in individual particles. Because sp-ICP-TOFMS analyses of environmental samples produce rich datasets composed of both single-metal nanoparticles (smNPs) and many types of multimetal NPs (mmNPs), interpretation of these data is well suited to automated analysis schemes. Here, we present a data analysis approach that includes automatic particle detection and elemental mass determinations based on online microdroplet calibration, and unsupervised clustering analysis of mmNPs to identify unique classes of NPs based on their element compositions. To demonstrate the potential of our approach, we analyzed wastewater samples collected from the influent and effluent of five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Switzerland. We determined elemental masses in individual NPs, as well as PNCs, to estimate the NP removal efficiencies of the individual WWTPs. Through hierarchical clustering, we identified NP classes conserved across all WWTPs; the most abundant particle types were those rich in Ce-La, Fe-Al, Ti-Zr, and Zn-Cu. In addition, we found particle types that are unique to one or a few WWTPs, which could indicate point sources of anthropogenic NPs.

Microplastics in a dam lake in Turkey: type, mesh size effect, and bacterial biofilm communities.

The evaluation of microplastic (MP) pollution has been drawing attention for the last decades. MP pollution has been studied widely in marine environments, but limited data exists for freshwater ecosystems on potential source and transport of MPs. The type, shape, plastic components, and the color of the MPs were investigated using various-mesh-sizes (300 and 100μm) nets in four sampling stations of Süreyyabey Dam Lake in Turkey. The growth of bacterial isolates on the MPs surface and surrounding water was also investigated. The type of the MPs and the interaction between the mesh size and the type of the MPs showed significant differences (p< 0.05). Fibers were found to be the most abundant particle type constituting 45% and 80% of the total MPs found in 330-μm and 100-μm mesh sizes, respectively. In total the observed MP abundance in the dam lake was 5.25 particles m-3, and 4.09 particles m-3 was observed for 100-μm and 330-μm mesh sizes, respectively. The color of the identified microplastics showed variations among microplastic types; however, the dominant color was transparent in each net. The main plastic components of the MPs are polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene. The microbial community mainly consists of potentially pathogenic strains such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Acinetobacter baumanii complex. The current study could contribute valuable background information both for MP pollution and for biofilm composition in a dam. However, the surface of the MPs and biofilm formation should be investigated urgently to understand the vector potential of MPs.

Size‐Fractionated Compositions of Marine Suspended Particles in the Western Arctic Ocean: Lateral and Vertical Sources

AbstractWe present full water depth sections of size‐fractionated (1–51 μm; &gt;51 μm) concentrations of suspended particulate matter and major particle phase composition (particulate organic matter [POM], including its carbon isotopic composition [POC‐δ13C] and C:N ratio, calcium carbonate [CaCO3], opal, lithogenic particles, and iron and manganese [oxyhydr]oxides) from the U.S. GEOTRACES Arctic Cruise (GN01) in the western Arctic in 2015. Whereas biogenic particles (POM and opal) dominate the upper 1,000 m, lithogenic particles are the most abundant particle type at depth. Minor phases such as manganese (Mn) oxides are higher in GN01 than in any other U.S. GEOTRACES cruises so far. Extremely depleted POC‐δ13C, as low as ~ −32‰, is ubiquitous at the surface of the western Arctic Ocean as a result of different growth rates of phytoplankton. Moderate penetration of depleted POC‐δ13C to depth indicates active sinking of large particles in the central basin. Lateral transport from the Chukchi shelf is also of significance in the western Arctic, as is evident from increases in biogenic silica to POC ratios and Mn oxide concentrations in the halocline, as well as lithogenic element contents in the deep waters. Our study supports previous suggestions of the near absence of CaCO3 in the Arctic Basin. This study presents the first data set of concentration and composition of suspended particles in the western Arctic Ocean and sheds new light on the vertical and lateral processes that govern particle distribution in this enclosed ocean basin.

Microplastics in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, USA: Occurrence and biological uptake.

Microplastics are an environmental contaminant of growing concern, but there is a lack of information about microplastic distribution, persistence, availability, and biological uptake in freshwater systems. This is especially true for large river systems like the Colorado River that spans multiple states through mostly rural and agricultural land use. This study characterized the quantity and morphology of microplastics in different environmental compartments in two large reservoirs along the Colorado River: Lakes Mead and Mohave, within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. To assess microplastic occurrence, surface water and surficial sediment were sampled at a total of nine locations. Sampling locations targeted different sub-basins with varying levels of anthropogenic impact. Las Vegas Wash, a tributary which delivers treated wastewater to Lake Mead, was also sampled. A sediment core (33 cm long, representing approximately 19 years) was extracted from Las Vegas Bay to assess changes in microplastic deposition over time. Striped bass (Morone saxatilis), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis), and Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) were sampled at a subset of locations to assess biological uptake of microplastics. Microplastic concentrations were 0.44–9.7 particles/cubic meter at the water surface and 87.5–1,010 particles/kilogram dry weight (kg dw) at the sediment surface. Sediment core concentrations were 220–2,040 particles/kg dw, with no clear increasing or decreasing trend over time. Shellfish microplastic concentrations ranged from 2.7–105 particles/organism, and fish concentrations ranged from 0–19 particles/organism. Fibers were the most abundant particle type found in all sample types. Although sample numbers are small, microplastic concentrations appear to be higher in areas of greater anthropogenic impact. Results from this study improve our understanding of the occurrence and biological uptake of microplastics in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and help fill existing knowledge gaps on microplastics in freshwater environments in the southwestern U.S.

Apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related genes in mouse intestinal tissue after whole-body proton exposure.

Energetic protons are the most abundant particle type in space and can pose serious health risks to astronauts during long-duration missions. The health effects of proton exposure are also a concern for cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment with accelerated protons. To investigate the damage induced by energetic protons in vivo to radiosensitive organs, 6-week-old BALB/c male mice were subjected to 250MeV proton radiation at whole-body doses of 0.1, 1, and 2Gy. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of each exposed animal was dissected 4h post-irradiation, and the isolated small intestinal tissue was analyzed for histopathological and gene expression changes. Histopathologic observation of the tissue using standard hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining methods to screen for morphologic changes showed a marked increase in apoptotic lesions for even the lowest dose of 0.1Gy, similar to X- or γrays. The percentage of apoptotic cells increased dose-dependently, but the dose response appeared supralinear, indicating hypersensitivity at low doses. A significant decrease in surviving crypts and mucosal surface area, as well as in cell proliferation, was also observed in irradiated mice. Gene expression analysis of 84 genes involved in the apoptotic process showed that most of the genes affected by protons were common between the low (0.1Gy) and high (1 and 2Gy) doses. However, the genes that were distinctively responsive to the low or high doses suggest that high doses of protons may cause apoptosis in the small intestine by direct damage to theDNA, whereas low doses of protons may trigger apoptosis through a different stress response mechanism.

Single-particle chemical characterization and source apportionment of iron-containing atmospheric aerosols in Asian outflow

[1] Using a single-particle mass spectrometer, the size and chemical composition of individual Fe-containing atmospheric aerosols (Fe aerosols) with diameter from 100 to 1800 nm were characterized during Asian outflow season (spring of 2008) in Okinawa Island, Japan and their sources were determined. Fe aerosols were classified into five unique particle types which were mixed with specific compound(s) and related to their sources (crustal, fly ash/K-biomass burning, elemental carbon, metals, and vanadium). Particle number-based contribution of the crustal particle type, which has been thought to be the main source of aerosol Fe, was quite small (2 ∼ 10%) in all size ranges, while anthropogenic Fe aerosols were the dominant contributor in this study. Fly ash/K-biomass burning type was the most abundant particle types, which contributed ∼50%. Metals and elemental carbon types contributed ∼20% and ∼10%, respectively. Contribution of vanadium type was variable (5 ∼ 50%), which is attributed to ship emission. The frequent appearance of lithium ion peak in the fly ash/K-biomass burning type strongly suggests that large fraction of the type is coal combustion origin, reflecting high coal usage in China. These results show that anthropogenic sources contributes significant portion of Fe aerosols in Asian outflow. Excluding the vanadium type, relative contribution of the remaining four particle types was constant over the course of study, which remained even when the total concentration of Fe aerosols changed and fraction of the Fe aerosols among atmospheric aerosols decreased significantly by the switch of air mass type into marine type. We concluded that the observed constant relative abundance reflected the relative source strength of Fe aerosols in Asian outflow, particularly emphasizing the importance of coal combustion source in East Asia.

Characterization of a Newly Developed Aircraft-Based Laser Ablation Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ALABAMA) and First Field Deployment in Urban Pollution Plumes over Paris During MEGAPOLI 2009

We present here the development and first field deployment of a novel Aircraft-based Laser ABlation Aerosol MAss spectrometer (ALABAMA), which is capable of measuring the chemical composition and size of individual ambient aerosol particles in the size range between 150 and 900 nm. The instrument uses a continuous wave 532 nm laser to size and detect the particles, a pulsed 266 nm laser to ablate and ionize the particles, and a bipolar, Z-shaped time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect positive and negative ions. The ALABAMA fits into a 19”-aircraft rack of 150 cm height and has a total weight of 140 kg, thus currently being one of the smallest and lightest-weight instruments of its type. We present a detailed characterization of ALABAMA with respect to particle beam width, detection and ablation efficiency, and example mass spectra of different particle types. The first aircraft-based field mission was performed within the MEGAPOLI summer campaign in July 2009 around Paris, France, onboard an ATR42 aircraft. During 11 research flights, corresponding to a total measuring time of approximately 44 hours, ALABAMA measured 6502 single particle mass spectra. The mass spectra were classified into eight particle classes using distinctive markers for each particle type. The most abundant particle types contained organic and secondary inorganic compounds. The results further show that differences in the abundance of observed particle types between different air masses are very pronounced when comparing air masses arriving from the greater Paris area with air masses arriving from other directions.

The effect of acute dose charge particle radiation on expression of DNA repair genes in mice

The space radiation environment consists of trapped particle radiation, solar particle radiation, and galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), in which protons are the most abundant particle type. During missions to the moon or to Mars, the constant exposure to GCR and occasional exposure to particles emitted from solar particle events (SPE) are major health concerns for astronauts. Therefore, in order to determine health risks during space missions, an understanding of cellular responses to proton exposure is of primary importance. The expression of DNA repair genes in response to ionizing radiation (X-rays and gamma rays) has been studied, but data on DNA repair in response to protons is lacking. Using qPCR analysis, we investigated changes in gene expression induced by positively charged particles (protons) in four categories (0, 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 Gy) in nine different DNA repair genes isolated from the testes of irradiated mice. DNA repair genes were selected on the basis of their known functions. These genes include ERCC1 (5' incision subunit, DNA strand break repair), ERCC2/NER (opening DNA around the damage, Nucleotide Excision Repair), XRCC1 (5' incision subunit, DNA strand break repair), XRCC3 (DNA break and cross-link repair), XPA (binds damaged DNA in preincision complex), XPC (damage recognition), ATA or ATM (activates checkpoint signaling upon double strand breaks), MLH1 (post-replicative DNA mismatch repair), and PARP1 (base excision repair). Our results demonstrate that ERCC1, PARP1, and XPA genes showed no change at 0.1 Gy radiation, up-regulation at 1.0 Gy radiation (1.09 fold, 7.32 fold, 0.75 fold, respectively), and a remarkable increase in gene expression at 2.0 Gy radiation (4.83 fold, 57.58 fold and 87.58 fold, respectively). Expression of other genes, including ATM and XRCC3, was unchanged at 0.1 and 1.0 Gy radiation but showed up-regulation at 2.0 Gy radiation (2.64 fold and 2.86 fold, respectively). We were unable to detect gene expression for the remaining four genes (XPC, ERCC2, XRCC1, and MLH1) in either the experimental or control animals.

Laser microprobe mass analysis of Amazon Basin aerosols

Individual aerosol particles sampled over the Amazon Basin, Brazil, were analysed using laser microprobe mass analysis (LAMMA). Spectra are complex due to the high organic content of the samples. Phosphate was found to be concentrated largely in one particle type, which was only detected in the dry season samples. This points to a biomass burning origin or at least to a season-related vegetative aerosol production mechanism. The most abundant particle type, most likely originating from a vegetation source, can be described as a mixture of different salts and organic fragments.

Electron microprobe characterization of individual aerosol particles collected by aircraft above the southern bight of the North Sea

About 50,000 individual aerosol particles from a total of 108 samples collected at six different altitudes above the Southern Bight of the North Sea, have been analysed using electron probe X-ray microanalysis. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis on each sample revealed that, for continental air masses, most of the aerosol particulate matter is characterized by high amounts of aluminosilicates, CaSO 4 and Fe-rich particles. For western and marine air masses there was no change in the composition of the most abundant particle type with height. This is in connection with the rather mixed nature of the atmosphere. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis showed that the most abundant particle types in this airshed are: aluminosilicates from coal combustion releases, Fe-rich, sea salts enriched with Pb, and organic material associated with residual oil combustion tracers, accounting for 21, 16, 15 and 12% of the total analysed particles, respectively. Almost 60% of the analysed particles is related to combustion or energy-generation processes. Principal factor analysis on an elemental frequency matrix led to comparable results with principal factor analysis used in combination with cluster analysis. This shows that the method described here is useful for the identification of aerosol sources.

Aerosols in Santiago de Chile: A study using receptor modeling with X-ray fluorescence and single particle analysis

Between 15 January and 26 February 1987, 51 fine and coarse mode aerosol samples were collected at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile Planetarium using a dichotomous sampler. The samples were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence for up to 17 elements (Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br and Pb). Aerosol particles were individually studied by Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) and Laser Microprobe Mass Analysis (LAMMA). The data set consisting of aerosol elemental concentrations and meteorological variables was subjected to Principal Factor Analysis (PFA), allowing the identification of six fine mode particle source classes (soil, industrial, sulfate particles, traffic, residual oil, wood-burnings), and five coarse mode particle source classes (soil, industrial, traffic, residual oil, sulfate particles). Both PFA solutions explained about 81 and 90% of the total variance in the data set, respectively. The regression of elemental mass concentrations on the Absolute Principal Factor Scores allowed the estimation of the contribution of the different source classes to the Santiago aerosol. Within the fine fraction, secondary SO 4 2− particles were responsible for about 49% of the fine mode aerosol mass concentration, while 26, 13, 6.4 and 5.6% were attributed to wood-burning/car exhausts, residual oil combustion, soil dust/metallurgical, and soil dust/wood-burning releases, respectively. The coarse fraction source apportionment was mainly dominated by soil dust, accounting for 74% of the coarse mode aerosol mass concentration. A composite of soil dust and industrial release accounted for 13%; a composite of secondary sulfates contributed with 9%; a composite of soil dust and automotive emissions, and secondary sulfates were responsible for 4 and 0.03% of the coarse aerosol mass concentration, respectively. EPMA results are in satisfactory agreement with those from the bulk analysis and allowed the identification of eight particle types in both fine and coarse mode aerosols, pertaining to different source classes, namely soil, seaspray, secondary SO 4 2−, metallurgical emissions and biomass burning release. EPMA also evidenced that one of the most abundant particle types corresponded to marine aerosol, having an average diameter of 0.7 μm for the fine mode and 2.2 μm for the coarse mode aerosol. LAMMA results indicate that, in fact, seaspray has been transported into the city of Santiago de Chile airshed, suffering several transformations and a sulfur enrichment. This analytical technique also provided evidence of the abundance of carbon-rich particles, which were not detected by either the bulk X-ray analysis or EPMA; they are probably due to fossil-fuel combustion releases.

Characterization of North Sea aerosols by individual particle analyses

On aerosol and rain water samples, collected in the Southern Bight of the North Sea, single particle analyses were performed using both laser microprobe mass analysis and electron-probe X-ray microanalysis in combination with an automated image analysis system. In the aerosols collected from an air mass that had travelled from the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of North France, pure seasalt constituted the most abundant particle type, while aluminosilicates (mostly spherical fly-ash particles) amounted to about 20% and mixed seasalt/aluminosilicate, carbonaceous particles, CaSO 4 and spherical iron oxides contributed each 5–10 %. In air masses that had a longer residence time over the continent, spherical iron oxides, carbonaceous particles and ammonium sulfates together made up 70 % of the total particle load. Seasalt particles were nearly all enriched in sulfate or nitrate, but they were seen to be washed out efficiently after a rain shower. In rain water, some 40 % of the particles appeared to be spherical or irregularly shaped aluminosilicates, from fly-ash and dust dispersal, but more than 50 % consisted of SiO 2. The high relative abundance of these particles in rain water may be the result of Al leaching from fly-ash, or of more efficient scavenging by rain droplets.

Calcified Algae as Sediment Contributors to Early Paleozoic Limestones: Evidence from Deep-Water Sediments of the Cow Head Group, Western Newfoundland

ABSTRACT Calcified algae are important elements of deep-water carbonate sediments in the Cow Head Group. Large algal boundstone boulders in debris-flow conglomerates consist of Girvanella sheets and arborescent clusters of Epiphyton. Silt- and sand-sized particles in fine-grained, thin-bedded slope limestones include abundant Girvanella, as single tubules, rafts of intertwined tubules, oncolites, and intraclasts. Integration of petrographic information from the boulders and fine-grained limestones indicates that many micritic peloids of silt to very fine sand size, the single most abundant particle type in the Cow Head Group, are a combination of comminuted Girvanella tubules and broken Epiphyton rods. Much of the structure grumeleuse in intraclasts is also diagenetically modified calcified algae. These findings suggest that many peloids and intraclasts in Early to Middle Paleozoic carbonates, in both shallow and deep water, may have been derived from calcified algae. Calcified algae may have been just as important in producing carbonate sediment during this time as benthic calcified algae are in the modern ocean. The difficulty in recognizing the algal contribution in most ancient sediments is probably caused by the simple microfabric of the resultant grains, filling and obliteration of tubules with micrite cement, or micritization.