Methanol Emission Research Articles

Emissions of volatile organic compounds from aboveground and belowground parts of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Root systems represent a source of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that may significantly contribute to the atmospheric VOC emissions from agroecosystems and shape soil microbial activity. To gain deeper insights into the role of roots in the VOC emissions from crops, we developed a dynamic chamber with isolated aboveground and belowground compartments, allowing for simultaneous measurements of VOC fluxes from both compartments in controlled conditions. We continuously monitored VOC emissions from intact plants of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) i) over 24 h when plants were rooted in soil, and ii) over 6 h following soil removal. The measurements were performed using a highly sensitive Proton Transfer Reaction – Time of Flight – Mass Spectrometer and a Thermic Desorption- Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometer. Net VOC emissions measured at the soil surface represented <5 % of the aboveground emissions and were higher during the day than at night. However, when soil was removed, belowground VOC emissions became up to two times higher than aboveground emissions. This large increase in VOC emissions from roots observed after soil removal was almost exclusively due to methanol emissions. Differences in VOC composition between plant species were also detected with and without soil: rapeseed emitted more sulphurous and nitrogenous compounds and tomato more mono- and poly-unsaturated hydrocarbons. Our results suggest that roots may be a largely underestimated VOC source and that the soil is a strong sink for root-borne methanol. Root VOC emissions should be considered when agricultural practices involve roots excavation.

Carbon dioxide resource utilization in methanol products: Carbon emission projections, visual analysis, life cycle assessment

China is becoming the world's biggest energy consumer and carbon dioxide emitter due to the excessive worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide. As a result, resource utilization and carbon emission reduction have taken center stage in China's energy growth. This paper provides an overview and analysis of China's annual total carbon emissions from 2012 to 2021, as well as a projection of the country's key carbon emission industries' carbon dioxide emissions over the next several decades. With the help of the Web of Science bibliometric analysis function and the CiteSpace software visual analysis function, it analyzes the systematic knowledge mapping of the research literature related to carbon emission reduction, which corroborates that carbon emission reduction is the future. Further strengthening the research on carbon dioxide resource utilization is expected to add bricks and mortar to the beautiful vision of "carbon neutrality" by 2060. The consumption of hydrogenated carbon dioxide (CO2) for the production of one ton of methanol can reach up to 1431 tons. This process is an effective and environmentally friendly method for reducing carbon emissions. The methodology and mechanism of utilizing carbon dioxide resources for methanol preparation are systematically summarized, with a specific focus on the application of green methanol as ship fuel. The analysis primarily examines the calculation of carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of carbon dioxide and the production of green hydrogen for methanol. The hypothesis is that low-carbon methanol emissions are one-third lower than those of fuel oil, and this conclusion is further supported by evidence showing that low-carbon methanol has a significant carbon reduction effect. Simapro 9.0 software was used to evaluate the life cycle of carbon dioxide preparation for methanol production. The results indicated that the factors with the greatest influence are CO2 utilization and green hydrogen production. To make the process more environmentally friendly, the capture process should be improved, and efforts should be made to reduce electricity consumption and coal usage. These measures can effectively reduce the environmental impact of the entire production chain. Furthermore, it anticipates the future utilization of carbon dioxide resources in the application market of the new materials industry, and aims to further advance the development of the methanol industry.

First detection of the J−1 → (J − 1)0 − E methanol maser transitions at J = 7 and 10

Context. Class I methanol masers provide sensitive information about the shocked environment around star-forming regions. Among the brightest Class I methanol masers, we have those in the J−1 → (J − 1)0 − E line series, currently reported for the J = 4 − 9 transitions, with the only exception being the J = 7 one at 181.295 GHz, and never expanded to higher J transitions. Aims. We aim to search for population inversion in the 7−1 → 60 − E and 10−1 → 90 − E methanol transition lines at 181.295 and 326.961 GHz, respectively, and also extend the number of known low-mass star-forming sources harboring Class I methanol masers. Methods. We employed the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12 m telescope to survey low-mass Galactic sources, focusing on methanol emission lines. We built rotation diagrams for all sources with detected J = 7 methanol line transitions, while employing radiative transfer modeling (both in and out of local thermodynamic equilibrium) to characterize methanol excitation conditions in detail for one specific source with detected masers. Results. We detected the 7−1 → 60 − E and 10−1 → 90 − E methanol transitions in 6 out of 19 sources. Among them, we firmly determined the 10−1 → 90 − E maser nature in CARMA 7, L1641N, NGC 2024, and Serpens FIRS, and we show evidence for the presence of inverted population emission in the 7−1 → 60 − E line toward CARMA 7 and L1641N. This represents the first report of methanol maser emission in these particular transitions. Our study supports previous works indicating that conditions for Class I methanol maser emission are satisfied in low-mass star-forming regions and expands the range of detectable frequencies toward higher values.

The combustion and emission characteristics of pure methanol as a substitute fuel for compression ignition engines

ABSTRACT Methanol, as a carbon-neutral resource, exhibits significant potential in the automotive sector. The objectives of this study are to investigate the fuel economy, emission characteristics, and combustion properties of methanol in compression-ignition engines. The research findings indicated that the combustion duration of methanol significantly extended with increasing speed and load. In comparison to diesel, methanol exhibited a relatively lower peak heat release rate under various operating conditions. With an increase in injection pressure or an advancement in injection timing, the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) decreased initially and then increased. The optimal injection pressure for methanol was lower than that for diesel, while the optimal injection timing was advanced. As the EGR rate increased, BSFC gradually decreased at each speed. When comparing optimized methanol with diesel, the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of methanol was 37.54%, slightly lower than that of diesel. Methanol’s NOx, soot, and CO emissions were significantly lower than diesel, while methanol and formaldehyde emissions were higher, especially with a methanol emission of 0.83 g/kW.h. Overall, applying pure methanol as fuel in compression-ignition engines can significantly reduce emissions while maintaining the BTE as compared with that of diesel fuel, but the methanol emissions in the exhaust increase significantly.

The impact of multi-decadal changes in VOC speciation on urban ozone chemistry: a case study in Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract. Anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the United Kingdom have been substantially reduced since 1990, which is, in part, attributed to controls on evaporative and vehicle tailpipe emissions. Over time, other sources with a different speciation (for example, alcohols from solvent use and industry processes) have grown in both relative importance and, in some cases, in absolute terms. The impact of this change in speciation and the resulting photochemical reactivities of VOCs are evaluated using a photochemical box model constrained by observational data during a summertime ozone event (Birmingham, UK) and apportionment of sources based on the UK National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI) data over the period 1990–2019. Despite road transport sources representing only 3.3 % of UK VOC emissions in 2019, road transport continued being the sector with the largest influence on the local O3 production rate (P(O3)). Under case study conditions, the 96 % reduction in road transport VOC emissions that has been achieved between 1990 and 2019 has likely reduced daytime P(O3) by ∼ 1.67 ppbv h−1. Further abatement of fuel fugitive emissions was modeled to have had less impact on P(O3) reduction than abatement of VOCs from industrial processes and solvent use. The long-term trend of increased emissions of ethanol and methanol has somewhat weakened the benefits of reducing road transport emissions, increasing P(O3) by ∼ 0.19 ppbv h−1 in the case study. Abatement of VOC emissions from multiple sources has been a notable technical and policy success in the UK, but some future benefits (from an ozone perspective) of the phase-out of internal combustion engine passenger cars may be offset if domestic and commercial solvent use of VOCs continue to increase.

Limitations of Plant Stress Tolerance upon Heat and CO2 Exposure in Black Poplar: Assessment of Photosynthetic Traits and Stress Volatile Emissions.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants may help in understanding the status of a plant's physiology and its coping with mild to severe stress. Future climatic projections reveal that shifts in temperature and CO2 availability will occur, and plants may incur the uncoupling of carbon assimilation and synthesis of key molecules. This study explores the patterns of emissions of key VOCs (isoprene, methanol, acetaldehyde, and acetic acid) emitted by poplar leaves (more than 350) under a combined gradient of temperature (12-42 °C) and air CO2 concentration (400-1500 ppm), along with measurements of photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance. Isoprene emission exhibited a rise with temperature and CO2 availability, peaking at 39 °C, the temperature at which methanol emission started to peak, illustrating the limit of stress tolerance to severe damage. Isoprene emission was uncoupled from the photosynthesis rate, indicating a shift from the carbon source for isoprene synthesis, while assimilation was decreased. Methanol and acetaldehyde emissions were correlated with stomatal conductance and peaked at 25 °C and 1200 ppm CO2. Acetic acid emissions lacked a clear correlation with stomatal conductance and the emission pattern of its precursor acetaldehyde. This study offers crucial insights into the limitations of photosynthetic carbon and stress tolerance.

Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and methanol in the gas phase and rainwater in different biomes and urban regions of Brazil

In the context of the increasing global use of ethanol biofuel, this work investigates the concentrations of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde, in both the gaseous phase and rainwater, across six diverse urban regions and biomes in Brazil, a country where ethanol accounts for nearly half the light-duty vehicular fuel consumption. Atmospheric ethanol median concentrations in São Paulo (SP) (12.3 ± 12.1 ppbv) and Ribeirão Preto (RP) (12.1 ± 10.9 ppbv) were remarkably close, despite the SP vehicular fleet being ∼13 times larger. Likewise, the rainwater VWM ethanol concentration in SP (4.64 ± 0.38 μmol L−1) was only 26 % higher than in RP (3.42 ± 0.13 μmol L−1). This work demonstrated the importance of evaporative emissions, together with biomass burning, as sources of the compounds studied. The importance of biogenic emissions of methanol during forest flooding was identified in campaigns in the Amazon and Atlantic forests. Marine air masses arriving at a coastal site led to the lowest concentrations of ethanol measured in this work. Besides vehicular and biomass burning emissions, secondary formation of acetaldehyde by photochemical reactions may be relevant in urban and non-urban regions. The combined deposition flux of ethanol and methanol was 6.2 kg ha−1 year−1, avoiding oxidation to the corresponding and more toxic aldehydes. Considering the species determined here, the ozone formation potential (OFP) in RP was around two-fold higher than in SP, further evidencing the importance of emissions from regional distilleries and biomass burning, in addition to vehicles. At the forest and coastal sites, the OFP was approximately 5 times lower than at the urban sites. Our work evidenced that transition from gasoline to ethanol or ethanol blends brings the associated risk of increasing the concentrations of highly toxic aldehydes and ozone, potentially impacting the atmosphere and threatening air quality and human health in urban areas.

FAUST

Context. The origin of the chemical diversity observed around low-mass protostars probably resides in the earliest history of these systems. Aims. We aim to investigate the impact of protostellar feedback on the chemistry and grain growth in the circumstellar medium of multiple stellar systems. Methods. In the context of the ALMA Large Program FAUST, we present high-resolution (50 au) observations of CH3OH, H2CO, and SiO and continuum emission at 1.3 mm and 3 mm towards the Corona Australis star cluster. Results. Methanol emission reveals an arc-like structure at ∼1800 au from the protostellar system IRS7B along the direction perpendicular to the major axis of the disc. The arc is located at the edge of two elongated continuum structures that define a cone emerging from IRS7B. The region inside the cone is probed by H2CO, while the eastern wall of the arc shows bright emission in SiO, a typical shock tracer. Taking into account the association with a previously detected radio jet imaged with JVLA at 6 cm, the molecular arc reveals for the first time a bow shock driven by IRS7B and a two-sided dust cavity opened by the mass-loss process. For each cavity wall, we derive an average H2 column density of ∼7 × 1021 cm−2, a mass of ∼9 × 10−3 M⊙, and a lower limit on the dust spectral index of 1.4. Conclusions. These observations provide the first evidence of a shock and a conical dust cavity opened by the jet driven by IRS7B, with important implications for the chemical enrichment and grain growth in the envelope of Solar System analogues.

A pH-regulated fluorescence covalent organic framework for quantitative water content detection in methanol

In this paper, we designed and synthesized a two-dimensional fluorescent covalent organic framework (TAPB-DMTP-COF) for the precise determination of H2O content in methanol. The COF was synthesized using two typical monomers by grinding method, which significantly reduced the synthesis time. By adjusting the pH value of the COF suspension to 4.0, the portion of the COF material structure is disrupted, thereby mitigating π-π stacking and resolving the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect. Consequently, the non-fluorescent TAPB-DMTP-COF exhibited blue-purple fluorescence emission in methanol. At the same time, it is observed that in the presence of H2O, there is a red shift in the maximum fluorescence emission peak of TAPB-DMTP-COF, which correlates with the H2O content within a specific range. Notably, this redshift demonstrates a linear relationship with H2O content from 4% to 80% in methanol. Our work presents novel insights for efficient analysis and detection of H2O content in methanol and could be used for H2O detection in other organic solvents.

Catalytic activity of modified silica gel adsorbents under conditions of methanol conversion from water-methanol waste of natural gas

The work is devoted to the analysis of factors affecting the catalytic activity of modified silica gel adsorbents under conditions of methanol conversion to dimethyl ether. The objects of the study were the initial and modified silica gel adsorbents ASM, ASM VS, BASF KC-Trockenperlen H and BASF KC-Trockenperlen WS used in the purification of methanol from water‒methanol waste of natural gas. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the specific surface area, elemental and phase composition, and operating time of adsorbents on the catalytic activity of modified silica gel adsorbents under conditions of methanol conversion to dimethyl ether. The composition and structural characteristics of the samples were determined by X‒ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction analysis and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. Based on the results of IR‒spectrometric and thermal studies, changes in the structure of the surfaces of adsorbents during their operation by various components of organic origin were evaluated. The catalytic activity of silica gel adsorbents in methanol conversion was studied in a fixed bed reactor at atmospheric pressure in the range of 120-290°C and an optimized rate of methanol-saturated nitrogen flow of 1200 ml/min. The methanol conversion process was controlled by gas‒liquid chromatography. An increase of the catalytic activity of adsorbents in methanol conversion to dimethyl ether was found in the range of ASM VS &lt; BASF KC-Trockenperlen WS &lt; BASF KC-Trockenperlen H &lt; ASM. The maximum catalytic activity at 290°C was shown by the adsorbent ASM with 4.2% aluminum oxide and an amorphous structure, which significantly reduces methanol emissions into the atmosphere. For crystalline adsorbents ASM VS with an alumina content of 13.2%, the catalytic activity was minimal. It is shown that the decrease in the catalytic activity of adsorbents in gas treatment unit during operation is associated with a decrease in the value of the specific surface area of samples with a constant content of aluminum oxide and phase state, which is associated with the possible blocking of the catalytic centers of adsorbents due to the accumulation of components of organic origin in the process of natural gas purification. The establishment of factors affecting the methanol conversion to dimethyl ether on modified silica gel adsorbents will allow managing environmental risks, as well as reducing risks to humans during transportation and disposal of water-methanol waste from natural gas purification.

Experimental study on the emission characteristic of a methanol engine based on transient cycle WHTC

The emission characteristics of regulated emissions and unregulated emissions were studied under the full loads and the cold/hot transient cycle (WHTC) on a six-cylinder, multi-point injection, and spark ignition methanol engine. The results show that the emissions of THC and CO for the methanol engine is at a high level without three-way catalyst (TWC) and the emission of NOX could be controlled at a lower level than 400 mg/kW·h with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). The emissions of THC, CO and NOX are low with TWC, whose weighted results under WHTC could be kept at a lower level than the limits in China VI Standard. It is a technical difficulty to control the emissions of methanol (CH3OH) and formaldehyde (HCHO) for methanol engines, especially under the cold WHTC, there has a high risk for the emission of CH3OH exceeding the limit of standard.

Computational study of added H2 impacts on mixture formation, OH radical and unregulated emissions of spark-ignition methanol engine under various boundary parameters

Numerical simulations of hydrogen (H2) impacts on mixture formation, OH radical generation, and formaldehyde (HCHO) and unburned methanol (CH3OH) emissions of spark-ignition (SI) methanol engine based methanol late-injection strategy under different methanol injection timings (MIT), ignition timings (IT), excess air ratios (λ) and added H2 ratios (RH2) boundary parameters were conducted. The simulation results show that the ideal methanol concentration distribution is obtained at the MIT = 85°CA BTDC. The OH radical plays a dominant role in methanol oxidation. The OHPMF (peak OH radical mass fraction) of RH2 = 9 % ≫ OHPMF of RH2 = 6 % > OHPMF of RH2 = 3 % > OHPMF of RH2 = 0 % at MIT = 85°CA BTDC. Compared with IT and λ, the RH2 is more decisive for the generation of OH radical. The HCHO is a major intermediate and an important unregulated emission of methanol engine. In the initial stage of methanol reaction, added H2 can accelerate the generation of OH radical, further promote the oxidation of methanol, and greatly raise the generation of HCHO. The peak HCHO mass fraction increases with the increase of RH2. At MIT = 85°CA BTDC and exhaust valve opening, the HCHO emission of RH2 = 3 %, 6 %, and 9 % is approximately 51 %, 76.5 % and 89.4 % lower than that of RH2 = 0 %, respectively. The generation and post-oxidation of HCHO mainly depended on average in-cylinder temperature. There is a lowest CH3OH emission at MIT = 85°CA BTDC, IT = 28°CA BTDC, λ = 1.4 and pure methanol. At MIT = 85°CA BTDC, λ = 1.4 and exhaust valve opening, the CH3OH emission of RH2 = 3 %, 6 %, and 9 % is approximately 52.8 %, 75.5 % and 92.5 % lower than that of RH2 = 0 %, respectively.

Harnessing Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer for Hydrogenation of Aza-Arenes: Photochemistry of Quinoxaline Derivatives in Methanol.

Three quinoxaline derivatives are investigated both experimentally and theoretically to assess their ability for the methanol oxidation and harvesting of hydrogen. In inert solvents, the nonplanar compounds exhibit very weak fluorescence from the lowest excited singlet state, whereas the planar and rigid chromophore emits non-Kasha fluorescence from the S2(ππ*) state despite the proximity of the S1(nπ*) state. In methanol, hydrogen-bonded complexes with solvent molecules are formed, and in all chromophores, the lowest singlet state is populated after excitation of the S2(ππ*) state. The switch from non-Kasha emission of the planar compound in inert solvents to regular emission in methanol is related to reduced symmetry of the hydrogen-bonded complex with methanol which results in effective mixing of ππ* and nπ* states and fast internal conversion to the lowest excited singlet state. The S1(nπ*) state of the hydrogen-bonded complex has charge-transfer character, and for all compounds in methanol, hydrogen transfer to the chromophore is observed. The chromophores retain the transferred hydrogen atoms, serving both as photocatalysts and as hydrogen storage materials. Undesired dark side reactions that occur are also discussed.

Injection strategy of methanol for high loads and low NOx emissions in a neat methanol LTC engine

Methanol is a low carbon and clean burning renewable fuel. Though low temperature combustion (LTC) of neat methanol results in almost no smoke with ultra-low NOx, the extremely low cetane number poses challenges. This experimental study demonstrates LTC of neat methanol at full load by combining direct and port injection of this fuel with controlled intake air temperature (IAT). The effects of important variables including IAT and port (premixed) and direct-injected methanol shares on combustion, performance, regulated and unregulated emissions were investigated. The timing of the direct-injected methanol had to be retarded with an increase in the premixed methanol share and IAT in order to limit the pressure rise rate without affecting the ITE. At high IATs, the premixed methanol burned first, followed by the directly injected methanol, at low IATs, these phases merged, resulting in a high rate of heat release. Employing the lowest possible IAT and the highest possible premixed methanol share led to high ITE. Increase in the MDIP to 450 bar was advantageous due to better fuel evaporation and enhanced combustion. Negligible smoke, very low NOx of 2.7 g/kWh, high ITE of 45% and unburned HC and methanol emissions lesser than 3 g/kWh could be achieved.

CoCCoA: Complex Chemistry in hot Cores with ALMA

Context. Complex organic molecules (COMs), especially the oxygen-bearing species, have been observed to be abundant in the gas phase toward low-mass and high-mass protostars. Deep line surveys have been carried out only for a limited number of well-known star-forming regions using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which has unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, and statistical studies on oxygen-bearing COMs (O-COMs) in a large sample of high-mass protostars using ALMA are still lacking. Aims. We aim to determine the column density ratios of six O-COMs with respect to methanol (CH3OH) in a sample of 14 high-mass protostellar sources in order to investigate their origin through ice and/or gas-phase chemistry. The selected species are: acetalde-hyde (CH3CHO), ethanol (C2H5OH), dimethyl ether (DME; CH3OCH3), methyl formate (MF; CH3OCHO), glycolaldehyde (GA; CH2OHCHO), and ethylene glycol (EG; (CH2OH)2). Methods. We fit the spectra of 14 high-mass sources observed as part of the Complex Chemistry in hot Cores with ALMA (CoCCoA) survey and derived the column densities and excitation temperatures of the six selected O-COMs. We used the minor isotopologue of methanol CH318OH to infer the column density of the main isotopologue CH3OH, of which the lines are generally optically thick. We compared our O-COM ratios with those of five low-mass protostars studied with ALMA from the available literature as well as with the results from experiments and simulations. Results. Although the CoCCoA sources have different morphologies and brightness in their continuum and methanol emission, the O-COM ratios with respect to methanol have very similar values in the high-mass and low-mass samples. The DME and MF have the highest and most constant ratios within one order of magnitude, while the other four species have lower ratios and exhibit larger scatter by one to two orders of magnitude. The ratio between DME and MF is close to one, which agrees well with previous observational findings. Current simulations and experiments can reproduce most observational trends with a few exceptions. For example, they tend to overestimate the abundance of ethanol and GA with respect to methanol. Conclusions. The constant column density ratios of the selected O-COMs among the low- and high-mass sources suggest that these species are formed in similar environments during star formation, probably on icy dust grains in the pre-stellar stages. Where deviations are found, hypotheses exist to explain the differences between observations, simulations, and experiments, such as the involvement of gas-phase chemistry and different emitting areas of molecules.

ALMA Survey of Orion Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (ALMASOP): The Warm-envelope Origin of Hot Corinos

Hot corinos are of great interest due to their richness in interstellar complex organic molecules (COMs) and the consequent potential prebiotic connection to solar-like planetary systems. Recent surveys have reported an increasing number of detected hot corinos in Class 0/I protostars; however, the relationships between their physical properties and the hot-corino signatures remain elusive. In this study, our objective is to establish a general picture of the detectability of hot corinos by identifying the origins of the hot-corino signatures in the sample of young stellar objects (YSOs) obtained from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Survey of Orion Planck Galactic Cold Clumps project. We apply spectral energy distribution modeling to our sample and identify the physical parameters of the modeled YSOs directly, linking the detection of hot-corino signatures to the envelope properties of the YSOs. Imaging simulations of the methanol emission further support this scenario. We therefore posit that the observed COM emission originates from the warm inner envelopes of the sample YSOs, based on both the warm region size and the envelope density profile. The former is governed by the source luminosity and is additionally affected by the disk and cavity properties, while the latter is related to the evolutionary stages. This scenario provides a framework for detecting hot-corino signatures toward luminous Class 0 YSOs, with fewer detections being observed toward similarly luminous Class I sources.

Endogenous CO2 ice mixture on the surface of Europa and no detection of plume activity.

Jupiter's moon Europa has a subsurface ocean beneath an icy crust. Conditions within the ocean are unknown, and it is unclear whether it is connected to the surface. We observed Europa with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to search for active release of material by probing its surface and atmosphere. A search for plumes yielded no detection of water, carbon monoxide, methanol, ethane, or methane fluorescence emissions. Four spectral features of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice were detected; their spectral shapes and distribution across Europa's surface indicate that the CO2 is mixed with other compounds and concentrated in Tara Regio. The 13CO2 absorption is consistent with an isotopic ratio of 12C/13C = 83 ± 19. We interpret these observations as indicating that carbon is sourced from within Europa.

Probing infrared dark clouds with class I methanol masers and thermal molecular emission using the Onsala 20 meter telescope

ABSTRACT Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest stage of high-mass star formation and host molecular cores at different states of activity from quiet state without any IR-signature of star formation to active state with IR-signatures and pronounced maser activity. Many IRDCs show indications of shocked gas associated with protostar outflows and can contain class I methanol masers (cIMMs). The aim of this study is to probe different types of cores in IRDCs with cIMMs and thermal molecular emission and to investigate the relationship between presence of cIMMs and physical conditions in IRDCs. For a sample of 37 molecular cores, using the 20-m Onsala radio telescope, we collected molecular line data at 44, 85, and 97 GHz for more than 15 species including CH3OH, CH3CCH, and CS. Kinetic temperature of the gas and molecular column densities were obtained. Methanol emission at 44 GHz was detected in 29 sources, with 4 sources are being new discoveries. None of the cores in quiescent state show emission at 44 GHz. Our results testify that cIMM emission is a reliable marker of advanced state of molecular cores. The higher detection rate for intermediate and IR-quiet sources suggests that cIMMs most readily trace the early stages of star formation characterized by moderate IR-signatures. We found that masers with higher flux densities tend to be associated with emission in the CH3CCH lines with higher integrated intensities. Sources undetected at 44 GHz have 4 times lower integrated intensities of CH3CCH and exhibit poorer molecular spectra than the most sources with cIMMs.

Effects of integrated aftertreatment system on regulated and unregulated emission characteristics of non-road methanol/diesel dual-fuel engine

In order to ensure that output power, fuel economy and harmful emissions of non-road diesel engines meet the limit requirements, and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, methanol/diesel dual-fuel combustion mode was conducted on an agricultural four-cylinder common-rail engine, and the effects of DOC + DPF + SCR aftertreatment system on overall performance and emission characteristics of dual-fuel mode were systematically investigated. Results show that dual-fuel mode can reduce both nitrogen oxide (NOx) and soot emissions, but increase nitrogen dioxide (NO2), methanol and formaldehyde (HCHO) emissions. With the increase of load, the conversion efficiency of diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) to carbon hydrogen (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), methanol and HCHO emissions is continuously improved. DOC can increase NO2/NOx ratio for diesel mode, but reduce NO2/NOx ratio for dual-fuel mode. At full load, the average soot capture efficiency of diesel particulate filter (DPF) for dual-fuel engine is 98.84%, basically realizing zero soot emission, while the conversion efficiency of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for NOx is 95.22%. The increase of methanol ratio can reduce NOx emissions and nitrous oxide (N2O) generation in SCR for dual-fuel mode. Under non-road steady cycle (NRSC), the maximum brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of diesel mode and dual-fuel mode are 39.4% and 41.0%, respectively. The regulation emissions of dual-fuel engine coupling with integrated DOC + DPF + SCR aftertreatment system can meet non-road Euro-V and US-Tier 4 emission standards.

Particulates, unregulated and regulated emissions and catalytic converter efficiency evaluation of methanol (M15) fuelled BS-VI compliant light-duty spark-ignition engine

Methanol adaptation in the transport sector is being encouraged worldwide. Methanol, a high-octane fuel, is emerging as a strong fuel candidate for powering spark-ignition (SI) engines and it can be indigenously produced from low-value agricultural biomass waste and high-ash coal. This study investigated particulates and unregulated and regulated emissions from M15 (15 % v/v methanol, 82 % v/v gasoline, 3 % v/v propanol) fueled Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) 2020 compliant light-duty SI engine equipped with a multipoint port fuel injection system and compared it with baseline gasoline fueled engine. The catalytic conversion efficiency for controlling regulated and unregulated emission species are also discussed for both test fuels. The experimental results showed a reduction in carbonaceous emissions from M15 fueled engine. Hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate emissions reduced, while oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions were comparable to baseline gasoline-fueled engine. The catalytic conversion of CO emission was higher for M15 but lower for HC and NOx emissions. Various unregulated trace emission components such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methane, ethene and propene reduced with methanol addition to gasoline. Considerable reductions in benzene and toluene trace emissions were observed for M15, but methanol and ethane trace emissions were higher. The catalytic conversion of all unregulated trace emission components was comparable for both test fuels except alcohols, where M15 exhibited increased trace emission values. The study reflected that M15 could easily replace gasoline in BS-VI-compliant light-duty SI transportation engines. However, verification of all regulatory emission compliances, diagnostics and durability compliances need be ascertained before large-scale implemetation.