The level of air pollution in the impact zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using the data of geochemical snow survey (Republic of Kazakhstan)

Coal-fired power plants emissions impact the air quality and human health. Of great significance is assessment of solid airborne particles emissions from those plants and distance of their transportation. The article presents the results of air pollution assessment in the zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using snow survey. Based on the mass of solid airborne particles deposited in snow, time of their deposition on snow at the distance from 0.5 to 4.5 km a value of dust load has been determined. It is stated that very high level of pollution is observed at the distance from 0.5 to 1 km. there is a trend in decrease of dust burden value with the distance from the stacks of coal-fired power plant that may be conditioned by the particle size and washing out smaller ash particles by ice pellets forming at freezing water vapour in stacks of the coal-fired power plant. Study in composition of solid airborne particles deposited in snow has shown that they mainly contain particulates of underburnt coal, Al-Si- rich spheres, Fe-rich spheres, and coal dust. The content of the particles in samples decreases with the distance from the stacks of the coal-fired power plant

The level of air pollution in the impact zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using the data of geochemical snow survey (Republic of Kazakhstan)

Coal-fired power plants emissions impact the air quality and human health. Of great significance is assessment of solid airborne particles emissions from those plants and distance of their transportation. The article presents the results of air pollution assessment in the zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using snow survey. Based on the mass of solid airborne particles deposited in snow, time of their deposition on snow at the distance from 0.5 to 4.5 km a value of dust load has been determined. It is stated that very high level of pollution is observed at the distance from 0.5 to 1 km. there is a trend in decrease of dust burden value with the distance from the stacks of coal-fired power plant that may be conditioned by the particle size and washing out smaller ash particles by ice pellets forming at freezing water vapour in stacks of the coal-fired power plant. Study in composition of solid airborne particles deposited in snow has shown that they mainly contain particulates of underburnt coal, Al-Si- rich spheres, Fe-rich spheres, and coal dust. The content of the particles in samples decreases with the distance from the stacks of the coal-fired power plant

Загрязнение поверхности снега полициклическими ароматическими углеводородами при образовании изморози

When analyzing chemical compositions of snow the high variability of content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in snow cover between snowfalls is observed. Researchers explain this by concentrating of snow. However, another mechanism of atmospheric contamination of the snow cover surface is possible. It may be a precipitation of fine crystals of PAHs from the atmosphere in the composition of cryohydrates, which can form aerogenic anomalies on the snow surface at formation of hoarfrost. The process starts in the atmosphere during the interaction of finely dispersed crystals of PAHs with cloud supercooled drops. This results in the cryogenic concentration of solid particles of PAHs by way of formation of solid eutectic mixture – cryohydrates, which are a two-phase system consisting of a fine mixture of crystals of solid particles and ice. Evidence of their manifestation is the presence of the Forel hatching on the surface of the facets of the hoarfrost crystals appearing due to the different optical density of alternating zones, which consist of interpenetrating domains of crystallized solid aerosols and ice. At the same time, due to the presence of temperature inversion over the snow cover and its drying effect on the near-snow layer of air, a stable mass transport of water vapor down to the snow cover is formed, which can initiate the flow of fine cryohydrates from the PAHs. Therefore, the growth of atmospheric ice crystals, begun in the surface atmosphere, continues on the snow surface during formation of hoarfrost, thus creating a special nano-relief of snow cover. The paper presents the results of observations of changes in the concentration of individual PAHs in the upper 18 mm layer of snow at accumulation of the surface hoarfrost during a long period between snowfalls. Some micro-morphological features of the forms of skeletal rime micro-crystals are shown, with which an increase in the nano-roughness of the snow surface is associated, as well as the manifestation of the signal of the aerogenic PAH anomaly on the snow surface. Since the conditions for the formation of surface hoarfrost occur more often than for snowfalls, the hoarfrost may be an informative object of testing when detecting hydrocarbon contamination of snow cover during the intervals between snowfalls.Рассматриваются физические свойства снежного покрова, контролирующие механизм загрязнения снежного покрова полициклическими ароматическими углеводородами при образовании поверхностной изморози. Показаны некоторые микроморфологические признаки различных форм скелетных кристаллов изморози, участвующих в указанном процессе. Обсуждается механизм загрязнения поверхности снежного покрова, связанного с атмосферным стоком тонкодисперсных кристаллов полициклических ароматических углеводородов в составе криогидратов

Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Drilling Cuttings in Tomsk Oblast Sites

The research is focused on determining mineralogical composition of drilling cuttings by scanning electron microscope as well as imaging the sample surface of high resolution that allows studying the structural characteristics of the site. In addition, a number of other techniques permit obtaining information on chemical composition of sample in near-surface layers. The study in drilling cuttings by means of scanning microscopy has revealed the presence of titanium, iron, zirconium oxides, iron sulphide, barium sulphate. The former is a mineral that concentrates rare-earth elements, presumably monocyte, as well as uranium silicate, etc. The results obtained confirm the data of previous X-ray structural analysis, i.e. the study samples consist of alumosilicate matrix. Apart from silicon and aluminium oxides, the matrix includes such elements as Na, K, Mg. Such a composition corresponds to rock-forming minerals: quartz, albite, microcline, clinochlore, muscovite, anorthoclase

Pollution of the snow surface with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during the formation of frost

When analyzing chemical compositions of snow the high variability of content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in snow cover between snowfalls is observed. Researchers explain this by concentrating of snow. However, another mechanism of atmospheric contamination of the snow cover surface is possible. It may be a precipitation of fine crystals of PAHs from the atmosphere in the composition of cryohydrates, which can form aerogenic anomalies on the snow surface at formation of hoarfrost. The process starts in the atmosphere during the interaction of finely dispersed crystals of PAHs with cloud supercooled drops. This results in the cryogenic concentration of solid particles of PAHs by way of formation of solid eutectic mixture – cryohydrates, which are a two-phase system consisting of a fine mixture of crystals of solid particles and ice. Evidence of their manifestation is the presence of the Forel hatching on the surface of the facets of the hoarfrost crystals appearing due to the different optical density of alternating zones, which consist of interpenetrating domains of crystallized solid aerosols and ice. At the same time, due to the presence of temperature inversion over the snow cover and its drying effect on the near-snow layer of air, a stable mass transport of water vapor down to the snow cover is formed, which can initiate the flow of fine cryohydrates from the PAHs. Therefore, the growth of atmospheric ice crystals, begun in the surface atmosphere, continues on the snow surface during formation of hoarfrost, thus creating a special nano-relief of snow cover. The paper presents the results of observations of changes in the concentration of individual PAHs in the upper 18 mm layer of snow at accumulation of the surface hoarfrost during a long period between snowfalls. Some micro-morphological features of the forms of skeletal rime micro-crystals are shown, with which an increase in the nano-roughness of the snow surface is associated, as well as the manifestation of the signal of the aerogenic PAH anomaly on the snow surface. Since the conditions for the formation of surface hoarfrost occur more often than for snowfalls, the hoarfrost may be an informative object of testing when detecting hydrocarbon contamination of snow cover during the intervals between snowfalls