Abstract: The paper presents the results of the study of atmospheric aerosols in the Siberian region. This research was focused on studying the chemical and biological characteristics of both natural and pollution aerosols in this vast territory of the Asian part of the former Soviet Union (FSU). The data received within the frame of this project formed the basis for the evaluation of the impact of these aerosols on the Arctic region and the global climate. The Asian part of FSU is of scientific interest in the context of environmental chemistry, air pollution and study of atmospheric aerosols, The specific relevance of aerosol research in Siberia is as follows. There are areas that are very remote from industrial or densely populated centres, In these circumstances, aerosol characterization contributes to the definition of global continental “background”) or “baseline” aerosol, i.e, the aerosol which should occur in natural circumstances and on which all pollution is superimposed. Recently, in the context of global and long-term climatic changes, baseline aerosols and long-range transport of particulate air pollutants have become a topic of much debate, This is because it has been thought that aerosols might compensate for the well-known greenhouse effect to a significant. In this context, more and more attention is being paid to long-range effects of continental aerosols on the polar regions. Research in Norway and Alaska showed that Western or Central Siberia may be a very important source of pollutants affecting the air composition in the Arctic region. Cities and regions in south Siberia are enormously polluted by heavy metals, the level of pollution being many times higher than in the Western world, thus the health of local population is seriously affected. In most cases, gigantic point sources are in the area, which is simple from the viewpoint of environmental chemistry and unambiguous results should be obtained easily. Atmospheric deposition is a possible cause of the existence of heavy metals in the southern part of Lake Baikal. in the northern part of the lake, the environment is unpolluted. However in the southern part of the lake is considerably threatened by pollution from Baikalsk wood-pulp mill and industrial enterprises of Irkutsk, Angarsk,

Abstract: A modelling approach is presented that determines the most cost-effective set of reduction measures to reach an in-stream concentration target. The framework is based on the coupling of two models: the hydrological water quality model SWAT and an economic optimization model (Environmental Costing Model, ECM). SWAT is used to determine the relationship between the modelled in-stream concentration at the river basin outlet and the associated emission reduction. The ECM is used to set up marginal abatement cost curves for nutrients and oxygen demanding substances. Results for nitrogen are presented for the Grote Nete river basin in Belgium for the year 2006. Results show that the good status for total nitrogen can be reached in the study area. The most cost-effective measures are more productive dairy cattle, implementing basic measures as defined in the WFD, winter cover crops, improved efficiency of WWTP, enhanced fodder efficiency for pigs, further treatment of industrial waste water and tuned fertilization. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Nearly 200 terms commonly used in radioanalytical chemistry are unambiguously defined. The list is partially based on an earlier IUPAC-glossary (Pure Appl. Chem. 54 (1982) 1533-1554), but some modifications have been made, terms related to nuclear physics and technology have not been reconsidered and numerous new entries from the realm of radiometric analysis, radioimmunoassay and related techniques have been included.

Abstract: Ibis work illustrates the development of X-ray fluorescence tomography and polycapillary based confocal imaging towards a three-dimensional (313), quantitative analytical method with lateral resolution levels down to the 2-20 mum scale. Detailed analytical characterization is given for polycapillary based confocal XRF imaging, which is a new variant of the 3D micro-XRF technique. Applications for 2D/3D micro-XR-F are illustrated for the analysis of biological (zooplankton) and geological samples (microscopic inclusions in natural diamonds and fluid inclusions in quartz). Based on confocal imaging, fully three-dimensional distributions of trace elements could be obtained, representing a significant generalization of the regular 2D scanning technique for micro-XRF spectroscopy. The experimental work described in this paper has been carried out at the ESRF ID18F microfluorescence end-station and at HASYLAB Beam Line L.

Abstract: The experiments conducted are focused on natural organic substances, removal from water in ion-exchange process, ultrafiltration process and ion exchange-ultrafiltration integrated process. The water from the Odra River and model solution were investigated. In treatment processes, various doses of 5 anion-exchange resins as well as polyethersulphone membranes with different cut-offs were used. The efficiency of process was determined by measuring a decrease both in the colour intensity and the UV 254 nm absorbance. The results show that separation efficiency in integrated process depends on resin dose added to water before ultrafiltration and on the membrane cut-off as well. Among the resins tested the most efficient was MIEX (R) resin. The ion-exchange process carried out prior to the ultrafiltration increased, especially for high cut-off membranes, NOM retention and resulted in the decrease of membrane fouling intensity.

Abstract: Estimating personal exposure to air pollution is a crucial component in identifying high-risk populations and situations. It will enable policy makers to determine efficient control strategies. Cycling is again becoming a favorite mode of transport both in developing and in developed countries due to increasing traffic congestion and environmental concerns. in Europe, it is also seen as a healthy sports activity. However, due to high levels of hazardous pollutants in the present day road microenvironment the cyclist might be at a higher health risk due to higher breathing rate and proximity to the vehicular exhaust. In this paper we present estimates of the exposure of a cyclist to particles of various size fractions including ultrafine particles (UFP) in the town of Mol (Flanders, Belgium). The results indicate relatively higher UFP concentration exposure during morning office hours and moderate UFP levels during afternoon. The major sources of UFP and PM(10) were identified, which are vehicular emission and construction activities, respectively. We also present a dust mapping technique which can be a useful tool for town planners and local policy makers. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Determination of count losses and pile-up pulse effects in quantitative and qualitative analysis became a vital step in various analyses. Therefore, compensating for counting losses is of importance. These counting losses are due to the pulse pile-up, paralyzable and non-paralyzable system dead time or a combination of these mechanisms. In this work, a new method is suggested for the correction of dead time losses resulting from the above mechanisms. For this purpose, a source code was developed. It was found that the peaking time was an important parameter over system dead time. The method suggested seems to be more effective even at high count rate. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the dispersion of ultrafine particles and its spatial distribution in a street canyon and its neighbourhood with the 3D CFD model ENVI-met®. The performance of the model at street scale is evaluated and the importance of the boundary conditions like wind field and traffic emissions on the UFP concentration is demonstrated. To support and validate the modelled results, a short-term measurement campaign was conducted in a street canyon in Antwerp, Belgium. The UFP concentration was measured simultaneously with P-TRACK (TSI Model 8525) at four different locations in the canyon. The modelled UFP concentrations compare well with the measured data (correlation coefficient R from 0.44 to 0.93) within the standard deviation of the measurements. Despite the moderate traffic flow in the street canyon, UFP concentrations in the canyon are in general double of the background concentrations, indicating the high local contribution for this particle number concentration. Some of the observed concentration profiles are not resembled by the model simulations. For these specific anomalies, further analysis is performed and plausible explanations are put forward. The role of wind direction and traffic emissions is investigated. The performance evaluation of ENVI-met® shows that in general the model qualitatively and quantitatively describes the dispersion of UFP in the street canyon study.

Abstract: The goal of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the fume formation rate, welding conditions, chemical composition of welding fume particles and their size. In the range from 0.25 to 16 μm aerodynamic diameter, three distinct types of welding fume particles were identified in the welder's breathing zone. The elemental composition of each type depended completely on the used welding materials, and reflects their mechanism of formation. Their relative abundance in the welding fume appeared to be dependent on the electrode coating, as well as the heat input during welding.