Mobile source and livestock feed contributions to regional ozone formation in Central California.

A three-dimensional air quality model with 8 km horizontal resolution was applied to estimate the summertime ozone (O(3)) production from mobile sources and fermented livestock feed in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) during years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Previous studies have estimated that animal feed emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have greater O(3) formation potential than mobile-source VOC emissions when averaging across the entire SJV. The higher spatial resolution in the current study shows that the proximity of oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)) and VOC emissions from mobile sources enhances their O(3) formation potential. Livestock feed VOC emissions contributed 3-4 ppb of peak O(3) (8-h average) in Tulare County and 1-2 ppb throughout the remainder of the SJV during the CCOS 2000 July-August episode. In total, livestock feed contributed ~3.5 tons of the ground level peak O(3) (8 h average) in the SJV region, and mobile VOC contributed ~12 tons in this episode. O(3) production from mobile sources is declining over time in response to emissions control plans that call for cleaner fuels and engines with advanced emissions controls. Projecting forward to the year 2020, mobile-source VOC emissions are predicted to produce ~3 tons of the ground level peak O(3)(8-h average) and livestock feed VOC emissions are predicted to contribute ~2.5 tons making these sources nearly equivalent.

Determination of volatile organic compound emissions and ozone formation from spraying solvent-based pesticides.

Large-scale agricultural activities have come under scrutiny for possible contributions to the emission of ozone precursors. The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California is an area with intense agricultural activity that exceeds the federal ozone standards for more than 30 to 40 d yr(-1) and the more stringent state standards for more than 100 d yr(-1). Pesticides are used widely in both agricultural and residential subregions of the SJV, but the largest use, by weight of "active ingredient," is in agriculture. The objective of the study was to determine the role of pesticide application on airborne volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentrations and ozone formation in the SJV. The ozone formation from the pesticide formulation sprayed on commercial orchards was studied using two transportable smog chambers at four application sites during the summers of 2007 and 2008. In addition to the direct measurements of ozone formation, airborne VOC concentrations were measured before and after pesticide spraying using canister and sorbent tube sampling techniques. Soil VOC concentrations were also measured to understand the distribution of VOCs between different environmental compartments. Numerous VOCs were detected in the air and soil samples throughout the experiment but higher molecular weight aromatic hydrocarbons were the primary compounds observed in elevated concentrations immediately after pesticide spraying. Measurements indicate that the ozone concentration formed by VOC downwind of the orchard may increase up to 15 ppb after pesticide application, with a return back to prespray levels after 1 to 2 d.

Developing Global Leaders for Research, Regulation, and Stewardship of Crop Protection Chemistry in the 21st Century.

To provide sufficient food and fiber to the increasing global population, the technologies associated with crop protection are growing ever more sophisticated but, at the same time, societal expectations for the safe use of crop protection chemistry tools are also increasing. The goal of this perspective is to highlight the key issues that face future leaders in crop protection, based on presentations made during a symposium titled "Developing Global Leaders for Research, Regulation and Stewardship of Crop Protection Chemistry in the 21st Century", held in conjunction with the IUPAC 13th International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry in San Francisco, CA, USA, during August 2014. The presentations highlighted the fact that leaders in crop protection must have a good basic scientific training and understand new and evolving technologies, are aware of the needs of both developed and developing countries, and have good communication skills. Concern is expressed over the apparent lack of resources to meet these needs, and ideas are put forward to remedy these deficiencies.

Direct measurements of the ozone formation potential from livestock and poultry waste emissions.

The global pattern of expanding urban centers and increasing agricultural intensity is leading to more frequent interactions between air pollution emissions from urban and agricultural sources. The confluence of these emissions that traditionally have been separated by hundreds of kilometers is creating new air quality challenges in numerous regions across the United States. An area of particular interest is California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV), which has an agricultural output higher than many countries, a rapidly expanding human population, and ozone concentrations that are already higher than many dense urban areas. New regulations in the SJV restrict emissions of reactive organic gases (ROGs) from animal sources in an attempt to meet Federal and State ozone standards designed to protect human health. The objective of this work is to directly measure the ozone formation potential (OFP) of agricultural animal plus waste sources in representative urban and rural atmospheres using a transportable "smog" chamber. Four animal types were examined: beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, and poultry. Emissions from each animal plus waste type were captured in a 1 m(3) Teflon bag, mixed with representative background NO(x) and ROG concentrations, and then exposed to UV radiation so that ozone formation could be quantified. The emitted ROG composition was also measured so that the theoretical incremental reactivity could be calculated for a variety of atmospheres and directly compared with the measured OFP under the experimental conditions. The results demonstrate that OFP associated with waste ROG emissions from swine (0.39 +/- 0.04 g-O(3) per g-ROG), beef cattle (0.51 +/- 0.10 g-O(3) per g-ROG), and dairy cattle (0.42 +/- 0.07 g-O(3) per g-ROG) are lower than OFP associated with ROG emissions from gasoline powered light-duty vehicles (LDV) (0.69 +/- 0.05 g-O(3) per g-ROG). The OFP of ROG emitted from poultry waste (1.35 +/- 0.73 g-O(3) per g-ROG) is approximately double the LDV OFP. The measured composition of ROG emitted from animal plus waste sources is nine times less reactive than the current regulatory profiles that are based on dated measurements. The new animal waste ROG OFP measurements combined with adjusted animal waste ROG emissions inventory estimates predict that actual ozone production in the SJV from livestock and poultry (5.7 +/- 1.3 tons O(3) day(-1)) is 40 +/- 10% of the ozone produced by light duty gasoline vehicles (14.3 +/- 1.4 tons O(3) day(-1)) under constant NO(x) conditions.

Reactive organic gas emissions from livestock feed contribute significantly to ozone production in central California.

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in California currently experiences some of the highest surface ozone (O(3)) concentrations in the United States even though it has a population density that is an order of magnitude lower than many urban areas with similar ozone problems. Previously unrecognized agricultural emissions may explain why O(3) concentrations in the SJV have not responded to traditional emissions control programs. In the present study, the ozone formation potentials (OFP) of livestock feed emissions were measured on representative field samples using a transportable smog chamber. Seven feeds were considered: cereal silage (wheat grain and oat grain), alfalfa silage, corn silage, high moisture ground corn (HMGC), almond shells, almond hulls, and total mixed ration (TMR = 55% corn silage, 16% corn grain, 8% almond hulls, 7% hay, 7% bran + seeds, and 5% protein + vitamins + minerals). The measured short-term OFP for each gram of reactive organic gas (ROG) emissions from all livestock feed was 0.17-0.41 g-O(3) per g-ROG. For reference, OFP of exhaust from light duty gasoline powered cars under the same conditions is 0.69 +/- 0.15 g-O(3) per g-ROG. Model calculations were able to reproduce the ozone formation from animal feeds indicating that the measured ROG compounds account for the observed ozone formation (i.e., ozone closure was achieved). Ethanol and other alcohol species accounted for more than 50% of the ozone formation for most types of feed. Aldehydes were also significant contributors for cereal silage, high moisture ground corn, and total mixed ration. Ozone production calculations based on feed consumption rates, ROG emissions rates, and OFP predict that animal feed emissions dominate the ROG contributions to ozone formation in the SJV with total production of 25 +/- 10 t O(3) day(-1). The next most significant ROG source of ozone production in the SJV is estimated to be light duty vehicles with total production of 14.3 +/- 1.4 t O(3) day(-1). The majority of the animal feed ozone formation is attributed to corn silage. Future work should be conducted to reduce the uncertainty of ROG emissions from animal feeds in the SJV and to include this significant source of ozone formation in regional airshed models.

UV air cleaners and upper-room air ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for controlling airborne bacteria and fungal spores.

In-room air cleaners (ACs) and upper-room air ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) are engineering control technologies that can help reduce the concentrations of airborne bacteria and fungal spores in the indoor environment. This study investigated six different types of ACs and quantified their ability to remove and/or inactivate airborne bacteria and fungal spores. Four of the air cleaners incorporated UV lamp(s) into their flow path. In addition, the efficacy of combining ACs with upper-room air UVGI was investigated. With the ventilation system providing zero or six air changes per hour, the air cleaners were tested separately or with the upper-room air UVGI system in operation in an 87-m3 test room. Active bacteria cells and fungal spores were aerosolized into the room such that their numbers and physiologic state were comparable both with and without air cleaning and upper-room air UVGI. In addition, the disinfection performance of a UV-C lamp internal to one of the ACs was evaluated by estimating the percentage of airborne bacteria cells and fungal spores captured on the air filter medium surface that were inactivated with UV exposure. Average airborne microbial clean air delivery rates (CADRm) varied between 26-981 m3 hr-1 depending on the AC, and between 1480-2370 m3 hr-1, when using air cleaners in combination with upper-room air UVGI. Culturing, direct microscopy, and optical particle counting revealed similar CADRm. The ACs performed similarly when challenged with three different microorganisms. Testing two of the ACs showed that no additional air cleaning was provided with the operation of an internal UV-C lamp; the internal UV-C lamps, however, inactivated 75% of fungal spores and 97% of bacteria cells captured in the air filter medium within 60 min.