The CO2 emission activity of xylotrophic fungi responding to an increase in temperature in the range of 10-30 °C with pure dikaryotic cultures of Fomes fomentarius s. str., F. inzengae, Fomitopsis betulina, F. pinicola, and Phellinus igniarius was analyzed. Emission activity was assessed by the difference in CO2 concentration in 0.5 L exposure chambers with Petri dishes with mycelium growing on agar at the beginning of exposure and an hour later using a Gasmet DX-4030 FTIR spectrometer (Gasmet Technologies Oy, Finland), error measurements ±50 ppm. Specific (μg CO2/cm2/h) and total (μg CO2/h) emission activity and its relationship with temperature and size (area) of the mycelium were assessed. It is shown that in the range of 10-30 °C, the specific and total CO2 emission activity of the mycelium is closely and positively related to temperature. Specific emission, which is an indicator of the respiratory activity of the mycelium, does not depend on its size; its only driver is temperature, the relationship with which is linear: an increase in temperature by 10 °C causes an increase in the specific emission activity of the mycelium by 1.7 times. The total CO2 emission activity, which is an indicator of the total amount of CO2 emitted, is directly proportional to the specific emission activity and the size of the mycelium. In the range of 10-30 °C, an increase in temperature causes an almost equal increase in both the specific emission activity of the mycelium (Q10 1.7) and its growth (Q10 1.5) and causes an exponential increase in the total emission of CO2. This must be taken into account when predicting CO2 emissions from woody debris under climate change, as it could potentially contribute to accelerating climate change.

The scavenging process significantly affects the combustion and emission performance of marine low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel engines. Optimizing scavenging air pressure and temperature can enhance the engine\'s combustion efficiency and emission control performance, thereby achieving more environmentally friendly and efficient operation of dual-fuel engines. This study focuses on marine low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel engines, analyzing the effects of scavenging air pressure (3.0 bar, 3.25 bar, 3.5 bar, and 3.75 bar) and scavenging air temperature (293 K, 303 K, and 313 K) on engine performance and emission products. The results indicate that scavenging air pressure has a greater impact on engine performance than scavenging air temperature. An increase in scavenging air pressure leads to higher thermal efficiency and power. As the scavenging air pressure increases from 3 to 3.75 bar, the indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) increases from 44.02 to 53.26%, and indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) increases by approximately 0.35 MPa. Increased scavenging air pressure improves nitrogen oxide (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC) emissions. For every 0.25 bar increase in scavenging air pressure, NOx emissions decrease by 3.53%, HC emissions decrease by 33.35%, while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increase by 0.71%. An increase in scavenging air temperature leads to lower ITE and IMEP. As the air temperature changes from 293 to 313 K, the ITE decreases by approximately 1%, and IMEP decreases by about 0.04 MPa. Increased scavenging air temperature improves CO2 emissions. For every 10 K increase in the air temperature, the CO2 emissions decrease by 0.02%, while NOx emissions increase by 4.84%, HC emissions increase by 34.39%. Therefore, controlling scavenging air pressure is more important than scavenging air temperature in the operational management of marine two-stroke engines. Higher power and lower NOx and HC emissions can be achieved by increasing the scavenging air pressure.

South Africa faces the urgency to comprehensively understand and manage its methane (CH4) emissions. The primary aim of this study is to compare CH4 concentrations between Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga regions dominated by cattle farming and coal mining industries, respectively. CH4 concentration trends were analyzed for the period 2019 to 2023 using satellite data. Trend analysis revealed significant increasing trends in CH4 concentrations in both provinces, supported by Mann-Kendall tests that rejected the null hypothesis of no trend (Eastern Cape: p-value = 8.9018e-08 and Mpumalanga: p-value = 2.4650e-10). The Eastern Cape, a leading cattle farming province, exhibited cyclical patterns and increasing CH4 concentrations, while Mpumalanga, a major coal mining province, displayed similar increasing trends with sharper concentration points. The results show seasonal variations in CH4 concentrations in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces. High CH4 concentrations are observed in the northwestern region during the December-January-February (DJF) season, while lower concentrations are observed in the March-April-May (MAM) and June-July-August (JJA) seasons in the Eastern Cape province. In the Mpumalanga province, there is a dominance of high CH4 concentrations in southwestern regions and moderately low concentrations in the northeastern regions, observed consistently across all seasons. The study also showed an increasing CH4 concentration trend from 2019 to 2023 for both provinces. The study highlights the urgent need to address CH4 emissions from both cattle farming and coal mining activities to mitigate environmental impacts and promote sustainable development. Utilizing geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing technologies, policymakers and stakeholders can identify and address the sources of CH4 emissions more effectively, thereby contributing to environmental conservation and sustainable resource management.

Epileptic power supply in Sub-Saharan countries of Africa has warranted the use of power generators as an alternative source of power supply. Exhaust emission from these generators is associated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs). Hence, this study focused on the determination of levels of PAHs in the emission of different brands of power generators used in Nigeria. Exhaust emissions of different power generators were sampled using a filter-sorbent sampling system with polyurethane foam (PUF) as an adsorbent material. Analysis of PAHs was carried out using a Gas Chromatograph coupled to a mass selective detector (GC- MS) operated on Electron Ionization (EI) mode. The results showed the ∑ PAHs range 14.91-26.0 μ g m - 3 . Bap was the most abundant of all the compounds with a concentration of 2.6 μ g m - 3 with a range of 2.08-3.07 μ g m - 3 . The Incremental Life Cancer Risk (ILCR) values of all the generator\'s emission sampled are higher than 10- 4 for both children and adult which indicate a high potential cancer risk from inhalation of emission from these generators while Hazard Quotient (HQ) values from all the power generating set in this study are all above 1 which indicated high associated non-carcinogenic. The study revealed the levels of PAHs associated with the emission of power generators in Nigeria.

Exhaust emissions, which count among the most common causes of premature death worldwide, can cause irreversible changes in cells, leading to their damage or degeneration. In this research, L929 line cells were observed after exposure in the BAT-CELL chamber to exhaust gases emitted from a Euro 6 compression-ignition engine. Real road traffic conditions were simulated, taking into account air resistance while driving at speeds of 50 km/h, 120 km/h and idling engine. Morphological analysis of the cells was performed using an environmental scanning electron microscope. It has been observed that diesel exhaust fumes can cause inflammation, which can induce apoptosis or leads to necrotic cell death. The impact of the vehicle exhaust gases can inhibit cell proliferation by almost three times. Moreover, a correlation has been observed between the speed of the inflammatory reaction in cells and the presence of specific hydrocarbon compounds that determine the toxicity of exhaust gases. Research has shown that the toxicity of the emitted exhaust gases has been the highest at the driving speed of 120 km/h. In order to reduce the harmful effects of exhaust emissions, ecological alternatives and the supplementation of legal provisions regarding the compounds subject to limitation are necessary.

In this study, a vehicle model was developed to examine the performance of a gasoline-powered vehicle and a vehicle with a serial-hybrid-drive system. An extra-downsized gasoline hybrid engine was used as a range extender in the vehicle model. Utilizing OBD II output to collect data, engine data for a sample vehicle was established with a neural network. Vehicle models were subsequently built using Matlab Simulink to complete the study. A comparison was made between the vehicle equipped with a serial-hybrid-drive system and the one with a gasoline engine-powered system regarding their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for NEDC (New European Drive Cycle) and WLTC (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle) Class 2 cruise cycles. Based on two driving cycles with different speed-time profiles, the results demonstrate the significant impact that powertrains can have on a vehicle\'s efficiency and performance, particularly during the transition from NEDC to WLTC which takes into account higher speeds, dynamic driving cycles, and factors such as air conditioning usage. Based on the findings, there was a 3.3% rise in CO2 emissions during an NEDC driving cycle with an additional downsized serial-hybrid-drive system. However, the opposite occurred during the WLTC driving cycle, resulting in a 1.7% decline in the serial-hybrid vehicle\'s fuel consumption and emissions performance.

The implications of adding cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles as a fuel additive to a castor oil biodiesel-diesel fuel blend on engine performance and emissions in a single-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine under various speed were examined in the current study. The test fuels used were fossil diesel fuels, B5 blend biodiesel (as 5% biodiesel and 95% diesel), B10 blend biodiesel (as 10% biodiesel and 90% diesel), B15 blend biodiesel (as 15% biodiesel and 85% diesel), B20 blend biodiesel (as 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel), and B25 blend biodiesel (as 25% biodiesel and 75% diesel), with cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticle additive (75 ppm). The result of the physio-chemical properties of the oil samples was within the limit of the ASTM standard. The addition of CeO2 nano additive to the biodiesel-diesel blends has demonstrated a significant reduction in emission and increased in engine performance for all biodiesel-diesel blends for the engine operating speed range. From the result B25 have the maximum reduction rate in BSFC and B10 have the minimum reduction rate in BSFC. The average maximum increment of thermal efficiency was 22.2% for B10 with CeO2 inclusion. CO emission increased as engine speed increased. HC emission was reduced for all blend, with and without CeO2 nano additions as speed increased. Maximum NOx emission was seen at the rated speed of 2700 rpm without nano additive and at 2900 rpm with nano additive. CeO2 nano additive reduced the soot opacity by 11.56% for all biodiesel-diesel blends for the engine operating speed range. As the objective of this study the results indicates CeO2 nano additive reduced emissions and improved the performance. So, using sustainable biodiesel-diesel blends made from castor oil with CeO2 nano additive advisable in ideal operating conditions for diesel engines.

The study investigates the effect of ethanol and Moringa antioxidant on the performance and emission characteristics of a Soybean biodiesel blend (B15, B20, and B25) using a direct injection, four-stroke, naturally aspirated, water-cooled single-cylinder diesel engine equipped with SCADA software. The effect of reaction parameters on FAEE yield such as, time, catalyst concentration, molar ratio of alcohol to oil, and blending quality, was optimized using the one factor at a time experimental technique. The maximum yield of 97.8% biodiesel was produced at the ideal catalyst concentration, blending quality, alcohol to oil molar ratio, and time of 1 h, are 1%, 12:1, and 500 rpm, respectively. The Rancimat method was used to assess the oxidative stability of pure biodiesel after the natural antioxidant (extracted from Moringa leaf) was added at concentrations of 1500, 2500, 3500, and 4500 ppm. The addition of antioxidants to biodiesel significantly increased its induction time from 4.52 to 19.98 h. Brake-thermal efficiency increased by 4.4% whereas brake-specific fuel consumptions decreased by 4.6% for B15E2M (15% SB+2E + M) when compared to B15. Emission characteristics of B25E2M showed higher reduction of CO, HC and NOx by 20.27%, 8% and 7% as compared to the B25 respectively. The physicochemical qualities, performance, and emission characteristics of B15 blends with additive are generally comparable to those of diesel fuel. In conclusion, both additives significantly improved the combustion performance of soybean biodiesel blend.

The high environmental concentrations, persistence, and toxicity of synthetic musk compounds (SMCs) necessitate a better grasp of their fate in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To investigate the importance of WWTPs as pathways of SMCs to the environment, air and wastewater samples were collected at four WWTPs in Ontario, Canada. Polycyclic musks (PCMs) were present at higher concentrations than nitro musks (NMs) and macrocyclic musks (MCMs). Three PCMs [galaxolide (HHCB), tonalide (AHTN), and iso-E super (OTNE)] were the most abundant compounds (0.30-680 ng/m3 in air, 0.40-15 μg/L in influent, and 0.007-6.0 μg/L in effluent). Analyses of multiyear data suggest that risk management measures put in place have been effective in reducing the release of many SMCs into the environment. The highest removal efficiency, up to almost 100% of some SMCs, was observed for the plant with the longest solid retention time. A fugacity-based model was established to simulate the transport and fate of SMCs in the WWTP, and good agreement was obtained between the measured and modeled values. These findings indicate that the levels of certain SMCs discharged into the atmospheric and aquatic environments were substantial, potentially resulting in exposure to both humans and wildlife.

In this study, the effects of incorporating cerium oxide into diesel and WPO blends were investigated to determine the potential of the blend as a fuel additive. The study aimed to assess engine-performance, emission, and combustion properties of the blend. The experiments utilized a single-cylinder diesel engine, and researchers prepared two different blends of WPO with 25% WPO in diesel and 50% WPO in diesel. Cerium oxide was added to these blends at concentrations of 25 ppm and 50 ppm using an ultrasonicator. The results demonstrated that increasing cerium oxide content in the blend (50 ppm) led to reduced CO, HC, and NOx emissions at higher loads. For instance, B50 + 50 ppm exhibited lower CO and NOx emissions, while B25 + 50 ppm demonstrated lower HC and smoke emissions. Furthermore, raising the CeO2 content from 25 ppm to 50 ppm resulted in a 3% increase in brake thermal efficiency. Moreover, cerium oxide positively impacted combustion and performance properties of the blends. Among the tested blends, the B50 + 50 ppm combination showcased the highest brake thermal efficiency, optimal air-fuel ratio, and the lowest specific fuel consumption. In conclusion, employing cerium oxide as a fuel additive in diesel-WPO blends offers a promising approach for realizing a sustainable and environmentally friendly future.