Air Pollution Control in China: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 September 2024 | Viewed by 5883

Special Issue Editor

School Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology—Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: plasma; atmospheric particulate matter; VOCs governance; catalyst
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution control can be understood in three aspects. One refers to the use of laws to limit or prohibit the spread of pollutants. This requires determining which substances should be restricted and to what extent. In addition, it is necessary to study the impact of harmful substances on human health, damage to property, harm to aesthetics, the interaction of different pollutants in the atmosphere, and the migration and transformation laws of pollutants in the atmosphere. The second aspect refers to the meaning of "prevention". What methods are used to prevent air pollution from occurring? In addition to eliminating pollution sources that severely damage the environment and ecology, some methods can also reduce the amount of pollutants discharged to a level that does not seriously pollute the atmosphere. The third aspect refers to using scientific methods to deal with pollutants that already exist in the air.

At present, the main air pollutants are the soot, carbon dioxide, and sulfide produced by burning fossil fuels, as well as the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides emitted from automobile exhaust. China’s past economic growth relied on fossil fuel consumption to a large extent, causing serious air pollution problems. Solving the contradiction between economic growth and pollution improvement has become the key to China’s development as an ecological civilization. Since 2013, China has taken many measures to address air pollution and has achieved many successes. However, air quality is still not optimistic, and it is still necessary to continue to increase efforts to prevent and control air pollution. The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide the latest research on the progress, challenges, and future development prospects of China's air pollution control. Manuscripts on various aspects of China’s air pollution control are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Tao Zhu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • control
  • prevention

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

21 pages, 6262 KiB  
Article
The Behavior and Removal of Condensable Particulate Matter in Flue Gas in a Multi-Field Force: A Modeling and Experimental Study
by Wenting Liu, Xinde Zhang, Zhiyong Zhou and Jianyi Lu
Atmosphere 2024, 15(3), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15030250 - 21 Feb 2024
Viewed by 556
Abstract
Condensable particulate matter (CPM) is different from filterable particulate matter (FPM), which could escape from air pollution control devices (APCDs) and pose a great threat to the environment and human health. Thus, modeling and experimental studies were conducted on CPM particle behavior and [...] Read more.
Condensable particulate matter (CPM) is different from filterable particulate matter (FPM), which could escape from air pollution control devices (APCDs) and pose a great threat to the environment and human health. Thus, modeling and experimental studies were conducted on CPM particle behavior and removal, in a cold electrode electrostatic precipitator (CE−ESP) coupled with a electric field, temperature field and concentration field. A multi−field force coupling model was then established that was based on the mechanical behavior of particles inside the CE−ESP. The results showed that temperature field was beneficial to depositing small size particles and that, the greater the temperature gradient, the higher CPM’s removal efficiency. While the electric field tended to gather larger size particles, the greater the voltage provided, the higher the removal efficiency for CPM and FPM. In the multi−field, the augmented coagulation and the removal efficiencies of both CPM and FPM increased significantly, reaching 89% and 98%, respectively. Subsequently, experiments were conducted by a self−made CE−ESP device, which showed the removal efficiencies of CE−ESP of a CPM in a multi−field were 91% and 81% for a coal−fired power plant and a waste incineration plant, respectively. This research could make a great contribution to CPM condensation, aggregation and removal. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 24035 KiB  
Article
Composition and Reactivity of Volatile Organic Compounds and the Implications for Ozone Formation in the North China Plain
by Saimei Hao, Qiyue Du, Xiaofeng Wei, Huaizhong Yan, Miao Zhang, Youmin Sun, Shijie Liu, Lianhuan Fan and Guiqin Zhang
Atmosphere 2024, 15(2), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15020213 - 09 Feb 2024
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Enhanced ozone (O3) pollution has emerged as a pressing environmental concern in China, particularly for densely populated megacities and major city clusters. However, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the key precursors to O3 formation, have not been routinely measured. In this [...] Read more.
Enhanced ozone (O3) pollution has emerged as a pressing environmental concern in China, particularly for densely populated megacities and major city clusters. However, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the key precursors to O3 formation, have not been routinely measured. In this study, we characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of VOCs and examine the role of VOCs in O3 production in five cities (Dongying (DY), Rizhao (RZ), Yantai (YT), Weihai (WH), and Jinan (JN)) in the North China Plain (NCP) for two sampling periods (June and December) in 2021 through continuous field observations. Among various VOC categories, alkanes accounted for the largest proportion of VOCs in the cities. For VOCs, chemical reactivities, aromatic hydrocarbons, and alkenes were dominant contributors to O3 formation potential (OFP). Unlike inland regions, the contribution to OFP from OVOCs increased greatly at high O3 concentrations in coastal regions (especially YT). Model simulations during the O3 episode show that the net O3 production rates were 27.87, 10.24, and 10.37 ppbv/h in DY, RZ, and JN. The pathway of HO2 + NO contributed the most to O3 production in JN and RZ, while RO2 + NO was the largest contributor to O3 production in DY. The relative incremental reactivity (RIR) revealed that O3 formation in DY was the transitional regime, while it was markedly the VOC-limited regime in JN and RZ. The O3 production response is influenced by NOx concentration and has a clear daily variation pattern (the sensitivity is greater from 15:00 to 17:00). The most efficiencies in O3 reduction could be achieved by reducing NOx when the NOx concentration is low (less than 20 ppbv in this study). This study reveals the importance of ambient VOCs in O3 production over the NCP and demonstrates that a better grasp of VOC sources and profiles is critical for in-depth O3 regulation in the NCP. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1012 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Prediction Model of Air Pollutant Concentration for PM2.5 and PM10
by Yanrong Ma, Jun Ma and Yifan Wang
Atmosphere 2023, 14(7), 1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14071106 - 02 Jul 2023
Viewed by 737
Abstract
To alleviate the negative effects of air pollution, this paper explores a mixed prediction model of pollutant concentration based on the machine learning method. Firstly, in order to improve the prediction performance of the sparrow search algorithm least square support vector machine (SSA-LSSVM), [...] Read more.
To alleviate the negative effects of air pollution, this paper explores a mixed prediction model of pollutant concentration based on the machine learning method. Firstly, in order to improve the prediction performance of the sparrow search algorithm least square support vector machine (SSA-LSSVM), a reverse learning strategy-lens principle is introduced, and a better solution is obtained by optimizing the current solution and reverse solution at the same time. Secondly, according to the nonlinear and non-stationary characteristics of the time series data of PM2.5 and PM10, the variational mode decomposition (VMD) method is used to decompose the original data to obtain the appropriate K value. Finally, experimental verification and an empirical analysis are carried out. In experiment 1, we verified the good performance of the model on University of California Irvine Machine Learning Repository (UCI) datasets. In experiment 2, we predicted the pollutant data of different cities in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region in different time periods, and obtained five error results and compared them with six other algorithms. The results show that the prediction method in this paper has good robustness and the expected results can be obtained under different prediction conditions. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4058 KiB  
Article
A Two-Stage Hybrid Model for Determining the Scopes and Priorities of Joint Air Pollution Control
by Pingle Yang, Hongru Yi, Laijun Zhao and Luping Chen
Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050891 - 19 May 2023
Viewed by 971
Abstract
Due to the spillover nature of air pollution, the territorial separate governance mode is ineffective in combating pollution, making Joint Prevention and Control of Air Pollution (JPCAP) among multiple regions the only viable option. However, determining the appropriate scopes and priorities for JPCAP [...] Read more.
Due to the spillover nature of air pollution, the territorial separate governance mode is ineffective in combating pollution, making Joint Prevention and Control of Air Pollution (JPCAP) among multiple regions the only viable option. However, determining the appropriate scopes and priorities for JPCAP is known to be a challenging and significant issue. To address this, we propose a new two-stage hybrid model. In the first stage, making use of long-term, wide area monitoring data provided by the air pollution monitoring network, we propose a new method for subdividing large regions into sub-regions by using data mining techniques. In the second stage, we propose a comprehensive decision-making framework to evaluate the priorities of JPCAP sub-regions from three different perspectives, namely, the impact of a sub-region on the pollution level of the entire target region, as well as the urgency and elasticity of sub-regional air pollution control. A case study is conducted on 27 cities of the Yangtze River Delta region of China. The case study demonstrates the validity and practicality of the proposed two-stage hybrid model. This work provides a viable tool for the effective implementation of air pollution control in China and other regions of the world. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

30 pages, 3704 KiB  
Review
Deactivation Mechanism and Anti-Deactivation Measures of Metal Catalyst in the Dry Reforming of Methane: A Review
by Bo Yuan, Tao Zhu, Yiwei Han, Xueli Zhang, Meidan Wang and Chen Li
Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050770 - 23 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2410
Abstract
In recent decades, the massive emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere has had a serious impact on the ecological environment. The dry reforming of carbon dioxide and methane to syngas cannot only realize the resource utilization [...] Read more.
In recent decades, the massive emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere has had a serious impact on the ecological environment. The dry reforming of carbon dioxide and methane to syngas cannot only realize the resource utilization of methane and carbon dioxide but also reduce global climate change. It is of great significance in carbon emission reduction. Owing to the dry reforming of methane (DRM) being a strongly endothermic reaction, it needs to be carried out under high-temperature conditions. It makes the catalyst have problems of the sintering of metal, carbon deposition, and poisoning. This article revolves around the problem of catalyst deactivation during the DRM reaction. It expands upon the thermodynamics and mechanisms of the DRM reaction, analyzes the causes of metal catalyst deactivation due to carbon deposition, sintering, and poisoning, and summarizes how the active components, supports, and additives of metal catalysts restrain the DRM catalyst deactivation during the reaction. The analysis revealed that changing the type and size of the active metal, adjusting the properties of the support, and adding additives can further regulate the dispersion of the active component, the interaction between the active component and the support, the oxygen vacancies of the support, and the acidity and basicity of the catalyst surface, ultimately achieving control over the metal catalyst’s resistance to sintering, carbon deposition, and sulfur poisoning. In addition, it discusses the application of metal catalysts in photothermal and plasma-catalyzed DRM. Finally, it outlines the prospects for research on metal catalysts for the DRM. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop