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PloS One 2018Individuals must have a quantitative understanding of the carbon footprint tied to their everyday decisions to make efficient sustainable decisions. We report research...
Individuals must have a quantitative understanding of the carbon footprint tied to their everyday decisions to make efficient sustainable decisions. We report research of the innumeracy of individuals as it relates to their carbon footprint. In three studies that varied in terms of scale and sample, respondents estimate the quantity of CO2 released when combusting a gallon of gasoline in comparison to several well-known metrics including food calories and travel distance. Consistently, respondents estimated the quantity of CO2 from gasoline compared to other metrics with significantly less accuracy while exhibiting a tendency to underestimate CO2. Such relative absence of carbon numeracy of even a basic consumption habit may limit the effectiveness of environmental policies and campaigns aimed at changing individual behavior. We discuss several caveats as well as opportunities for policy design that could aid the improvement of people's quantitative understanding of their carbon footprint.
Topics: Adult; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Footprint; Conservation of Natural Resources; Decision Making; Female; Gasoline; Greenhouse Effect; Humans; Male; Political Activism; Public Policy; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 29723206
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196282 -
The New England Journal of Medicine Nov 2022Exposure during pregnancy to household air pollution caused by the burning of solid biomass fuel is associated with adverse health outcomes, including low birth weight.... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Exposure during pregnancy to household air pollution caused by the burning of solid biomass fuel is associated with adverse health outcomes, including low birth weight. Whether the replacement of a biomass cookstove with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstove would result in an increase in birth weight is unclear.
METHODS
We performed a randomized, controlled trial involving pregnant women (18 to <35 years of age and at 9 to <20 weeks' gestation as confirmed on ultrasonography) in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. The women were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to use a free LPG cookstove and fuel (intervention group) or to continue using a biomass cookstove (control group). Birth weight, one of four prespecified primary outcomes, was the primary outcome for this report; data for the other three outcomes are not yet available. Birth weight was measured within 24 hours after birth. In addition, 24-hour personal exposures to fine particulate matter (particles with a diameter of ≤2.5 μm [PM]), black carbon, and carbon monoxide were measured at baseline and twice during pregnancy.
RESULTS
A total of 3200 women underwent randomization; 1593 were assigned to the intervention group, and 1607 to the control group. Uptake of the intervention was nearly complete, with traditional biomass cookstoves being used at a median rate of less than 1 day per month. After randomization, the median 24-hour personal exposure to fine particulate matter was 23.9 μg per cubic meter in the intervention group and 70.7 μg per cubic meter in the control group. Among 3061 live births, a valid birth weight was available for 94.9% of the infants born to women in the intervention group and for 92.7% of infants born to those in the control group. The mean (±SD) birth weight was 2921±474.3 g in the intervention group and 2898±467.9 g in the control group, for an adjusted mean difference of 19.6 g (95% confidence interval, -10.1 to 49.2).
CONCLUSIONS
The birth weight of infants did not differ significantly between those born to women who used LPG cookstoves and those born to women who used biomass cookstoves. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; HAPIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02944682.).
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Air Pollution, Indoor; Biomass; Birth Weight; Cooking; Particulate Matter; Petroleum; Infant, Newborn; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult
PubMed: 36214599
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2206734 -
Environmental Science & Technology Jul 2023Exposure pathways to the carcinogen benzene are well-established from tobacco smoke, oil and gas development, refining, gasoline pumping, and gasoline and diesel...
Exposure pathways to the carcinogen benzene are well-established from tobacco smoke, oil and gas development, refining, gasoline pumping, and gasoline and diesel combustion. Combustion has also been linked to the formation of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde indoors from gas stoves. To our knowledge, however, no research has quantified the formation of benzene indoors from gas combustion by stoves. Across 87 homes in California and Colorado, natural gas and propane combustion emitted detectable and repeatable levels of benzene that in some homes raised indoor benzene concentrations above well-established health benchmarks. Mean benzene emissions from gas and propane burners on high and ovens set to 350 °F ranged from 2.8 to 6.5 μg min, 10 to 25 times higher than emissions from electric coil and radiant alternatives; neither induction stoves nor the food being cooked emitted detectable benzene. Benzene produced by gas and propane stoves also migrated throughout homes, in some cases elevating bedroom benzene concentrations above chronic health benchmarks for hours after the stove was turned off. Combustion of gas and propane from stoves may be a substantial benzene exposure pathway and can reduce indoor air quality.
Topics: Air Pollution, Indoor; Benzene; Propane; Gasoline; Household Products; Cooking; Air Pollutants
PubMed: 37319002
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09289 -
Current Opinion in Biotechnology Jun 2017Advances in retooling microorganisms have enabled bioproduction of 'drop-in' biofuels, fuels that are compatible with existing spark-ignition, compression-ignition, and... (Review)
Review
Advances in retooling microorganisms have enabled bioproduction of 'drop-in' biofuels, fuels that are compatible with existing spark-ignition, compression-ignition, and gas-turbine engines. As the majority of petroleum consumption in the United States consists of gasoline (47%), diesel fuel and heating oil (21%), and jet fuel (8%), 'drop-in' biofuels that replace these petrochemical sources are particularly attractive. In this review, we discuss the application of aldehyde decarbonylases to produce gasoline substitutes from fatty acid products, a recently crystallized reductase that could hydrogenate jet fuel precursors from terpene synthases, and the exquisite control of polyketide synthases to produce biofuels with desired physical properties (e.g., lower freezing points). With our increased understanding of biosynthetic logic of metabolic pathways, we discuss the unique advantages of fatty acid, terpene, and polyketide synthases for the production of bio-based gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Topics: Bacteria; Biofuels; Biosynthetic Pathways; Gasoline; Hydrocarbons; Petroleum; Polyketide Synthases; Terpenes
PubMed: 28427010
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.03.004 -
Biodegradation Feb 2023Oily sludge is a residue from the petroleum industry composed of a mixture of sand, water, metals, and high content of hydrocarbons (HCs). The heavy oily sludge used in... (Review)
Review
Oily sludge is a residue from the petroleum industry composed of a mixture of sand, water, metals, and high content of hydrocarbons (HCs). The heavy oily sludge used in this study originated from Colombian crude oil with high density and low American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity. The residual waste from heavy oil processing was subject to thermal and centrifugal extraction, resulting in heavy oily sludge with very high density and viscosity. Biodegradation of the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) was tested in microcosms using several bioremediation approaches, including: biostimulation with bulking agents and nutrients, the surfactant Tween 80, and bioaugmentation. Select HC degrading bacteria were isolated based on their ability to grow and produce clear zones on different HCs. Degradation of TPH in the microcosms was monitored gravimetrically and with gas chromatography (GC). The TPH removal in all treatments ranged between 2 and 67%, regardless of the addition of microbial consortiums, amendments, or surfactants within the tested parameters. The results of this study demonstrated that bioremediation of heavy oily sludge presents greater challenges to achieve regulatory requirements. Additional physicochemical treatments analysis to remediate this recalcitrant material may be required to achieve a desirable degradation rate.
Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Sewage; Soil Pollutants; Oils; Petroleum; Hydrocarbons; Surface-Active Agents
PubMed: 36463546
DOI: 10.1007/s10532-022-10006-1 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Feb 2024Aureobasidium is omnipresent and can be isolated from air, water bodies, soil, wood, and other plant materials, as well as inorganic materials such as rocks and marble.... (Review)
Review
Aureobasidium is omnipresent and can be isolated from air, water bodies, soil, wood, and other plant materials, as well as inorganic materials such as rocks and marble. A total of 32 species of this fungal genus have been identified at the level of DNA, of which Aureobasidium pullulans is best known. Aureobasidium is of interest for a sustainable economy because it can be used to produce a wide variety of compounds, including enzymes, polysaccharides, and biosurfactants. Moreover, it can be used to promote plant growth and protect wood and crops. To this end, Aureobasidium cells adhere to wood or plants by producing extracellular polysaccharides, thereby forming a biofilm. This biofilm provides a sustainable alternative to petrol-based coatings and toxic chemicals. This and the fact that Aureobasidium biofilms have the potential of self-repair make them a potential engineered living material avant la lettre. KEY POINTS: •Aureobasidium produces products of interest to the industry •Aureobasidium can stimulate plant growth and protect crops •Biofinish of A. pullulans is a sustainable alternative to petrol-based coatings •Aureobasidium biofilms have the potential to function as engineered living materials.
Topics: Aureobasidium; Biofilms; Calcium Carbonate; Crops, Agricultural; Gasoline
PubMed: 38349550
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13025-5 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) May 2021The pollution of arable lands and water with petroleum-derived products is still a valid problem, mainly due the extensive works aimed to improve their production...
The pollution of arable lands and water with petroleum-derived products is still a valid problem, mainly due the extensive works aimed to improve their production technology to reduce fuel consumption and protect engines. An example of the upgraded fuels is the BP 98 unleaded petrol with Active technology. A pot experiment was carried out in which Eutric Cambisol soil was polluted with petrol to determine its effect on the microbiological and biochemical properties of this soil. Analyses were carried out to determine soil microbiome composition-with the incubation and metagenomic methods, the activity of seven enzymes, and cocksfoot effect on hydrocarbon degradation. The following indices were determined: colony development index (CD); ecophysiological diversity index (EP); index of cocksfoot effect on soil microorganisms and enzymes (IF); index of petrol effect on soil microorganisms and enzymes (IF); index of the resistance of microorganisms, enzymes, and cocksfoot to soil pollution with petrol (RS); Shannon-Weaver's index of bacterial taxa diversity (H); and Shannon-Weaver's index of hydrocarbon degradation (ID). The soil pollution with petrol was found to increase population numbers of bacteria and fungi, and phylum abundance as well as to decrease the abundance of and phyla. The cultivation of cocksfoot on the petrol-polluted soil had an especially beneficial effect mainly on the bacteria belonging to the , , , and genera. The least susceptible to the soil pollution with petrol and cocksfoot cultivation were the bacteria of the following genera: , , , , , , and . Cocksfoot proved effective in the phytoremediation of petrol-polluted soil, as it accelerated hydrocarbon degradation and increased the genetic diversity of bacteria. It additionally enhanced the activities of soil enzymes.
Topics: Actinobacteria; Actinomycetales; Biodegradation, Environmental; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Gasoline; Hydrocarbons; Metagenome; Microbiota; Petroleum Pollution; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 34062889
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26092664 -
Toxicology Oct 2021Outdoor air pollution is classified as carcinogenic to humans and exposure to it contributes to increased incidence of various diseases, including cardiovascular,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Outdoor air pollution is classified as carcinogenic to humans and exposure to it contributes to increased incidence of various diseases, including cardiovascular, neurological or pulmonary disorders. Vehicle engine emissions represent a significant part of outdoor air pollutants, particularly in large cities with high population density. Considering the potentially negative health impacts of engine emissions exposure, the application of reliable test systems allowing assessment of the biological effects of these pollutants is crucial. The exposure systems should use relevant, preferably multicellular, cell models that are treated with the complete engine exhaust (i.e. a realistic mixture of particles, chemical compounds bound to them and gaseous phase) at the air-liquid interface. The controlled delivery and characterization of chemical and/or particle composition of the exhaust should be possible. In this mini-review we report on such exposure systems that have been developed to date. We focus on a brief description and technical characterization of the systems, and discuss the biological parameters detected following exposure to a gasoline/diesel exhaust. Finally, we summarize and compare findings from the individual systems, including their advantages/limitations.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Animals; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Gasoline; Humans; Vehicle Emissions
PubMed: 34537260
DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2021.152953 -
The Journal of Thoracic and... Apr 2022
Topics: Fires; Gasoline; Humans; Immunotherapy; Interleukin-2
PubMed: 33422309
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.11.139 -
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology... Jan 2023Products of petroleum refining are substances that are both complex and variable. These substances are produced and distributed in high volumes; therefore, they are... (Review)
Review
Products of petroleum refining are substances that are both complex and variable. These substances are produced and distributed in high volumes; therefore, they are heavily scrutinized in terms of their potential hazards and risks. Because of inherent compositional complexity and variability, unique challenges exist in terms of their registration and evaluation. Continued dialogue between the industry and the decision-makers has revolved around the most appropriate approach to fill data gaps and ensure safe use of these substances. One of the challenging topics has been the extent of chemical compositional characterization of products of petroleum refining that may be necessary for substance identification and hazard evaluation. There are several novel analytical methods that can be used for comprehensive characterization of petroleum substances and identification of most abundant constituents. However, translation of the advances in analytical chemistry to regulatory decision-making has not been as evident. Therefore, the goal of this review is to bridge the divide between the science of chemical characterization of petroleum and the needs and expectations of the decision-makers. Collectively, mutual appreciation of the regulatory guidance and the realities of what information these new methods can deliver should facilitate the path forward in ensuring safety of the products of petroleum refining.
Topics: Petroleum
PubMed: 36473579
DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105310