RESUMEN
The energy reforms implemented in Mexico promote the use of ethanol in gasoline but exclude the country's ozone nonattainment areas oxygenated with methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in view that further scientific studies are required. To address a potential implementation scenario in areas of ozone high VOC-sensitive regimes, the impact on performance and emissions characteristics between the regular MTBE fuel available and a formulated gasoline containing 10% v/v ethanol having similar Reid vapor pressure (RVP) were compared in a single cylinder spark-ignited engine and a set of tier I vehicles. Included in the assessment were the "criteria" pollutants (THC, CO, and NOx), toxic compounds, and speciated hydrocarbons in order to calculate the ozone-forming potential (OFP). The change in combustion speed of ethanol fuel vs. regular gasoline seems to be small and depends mainly on base gasoline formulation. Vehicle dynamometer testing showed no statistically significant differences in the average THC, CO, and NOx results when comparing both fuels. Statistically significant differences were seen in total speciated hydrocarbons, total carbonyls emitted, the increases in acetaldehyde emissions, and the decreases in OFP with E10. The results show roughly 20% increase in evaporative emissions when E10 is used, but the OFP of the emissions is lower than that of the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City fuel (MAMC). The increase in the oxygen content using ethanol fuel seems to have no deleterious effect on the vintage of vehicles tested. Taking into consideration that the evaporative emissions standard in Mexico is less stringent than that in other countries, the substitution of the actual regular gasoline for ethanol fuels should uphold the least volatile AA class in areas with ozone problems.
Asunto(s)
Etanol/análisis , Gasolina/análisis , Éteres Metílicos/análisis , Emisiones de Vehículos/análisis , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Ciudades , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Hidrocarburos/análisis , México , Ozono/análisisRESUMEN
Vertical profiles of deep-water fluorescence determined by the chlorophyll sensor, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, biomarkers, and other miscellaneous parameters measured in the southern Gulf of Mexico are reported. In the course of the survey, unexpected deep fluorescences were recorded (>1100m depth) in half of the 40 stations studied, a novel finding in this area of the Gulf. Currently, the deep-water fluorescence phenomenon is not completely understood, however we observe linear correlation between the fluorescence intensity and chlorophyll-α concentrations and coincidence of higher number of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria in samples collected precisely in the deep-water fluorescence. This information is particularly interesting in relation to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, in view that the aftermaths of the spill can be observed till today as oil plumes trapped in deep water layers that may disturb the natural water ecosystem.
Asunto(s)
Clorofila/análisis , Fluorescencia , Hidrocarburos Policíclicos Aromáticos/análisis , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Clorofila A , Ecosistema , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Golfo de México , Contaminación por PetróleoRESUMEN
Produced water from offshore oil platforms is a major source of oil and related chemicals into the sea. The large volume and high salinity of produced water could pose severe environmental impacts upon inadequate disposal. This study is based on direct field sampling of effluents released into the ocean in the years 2003 and 2013 at the Sonda de Campeche located in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico. Metals and hydrocarbons were characterized in water, sediments, and fish tissues at the discharge site and compared with those obtained at two reference sites. Chemicals that exceeded risk-based concentrations in the discharge included the metals As, Pb, Cd, and Cr, and a variety of compounds polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), including naphthalene, fluorenes, and low molecular weight PAHs. The values of low to high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), and carbon preference index indicate that hydrocarbons in sediments of the discharge zone are originated from the produced water and combustion sources. Fish tissues at the discharge zone and reference site are contaminated with PAHs, dominated by 2- and 3-rings; 4-ring accounted for less than 1% of total PAHs (TPAHs) in 2003, but increased to 7% in 2013. Results suggest that, from 2003 to 2013, discharges of produced water have had a non-negligible impact on ecosystems at a regional level, so the possibility of subtle, cumulative effects from operational discharges should not be ignored.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente , Contaminación por Petróleo/análisis , Aguas Residuales/análisis , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Animales , Ecosistema , Ambiente , Peces , Golfo de México , Hidrocarburos , Metales , México , Industria del Petróleo y Gas , Petróleo/análisis , Contaminación por Petróleo/estadística & datos numéricos , Hidrocarburos Policíclicos Aromáticos/análisis , Tiempo , Aguas Residuales/estadística & datos numéricos , AguaRESUMEN
During the last two decades, sediments collected in different sources of water bodies of the Tehuantepec Basin, located in the southeast of the Mexican Pacific Coast, showed that concentrations of heavy metals may pose a risk to the environment and human health. The extractable organic matter, geoaccumulation index, and enrichment factors were quantified for arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, nickel, lead, vanadium, zinc, and the fine-grained sediment fraction. The non-parametric SiZer method was applied to assess the statistical significance of the reconstructed metal variation along time. This inference method appears to be particularly natural and well suited to temperature and other environmental reconstructions. In this approach, a collection of smooth of the reconstructed metal concentrations is considered simultaneously, and inferences about the significance of the metal trends can be made with respect to time. Hence, the database represents a consolidated set of available and validated water and sediment data of an urban industrialized area, which is very useful as case study site. The positive matrix factorization approach was used in identification and source apportionment of the anthropogenic heavy metals in the sediments. Regionally, metals and organic matter are depleted relative to crustal abundance in a range of 45-55 %, while there is an inorganic enrichment from lithogenous/anthropogenic sources of around 40 %. Only extractable organic matter, Pb, As, and Cd can be related with non-crustal sources, suggesting that additional input cannot be explained by local runoff or erosion processes.