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Determination of Precipitation Contamination

Determination of Precipitation Contamination. Derek Anderson Teri Wilson. Hypothesis. We believe that snow is purer than rain. The Six Common Air Pollutants. Ozone Particulate Matter Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Oxides Sulfur Dioxide Lead. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx).

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Determination of Precipitation Contamination

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  1. Determination of Precipitation Contamination Derek Anderson Teri Wilson

  2. Hypothesis We believe that snow is purer than rain.

  3. The Six Common Air Pollutants • Ozone • Particulate Matter • Carbon Monoxide • Nitrogen Oxides • Sulfur Dioxide • Lead

  4. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) • Most common are: nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO) • Primary sources are: kerosene heaters, un-vented gas stoves/heaters, and environmental tobacco smoke • Causes eye, nose, and throat irritation • National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide: <0.053ppm

  5. Lead (Pb) • A metal found naturally in the environment as well as in manufactured products • Once taken into the body, lead distributes throughout the body in the blood and accumulates in the bones • Lead exposure affects the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood • National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Lead: <0.15μg/m3

  6. Collection Method • Samples were collected outside of Teri’s garage • Collected in clean, dry plastic containers • Poured into sterile glass jars and covered securely • Stored in the refrigerator until testing

  7. Collection of Precipitation

  8. Testing • Dionex ICS-90 Ion Chromatography (IC) • HP 8453 Diode Array UV/Vis Spectrophotometer • Varian Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP-OES)

  9. IC Experiment • Analyte of Interest • Nitrate and Nitrite • Standards Used • 7 Anion Standard • Standard 1 – 10 ppm • Standard 2 – 15 ppm • Standard 3 – 20 ppm • Standard 4 – 25 ppm • Standard 5 – 100 ppm

  10. IC Parameters • Pressure: 890 psi • Flow rate: 1 mL/min • Pressure Gauge: Slightly above 9

  11. IC Nitrite Results

  12. Nitrite Calibration Curve

  13. Calculated Nitrite Concentrations * Negative numbers denote negligible values

  14. IC Nitrate Results

  15. Nitrate Calibration Curve

  16. Calculated Nitrate Concentrations

  17. UV/Vis Experiment • Analyte of Interest • Nitrate • Standards Used • Standard 1 – 5 ppm • Standard 2 – 10 ppm • Standard 3 – 15 ppm • Standard 4 – 20 ppm • Standard 5 – 25 ppm

  18. UV/Vis Parameters • Mode: Standard • Task: Fixed Wavelength • 224 nm • Data Type: Absorbance & Second Derivative • Path Length: 1 cm

  19. UV/Vis Nitrate Results

  20. Nitrate Calibration Curve

  21. Calculated Nitrate Concentrations * Negative numbers denote negligible values Results produced indicate method is not compatible and did not work for our purposes.

  22. UV/Vis Nitrate Results

  23. Nitrate Calibration Curve

  24. Calculated Nitrate Concentrations Even using the Second Derivative Mode, results indicated the method did not work and was not compatible for our purposes.

  25. ICP Experiment • Analyte of Interest • Lead (II) • Standards Used • Blank – 0 ppm • Standard 2 – 40 ppm • Standard 3 – 60 ppm • Standard 4 – 80 ppm • Standard 5 – 100 ppm

  26. ICP Parameters • Search for Pb(II) at: • 179.605 • 182.143 • 220.353 • Used Pb(II) at 220 based upon UV/Vis wavelength obtained

  27. ICP Lead Results

  28. Lead Calibration Curve

  29. Calculated Lead Concentrations

  30. Discussion • UV/Vis data did not provide results of significance • ICP yielded negligible concentrations of lead in samples • Overall results support Freezing Rain to contain higher levels of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

  31. Troubleshooting • Sample Nitrite values are below IC sensitivities • IC baseline is below 0.00 • UV/Vis protocol not understood

  32. Summary • The original hypothesis that snow is purer than rain was rejected based on our findings • No specific precipitation type yielded more pure results than another • Only that Freezing Rain contained significantly higher concentrations of Nitrogen Oxides

  33. References Evaluation of a second derivative UV/visible spectroscopy technique for nitrate and total nitrogen analysis of wastewater samples Michelle A. Ferree and Robert D. Shannon Water Research 200135 (1), p. 327-332. What Are the Six Common Air Pollutants. http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/airairpollutants.html. 2 April 2011.

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