Ecologia Balkanica

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https://doi.uni-plovdiv.bg/handle/store/4
p-ISSN: 1314-0213 / e-ISSN: 1313-9940

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Browsing Ecologia Balkanica by Subject "air pollution"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Air quality control in Plovdiv, Bulgaria: the citizens' awareness. Results from a pilot quantitative study
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-06-29) Mitev, Tihomir; Tchalakov, Ivan; Keskinova, Donka; Parapanov, Petar
    Air pollution is a leading risk factor for individual and public health. It is a major environmental stressor responsible for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths in Europe every year. Monitoring and controlling air quality is about the importance of managing public health, as is ensuring people are aware of the dangers of polluted air and getting them involved in the issue. The article presents a summary of the results and data analysis from a pilot study conducted in May-June 2025 on the awareness, interest, personal engagement, and assessment of citizens in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) – one of the most polluted cities in Europe – regarding the control of air quality in the city.
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    Ecological effects of changes in Air-Fuel Ratio of a gasoline engine on exhaust harmful gases emissions
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2024-06-16) Kanevski, Hristo; Lyubomirov, Slavi; Asenov, Svetoslav; Parushev, Anatoliy; Petrova, Slaveya
    The present study examines the effect of the air-fuel mixture ratio on harmful emissions from a gasoline engine, analyzed from an ecological perspective. The experiments were carried out with a BMW 318 gasoline engine equipped with a MegaSquirt 3 electronic control unit and TunerStudio MS software, as well as a Kane AUTOplus gas analyzer. The concentrations of three gaseous pollutants - carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC), were measured at different engine speeds and different air-fuel ratios. The obtained data were used to compile regression equations that describe the relationship between the air-fuel mixture ratio and the harmful emissions levels. The results show significant changes in gaseous pollutants’ emissions depending on engine settings, which highlights the importance of optimizing these parameters to reduce both the environmental pollution and greenhouse gases levels into the atmosphere.
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    Ecological effects of changes in the ignition angle of a gasoline engine on exhaust harmful gases emissions
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-05-28) Kanevski, Hristo; Lyubomirov, Slavi; Asenov, Stanislav; Shehova, Daniela
    The present study reports the results from a real experiments of the impact of the ignition angle on the harmful exhaust gases emitted by a gasoline engine. The experiments were carried out with a BMW 318 gasoline engine equipped with a MegaSquirt 3 electronic control unit and TunerStudio MS software, as well as a Kane AUTOplus gas analyzer. The main emissions considered in the study include some greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC). The emissions of harmful gases were measured at 7 different engine speeds and 9 different ignition angles. The obtained data were used to compile regression equations that describe the relationship between the ignition angle, engine speed and the harmful emissions levels. The obtained results and derived equations offer specific recommendations for optimization of the ignition angle to minimize harmful emissions and improve the environmental performance of gasoline engines.
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    Influence of the urban environment on the metabolic activity and functional diversity of phyllospheric microbial communities in linden trees
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2026-01-25) Dimitrova, Katya; Spasov, Spas; Bogdanov, Nikolov; Shilev, Stefan; Petrova, Slaveya
    It has been shown that microorganisms associated with the crown of trees (phyllosphere) can improve their ability to purify the air from pollutants. On the one hand, this is due to the metabolites released by the microorganisms that stimulate the development of trees and their resistance to stress, and on the other hand, the microorganisms themselves also are able to degrade some of the atmospheric pollutants. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of the urban environment on the metabolic activity and functional diversity of microbial communities in the phyllosphere of linden trees, planted in four experimental plots within the city of Plovdiv (Bulgaria). Each plot is characterized by different anthropogenic load, thus allowing for detection of potential specificity of microbial metabolism. A total of 12 saplings of Tilia tomentosa Moench were planted (3 individuals per plot) and leaf samples were collected after 3-month period in the urban environment. Biolog EcoPlate™ of the BIOLOG system (Biolog, Hayward, CA, USA) was used for estimation of metabolic activity of microbial communities, associated with linden trees. The epiphytic communities isolated from leaf samples of Plot 4 (lowest degree of urbanization) showed the highest average-well color development (AWCD) and substrates` metabolic activity. It was found that microorganisms in the two more strongly affected by the traffic locations (Plot 1 and Plot 3) have a higher rate of carbohydrate assimilation and a lower rate of phenolic compounds assimilation compared to the other two locations. Most of the analyzed functional indices showed higher biodiversity and better distribution of substrate utilization in the epiphytic microflora of the leaves of trees planted on Plot 4 (lowest urbanization intensity).
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    The relationship of atmospheric pollutants and meteorological variables for the Sofia region, Bulgaria
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2024-05-25) Baubekova, Gaukhar; Tauakelov, Chingis; Daribayeva, Sevara; Gosteva, Lyudmila
    The research on the relationship between meteorological conditions and atmospheric air pollution in Sofia city was conducted based on 1-hour data on meteorological variables (air temperature, global solar radiation, wind speed) and atmospheric pollutants (NO2, CO, O3, SO2, PM10) for 2012-2016. As a result of the correlation and regression analysis of the influence of meteorological variables on the daily concentrations of atmospheric pollutants, the strongest effect is expressed in ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM10). In urban areas, air temperature (AT), the intensity of global solar radiation (GSR) and, wind speed (WS) have a stronger impact on the concentration of pollutants. There is a strong correlation between air temperature (r = 0.53 ÷ 0.76) and solar radiation (r = 0.65 ÷ 0.77) with ozone concentrations. An exception is the area of Orlov most, where there is an average correlation with temperature and a minor correlation with solar radiation. In regions (except Kopitoto) there are average correlations between air temperature and PM10, SO2, and CO (r = 0.55 ÷ 0.62). There is a weak correlation between NO2 and air temperature and solar radiation in the areas of Druzhba and Nadezhda.