While ozone design values have decreased since 2000, the values measured in Denton Airport South (DEN), an exurban region in the northwest tip of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex, remains above those measured in Dallas Hinton (DAL) and Fort Worth Northwest (FWNW), two extremely urbanized regions; in addition, all three sites remained in nonattainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) ozone despite reductions in measured NOx and CO concentrations. The region's inability to achieve ozone attainment is tied to its concentration of total non-methane organic compounds (TNMOC). The mean concentration of TNMOC measured at DAL, FWNW, and DEN between 2000 and 2018 were 67.4 ± 1.51 ppb-C, 89.31 ± 2.12 ppb-C, and 220.69 ± 10.36 ppb-C, respectively. Despite being the least urbanized site of the three, the TNMOC concentration measured at DEN was over twice as large as those measured at the other two sites. A factor-based source apportionment analysis using positive matrix factorization technique showed that natural gas was a major contributing source factor to the measured TNMOC concentrations at all three sites and the dominant source factor at DEN. Natural gas accounted for 32%, 40%, and 69% of the measured TNMOC concentration at DAL, FWNW, and DEN, …

Electrically conductive fabrics are one of the major components of smart textile that attracts a lot of attention by the energy, medical, sports and military industry. The principal contributors to the conductivity of the smart textiles are the intrinsic properties of the fiber, functionalization by the addition of conductive particles and the architecture of fibers. In this study, intrinsic properties of non-woven carbon fabric derived from a novel linear lignin, poly-(caffeyl alcohol) (PCFA) discovered in the seeds of the vanilla orchid (Vanilla planifolia) was investigated. In contrast to all known lignins which comprise of polyaromatic networks, the PCFA lignin is a linear polymer. The non-woven fabric was prepared using electrospinning technique, which follows by stabilization and carbonization steps. Results from Raman spectroscopy indicate higher graphitic structure for PCFA carbon as compared to the Kraft lignin, as seen from G/D ratios of 1.92 vs 1.15 which was supported by a high percentage of graphitic (C-C) bond observed from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, from the XRD and TEM a larger crystal size (Lc=12.2 nm) for the PCFA fiber was obtained which correlates to the higher modulus and conductivity of the fiber. These plant-sourced carbon fabrics have a valuable impact on zero …