Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and Saharan air layer images, we grouped natural aerosols in three air 15 masses: marine, African dust and volcanic ash. A sun-sky radiometer from the NASA's AErosol RObotic NETwork assessed total aerosol optical depth and its fine fraction. A 3-wavelength nephelometer and particle soot absorption photometer assessed the scattering and absorption coefficients. Two impactors segregated the submicron (Dp < 1 µm) particles from the total (Dp < 10 µm) enabling us to calculate the sub-micron scattering and absorption fractions. The measured variables served to calculate the single scattering albedo and radiative forcing efficiency. All variables but the single scattering albedo 20 making up the aerosol climatology for Puerto Rico had different means as function of the air mass category at p<0.05. For the period 2005-2010, the largest means ± 95% confidence interval of the scattering coefficient (53 ± 4 Mm -1 ), absorption coefficient (1.8 ± 0.16 Mm -1 ), and optical depth (0.29 ± 0.03), suggested African dust is the main contributor to the columnar and surface aerosol loading in summer. About two thirds (63%) of the absorption in African dust was due to the coarse mode and about one third due to the fine mode. In volcanic ash, fine aerosols contributed 60% of the absorption while coarse 25 contributed 40%. Overall, the coarse and fine modes accounted for ~80% and 20% of the total scattering. The African dust load was 3.5 times the load of clean marine, 1.9 times greater than clean with higher sea salt content and 1.7 times greater than volcanic ash. African dust caused 50% more cooling that volcanic ash at the top of the atmosphere and 50% more heating than that of volcanic ash within the marine boundary layer. 30Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi

One of the major challenges for the sustainable fatty acid methyl or ethyl ester (FAME/EE, a.k.a biodiesel) production is the smart utilization of low‐cost feedstocks, e.g., waste cooking oil (WCO), brown grease, or algal lipids. Although traditional catalyst systems could be used to transform such feedstocks into biodiesel, some well‐established drawbacks are associated with their use. Alternatively, lipases can convert the FFA‐rich feedstocks into FAME/EE in a manner with less environmental impact. However, low enzyme activity in organic solvents and high cost remain challenging for the industrial application of lipase nanoparticles. In this study, we are addressing these drawbacks of lipase by developing lipase nanoparticles (LNP), cross‐linked lipase nanoparticles (CLNP), and immobilized LNP on iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP). Lipase from Candida rugosa was selected as an economic widely available source and purified to ca. >90%. Different formulations of nanoparticles were formed, and detailed surface and morphological characterizations were performed by using the various microscopy techniques, e.g., scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy, dynamic‐light‐scattering, and magnetic properties by the vibrating‐sample magnetometer. For structural characterization, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction were used. Identification of fatty acid esters was done by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. The activity of the LNP, CLNP, and LNP‐IONP formulations increased 10‐, 20‐, and 32‐fold in n‐hexane, 18‐, 42‐, and 54‐fold in 1,4 dioxane, and 13‐, 29‐, and 43‐fold in THF, respectively, compared to free lipase. Detailed analysis of fatty acid ester formation was performed using the different combinations of substrates (WCO and brown grease, methanol and ethanol), lipase formulations (free lipase, LNP, CLNP, and LNP‐IONP), and solvent systems (hexane, 1,4 dioxane, THF, and t‐butanol). The nanoparticulate lipase formulations converted a high percentage of fatty acid esters into biodiesel in less time and the overall operational stability of the system improved considerably.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

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