Characterizing Black Carbon Emissions from Gasoline, LPG, and Diesel Vehicles via Transient Chassis-Dynamometer Tests

With global anthropogenic black carbon (BC) emissions increasing, automobiles are significantly contributing as the major source of emissions. However, the appropriate regulations of BC emissions from vehicles are not in place. This study examined BC emissions following fuel types (gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and diesel) and engine combustion (gasoline direct injection (GDI) and multi-port injection (MPI) for gasoline vehicles) with emission regulations. To this end, chassis dynamometer and aethalometer (AE33) were used. Driving modes created by the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) and emission certification modes (CVS-75 and NEDC) for vehicles in Korea were used to determine BC emissions for various vehicle speeds. In addition, the contributions of biomass and coal combustion to the data of AE33 were analyzed to determine the possibility of tracking the BC sources. MPI, LPG, and EURO 6 with diesel particulate filter (DPF) vehicles emitted the lowest BC emissions in NIER modes. Among gasoline vehicles, MPI vehicles showed the lower BC content in PM emissions. Also, older vehicles in MPI vehicles emitted the high PM and BC emissions. The BC emissions of EURO 3 vehicles without DPF were the highest as the results of previous studies, and it was found that as emissions regulations were tightened, the level of BC results of diesel vehicles became similar with MPI vehicles. The average absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) from difference emissions sources were biomass combustion (oak wood) > coal combustion (the power plant stack) > automobile emissions (gasoline, LPG, diesel).

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Characterization of Emission Factors Concerning Gasoline, LPG, and Diesel Vehicles via Transient Chassis-Dynamometer Tests

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app9081573 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 1573 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gyutae Park ◽

Sunhee Mun ◽

Heekyoung Hong ◽

Taekho Chung ◽

Sungwoon Jung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Gasoline Direct Injection ◽

Environmental Research ◽

Pollutant Emission ◽

Vehicle Speed ◽

Gaseous Emissions ◽

Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Study Results ◽

Secondary Air

Gaseous emissions from vehicles contribute substantially to air pollution and climate change. Vehicular emissions also contain secondary pollutants produced via chemical reactions that occur between the emitted gases and atmospheric air. This study aims at understanding patterns concerning emission of regulated, greenhouse, and precursor gases, which demonstrate potential for secondary aerosol (SA) formation, from vehicles incorporating different engine technologies—multi-point injection (MPI) and gasoline direct injection (GDI)—and using different fuels—gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and diesel. Drive cycles from the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) were used in this study. Results obtained from drive cycle tests demonstrate a decline in aggregate gas emissions corresponding to an increase in average vehicle speed. CO2 accounts for more than 99% of aggregate gaseous emissions. In terms of concentration, CO and NH3 form predominantly non-CO2 emissions from gasoline and LPG vehicles, whereas nitrogen oxides (NOx) and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) dominate diesel-vehicle emissions. A higher percentage of SO2 is emitted from diesel vehicles compared to their gasoline- and LPG-powered counterparts. EURO-5- and EURO-6-compliant vehicles equipped with diesel particulate filters (DPFs) tend to emit higher amounts of NO2 compared to EURO-3-compliant vehicles, which are not equipped with DPFs. Vehicles incorporating GDI tend to emit less CO2 compared to those incorporating MPI, albeit at the expense of increased CO emissions. The authors believe that results reported in this paper concerning regulated and unregulated pollutant-emission monitoring can contribute towards an accurate evaluation of both primary and secondary air-pollution scenarios in Korea.

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Measurement report: Emissions of intermediate-volatility organic compounds from vehicles under real-world driving conditions in an urban tunnel

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-21-10005-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (13) ◽

pp. 10005-10013

Author(s):

Hua Fang ◽

Xiaoqing Huang ◽

Yanli Zhang ◽

Chenglei Pei ◽

Zuzhao Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Compounds ◽

Diesel Engines ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Organic Aerosol ◽

Chassis Dynamometer ◽

Road Vehicles ◽

Gasoline Engines ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Gasoline Vehicles ◽

Treatment Facilities

Abstract. Intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) emitted from vehicles are important precursors to secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) in urban areas, yet vehicular emission of IVOCs, particularly from on-road fleets, is poorly understood. Here we initiated a field campaign to collect IVOCs with sorption tubes at both the inlet and the outlet in a busy urban tunnel (>30 000 vehicles per day) in south China for characterizing emissions of IVOCs from on-road vehicles. The average emission factor of IVOCs (EFIVOCs) was measured to be 16.77±0.89 mg km−1 (average ±95 % CI, confidence interval) for diesel and gasoline vehicles in the fleets, and based on linear regression, the average EFIVOCs was derived to be 62.79±18.37 mg km−1 for diesel vehicles and 13.95±1.13 mg km−1 for gasoline vehicles. The EFIVOCs for diesel vehicles from this study was comparable to that reported previously for non-road engines without after-treatment facilities, while the EFIVOCs for gasoline vehicles from this study was much higher than that recently tested for a China V gasoline vehicle. IVOCs from the on-road fleets did not show significant correlation with the primary organic aerosol (POA) or total non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) as results from previous chassis dynamometer tests. Estimated SOA production from the vehicular IVOCs and VOCs surpassed the POA by a factor of ∼2.4, and IVOCs dominated over VOCs in estimated SOA production by a factor of ∼7, suggesting that controlling IVOCs is of greater importance to modulate traffic-related organic aerosol (OA) in urban areas. The results demonstrated that although on-road gasoline vehicles have much lower EFIVOCs, they contribute more IVOCs than on-road diesel vehicles due to its dominance in the on-road fleets. However, due to greater diesel than gasoline fuel consumption in China, emission of IVOCs from diesel engines would be much larger than that from gasoline engines, signaling the overwhelming contribution of IVOC emissions by non-road diesel engines in China.

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Measurement report: Emissions of intermediate-volatility organic compounds from vehicles under real-world driving conditions in an urban tunnel

10.5194/acp-2021-189 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hua Fang ◽

Xiaoqing Huang ◽

Yanli Zhang ◽

Chenglei Pei ◽

Zuzhao Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Compounds ◽

Diesel Engines ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Organic Aerosol ◽

Chassis Dynamometer ◽

Road Vehicles ◽

Gasoline Engines ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Gasoline Vehicles ◽

Treatment Facilities

Abstract. Intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) emitted from vehicles are important precursors to secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in urban areas, yet vehicular emission of IVOCs, particularly from on-road fleets, is poorly understood. Here we initiated a field campaign to collect IVOCs with sorption tubes at both the inlet and the outlet in a busy urban tunnel (>30,000 vehicles per day) in south China for characterizing emissions of IVOCs from on-road vehicles. The average emission factor of IVOCs (EFIVOCs) was measured to be 16.77 ± 0.89 mg km-1 (Average ± 95% C.I.) for diesel and gasoline vehicles in the fleets, and based on linear regression the average EFIVOCs was derived to be 62.79 ± 18.37 mg km-1 for diesel vehicles and 13.95 ± 1.13 mg km-1 for gasoline vehicles. The EFIVOCs for diesel vehicles from this study was comparable to that reported previously for non-road engines without after-treatment facilities, while the EFIVOCs for gasoline vehicles from this study was much higher than that recently tested for a China V gasoline vehicle. IVOCs from the on-road fleets did not show significant correlation with the primary organic aerosol (POA) or total non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) as results from previous chassis dynamometer tests. Estimated SOA production from the vehicular IVOCs and VOCs surpassed the POA by a factor of ~ 2.4, and IVOCs dominated over VOCs in estimated SOA production by a factor of ~ 7, suggesting that controlling IVOCs is of greater importance to modulate traffic-related OA in urban areas. The results demonstrated that although on-road gasoline vehicles have much lower EFIVOCs, they contribute more IVOCs than on-road diesel vehicles due to its dominance in the on-road fleets. However, due to greater diesel than gasoline fuel consumption in China, emission of IVOCs from diesel engines would be much larger than that from gasoline engines, signaling the overwhelming contribution of IVOC emissions by non-road diesel engines in China.

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Non-methane hydrocarbons source apportionment at different sites in Mexico City during 2002–2003

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-7-13561-2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 13561-13596 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

E. Vega ◽

G. Sanchez ◽

L. Molina

Keyword(s):

Mexico City ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Circulation Pattern ◽

Receptor Model ◽

Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽

Field Campaign ◽

Weekly Cycle ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Rural Environments ◽

Gasoline Vehicles

Abstract. The atmospheric concentrations of a variety of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) collected at different sites, representing urban and rural environments within Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) during 1997, 2002 and 2003 field campaigns, were compared and used as an input for the Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) receptor model to determine the source contribution of NMHC to the atmosphere. A common feature at all the locations was the dominance of alkenes (59%), aromatics (16%) and olefins (9%) in the average NMHC burden. At the urban sites the interquartile range of NMHC concentrations showed stabilization over this period with a slight increase in the concentrations of propane and butanes in the southwest site of the MCMA in 2003 due to the increased use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The receptor model CMB version 8.0 was used to apportion the NMHC sources at six locations within the MCMA, representing the heavily industrialized, commercial, residential and rural areas. For the 2003 field campaign, the contribution of vehicular emissions dominated the NMHC concentrations (19.7%±7.1% for gasoline vehicles and 35.4%±17.5% for diesel vehicles) followed by the emissions of marketing and handling of LPG (29.9%±8.0%). The NMHC concentrations showed a weekly cycle with the highest levels towards the end of the week and lowest at weekend and beginning of the week, suggesting that both emissions and accumulations process play a key role in building up NMHC levels. The toluene to benzene ratio was used to determine photochemical ageing of the air samples during the 2003 field campaign. The database was divided into periods with similar wind circulation pattern; the results suggest that ageing process within the MCMA is generally suppressed by the amount of fresh emissions.

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Impact of the Emission Control of Diesel Vehicles on Black Carbon (BC) Concentrations over China

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11070696 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 696 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jiamao Zhou ◽

Xuexi Tie ◽

Yunbo Yu ◽

Shuyu Zhao ◽

Guohui Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Black Carbon ◽

Atmospheric Chemistry ◽

Vehicle Emissions ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Model Simulation ◽

Emission Control ◽

The Other ◽

Particulate Filter ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Diesel Vehicle

In order to reduce black carbon (BC) emissions from diesel vehicles, a regional atmospheric chemistry model (WRF-Chem) was used to investigate the effects of installing a high-efficiency device for vehicle exhaust control, a diesel particulate filter (DPF), on diesel vehicles in China. To reduce the uncertainty of estimation, three sensitivity experiments were designed and conducted for different emission scenarios. The first experiment uses the standard black carbon emissions of diesel vehicles without engaging in any emission control actions (referred to as CTRL), and the other two experiments were conducted using different DPF devices to reduce BC emissions by 65% (CASE1) and 39% (CASE2), respectively. The results show that the model simulation reasonably represents the measured BC concentrations. The highest BC concentrations occurred in large cities of the North China Plain (NCP) and present important seasonal variations. The results suggest that the reduction in diesel vehicle emissions has great benefits for reducing BC pollution not only in winter but also in other seasons. Sensitivity studies show that in CASE1, the average BC concentrations decreased about ~6% in January and by more than 10% in the other seasons. The greatest reduction exceeded 50%. In CASE2, the average BC concentrations decreased by about ~3.5% in January and by more than 7% in the other seasons. This study suggests that adding DPF to a diesel vehicle can have a significant influence on reducing BC concentrations in China. Thus, this study provides a practical basis by which diesel vehicle emissions can be reduced.

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VOC species and emission inventory from vehicles and their SOA formation potentials estimation in Shanghai, China

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-15-7977-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 7977-8015 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

C. Huang ◽

H. L. Wang ◽

L. Li ◽

Q. Wang ◽

Q. Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emission Inventory ◽

Urban Atmosphere ◽

Chassis Dynamometer ◽

Vehicle Exhaust ◽

Voc Emissions ◽

Future Studies ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Gasoline Vehicles ◽

Chamber Study ◽

Photochemical Aging

Abstract. VOC species from vehicle exhaust and gas evaporation were investigated by chassis dynamometer and on-road measurements of 9 gasoline vehicles, 7 diesel vehicles, 5 motorcycles, and 4 gas evaporation samples. The SOA mass yields of gasoline, diesel, motorcycle exhausts, and gas evaporation were calculated based on the mixing ratio of individual VOC species. The SOA mass yields of gasoline and motorcycle exhaust were similar to the results of the published smog chamber study with the exception of that of diesel exhaust was 20% lower than experimental data (Gordon et al., 2013, 2014a, b). This suggests the requirement for further research on SVOC or LVOC emissions. A vehicular emission inventory was compiled based on a local survey of vehicle mileage traveled and real-world measurements of vehicle emission factors. The inventory-based vehicular initial emission ratio of OA to CO was 15.6 μg m−3 ppmv−1. The OA production rate reached 22.3 and 42.7 μg m−3 ppmv−1 under high-NOx and low-NOx conditions, respectively. To determine the vehicular contribution to OA pollution, the inventory-based OA formation ratios for vehicles were calculated with a photochemical-age-based parameterization method and compared with the observation-based OA formation ratios in the urban atmosphere of Shanghai. The results indicated that VOC emissions from vehicle exhaust and gas evaporation only explained 15 and 22% of the total organic aerosols observed in summer and winter, respectively. SOA production only accounted for 25 and 18% of the total vehicular OA formation in summer and winter. VOC emissions from gasoline vehicles contribute 21–38% of vehicular OA formation after 6–24 h of photochemical aging. The results suggest that vehicle emissions are an important contributor to OA pollution in the urban atmosphere of Shanghai. However, a large number of OA mass in the atmosphere still cannot be explained in this study. SOA formation contributions from other sources (e.g. coal burning, biomass burning, cooking, dust, etc.) as well as IVOCs and SVOCs from the combustion sources need to be considered in future studies.

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Emissions of organic aerosol mass, black carbon, particle number, and regulated and unregulated gases from scooters and light and heavy duty vehicles with different fuels

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-14-16591-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 16591-16639 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

R. Chirico ◽

M. Clairotte ◽

T. W. Adam ◽

B. Giechaskiel ◽

M. F. Heringa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Black Carbon ◽

Mass Spectrometer ◽

Aromatic Compounds ◽

Particle Number ◽

Time Of Flight ◽

Organic Aerosol ◽

Heavy Duty ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Gasoline Vehicles

Abstract. A sampling campaign with seven different types of vehicles was conducted in 2009 at the vehicle test facilities of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Italy). The vehicles chosen were representative of some categories circulating in Europe and were fueled either with standard gasoline or diesel and some with blends of rapeseed methyl ester biodiesel. The aim of this work was to improve the knowledge about the emission factors of gas phase and particle-associated regulated and unregulated species from vehicle exhaust. Unregulated species such as black carbon (BC), primary organic aerosol (OA) content, particle number (PN), monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and a~selection of unregulated gaseous compounds, including nitrous acid (N2O), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), formaldehyde (HCHO), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and methane (CH4), were measured in real time with a suite of instruments including a high-resolution aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer, a resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and a high resolution Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Diesel vehicles, without particle filters, featured the highest values for particle number, followed by gasoline vehicles and scooters. The particles from diesel and gasoline vehicles were mostly made of BC with a low fraction of OA, while the particles from the scooters were mainly composed of OA. Scooters were characterized by super high emissions factors for OA, which were orders of magnitude higher than for the other vehicles. The heavy duty diesel vehicle (HDDV) featured the highest nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, while the scooters had the highest emissions for total hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds due to the unburned and partially burned gasoline and lubricant oil mixture. Generally, vehicles fuelled with biodiesel blends showed lower emission factors of OA and total aromatics than those from the standard fuels. The scooters were the main emitters of aromatic compounds, followed by the gasoline vehicle, the diesel vehicles and the HDDV.

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VOC species and emission inventory from vehicles and their SOA formation potentials estimation in Shanghai, China

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-15-11081-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (19) ◽

pp. 11081-11096 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

C. Huang ◽

H. L. Wang ◽

L. Li ◽

Q. Wang ◽

Q. Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emission Inventory ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Carbon Number ◽

Organic Aerosol ◽

Urban Atmosphere ◽

Chassis Dynamometer ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Aromatic Content ◽

Gasoline Vehicles ◽

Volatile Organic

Abstract. Volatile organic compound (VOC) species from vehicle exhausts and gas evaporation were investigated by chassis dynamometer and on-road measurements of nine gasoline vehicles, seven diesel vehicles, five motorcycles, and four gas evaporation samples. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass yields of gasoline, diesel, motorcycle exhausts, and gas evaporation were estimated based on the mixing ratio of measured C2–C12 VOC species and inferred carbon number distributions. High aromatic contents were measured in gasoline exhausts and contributed comparatively more SOA yield. A vehicular emission inventory was compiled based on a local survey of on-road traffic in Shanghai and real-world measurements of vehicle emission factors from previous studies in the cities of China. The inventory-based vehicular organic aerosol (OA) productions to total CO emissions were compared with the observed OA to CO concentrations (ΔOA / ΔCO) in the urban atmosphere. The results indicate that vehicles dominate the primary organic aerosol (POA) emissions and OA production, which contributed about 40 and 60 % of OA mass in the urban atmosphere of Shanghai. Diesel vehicles, which accounted for less than 20 % of vehicle kilometers of travel (VKT), contribute more than 90 % of vehicular POA emissions and 80–90 % of OA mass derived by vehicles in urban Shanghai. Gasoline exhaust could be an important source of SOA formation. Tightening the limit of aromatic content in gasoline fuel will be helpful to reduce its SOA contribution. Intermediate-volatile organic compounds (IVOCs) in vehicle exhausts greatly contribute to SOA formation in the urban atmosphere of China. However, more experiments need to be conducted to determine the contributions of IVOCs to OA pollution in China.

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Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11020516 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 516

Author(s):

María Piñeiro-Iglesias ◽

Javier Andrade-Garda ◽

Sonia Suárez-Garaboa ◽

Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo ◽

Purificación López-Mahía ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Management ◽

Black Carbon ◽

Light Absorption ◽

Atmospheric Aerosol ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Radiative Properties ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Management Support ◽

Diurnal Variability

Light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (including black carbon (BC)) pose serious health issues and play significant roles in atmospheric radiative properties. Two-year measurements (2015–2016) of aerosol light absorption, combined with measurements of sub-micrometric particles, were continuously conducted in A Coruña (northwest (NW) Spain) to determine their light absorption properties: absorption coefficients (σabs) and the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE). The mean and standard deviation of equivalent black carbon (eBC) during the period of study were 0.85 ± 0.83 µg m−3, which are lower than other values measured in urban areas of Spain and Europe. High eBC concentrations found in winter are associated with an increase in emissions from anthropogenic sources in combination with lower mixing layer heights and frequent stagnant conditions. The pronounced diurnal variability suggests a strong influence from local sources. AAE had an average value of 1.26 ± 0.22 which implies that both fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning influenced optical aerosol properties. This also highlights biomass combustion in suburban areas, where the use of wood for domestic heating is encouraged, as an important source of eBC. All data treatment was gathered using SCALA© as atmospheric aerosol data management support software program.

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Highly-controlled, reproducible measurements of aerosol emissions from African biomass combustion

10.5194/acp-2017-679 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Sophie L. Haslett ◽

J. Chris Thomas ◽

William T. Morgan ◽

Rory Hadden ◽

Dantong Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Black Carbon ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Organic Aerosol ◽

Biomass Combustion ◽

Particulate Emissions ◽

Radiative Balance ◽

Mass Spectral ◽

Aerosol Emission ◽

Flaming Combustion ◽

Aerosol Emissions

Abstract. Particulate emissions from biomass burning can both alter the atmosphere's radiative balance and cause significant harm to human health. However, due to the large effect on emissions caused by even small alterations to the way in which a fuel burns, it is difficult to study particulate production of biomass combustion mechanistically and in a repeatable manner. In order to address this gap, in this study, small wood samples sourced from Côte D'Ivoire in West Africa were burned in a highly-controlled laboratory environment. The shape and mass of samples, available airflow and surrounding thermal environment were carefully regulated. Organic aerosol and refractory black carbon emissions were measured in real time using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer and a Single Particle Soot Photometer, respectively. This methodology produced remarkably repeatable results, allowing aerosol emissions to be mapped directly onto different phases of combustion. Emissions from pyrolysis were visible as a distinct phase before flaming was established. After flaming combustion was initiated, a black-carbon-dominant flame was observed during which very little organic aerosol was produced, followed by a period that was dominated by organic-carbon-producing smouldering combustion, despite the presence of residual flaming. During pyrolysis and smouldering, the two phases producing organic aerosol, distinct mass spectral signatures that correspond to previously-reported variations in biofuel emissions measured in the atmosphere are found. Organic aerosol emission factors averaged over an entire combustion event were found to be representative of the time spent in the pyrolysis and smouldering phases, rather than reflecting a coupling between emissions and the mass loss of the sample. Further exploration of aerosol yields from similarly carefully controlled fires and a careful comparison with data from macroscopic fires and real-world emissions will help to deliver greater constraints on variability of particulate emissions in atmospheric systems.

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