Particulate Emission Rates from In-Use High-Emitting Vehicles Recruited in Orange County, California

Abstract

One hundred three in-use vehicles identified as high hydrocarbon and/or carbon monoxide emitters by remote sensing and roadside visual, underhood checks during a 1995 South Coast Air Quality Management District program were tested on the IM240 cycle using a transportable dynamometer. Seventy-one of these vehicles were repaired as part of the program and were retested. Seventeen vehicles in the fleet initially emitted visible smoke from the tailpipe and were classified as "smokers". The fleet ranged in age from 6 to 22 years, with a median age of 12.3 years. Exhaust HC, CO, NO x , and particulate emissions (PM-10) were measured. PM-10 mass and the elemental and carbonaceous composition of the particulate matter were determined. The average fleet PM-10 emission rate was 0.138 g/mi, while the average emission rate for smokers was 0.395 g/mi. It was concluded that the casual observation of smoking vehicles was not very successful in identifying high PM-10 emitting vehicles. The particulate matter composition was primarily carbonaceous, with a variable distribution between the elemental and organic carbon fractions, and showed no significant difference in the percent organic carbon fraction between smokers and non-smokers. The PM composition differed, on average, between pre-repair and post-repair samples. The effect of the California Smog Check repair program on PM emission rates could not be evaluated due to concerns regarding the effect of vehicle conditioning on these measurements.

Combustion Aerosols: Factors Governing Their Size and Composition and Implications to Human Health

“…The total mass emissions from the gasoline contain 9-31% metallic elements by weight. PM emissions of 27 elements from in-use highemitting vehicles were reported by Cadle et al 280 Leaded gasoline has been phased out in the United States and in many developed countries, but it is still used. The particulate emissions from automobiles burning fuel with 0.4 g Pb/liter are about 25% Pb, 281 and the mass mean particle size is 1-2 µm, 248 which is much larger than the PM from spark ignition engines running on unleaded fuel.…”

Global anthropogenic emissions of particulate matter including black carbon

“…Ban-Weiss et al, 2009;Cadle et al, 1997;Mazzoleni et al, 2004;Subramanian et al, 2009). In the literature, these vehicles have been referred to as high emitters or high-emitting vehicles, heavy emitters, super emitters, gross emitters, excess emitters or smokers, but in principle highlighting the same problem (Shafizadeh et al, 2004).…”

Impact of Ambient Temperatures and Driving Conditions on the Chemical Composition of Particulate Matter Emissions from Non-Smoking Gasoline-Powered Motor Vehicles

“…Due to the complex distribution of particulate matter emissions among vehicles, and the sensitivity of each vehicle's emissions on driving cycle, cold start temperature, and fuel composition have largely not been examined. Efforts to measure the chemical composition of particulate matter emissions from motor vehicles have largely relied on the measurement of typical vehicles operating over a standardized driving cycle (Hildemann et al 1991;Cadle et al 1997Cadle et al , 1999Schauer et al 1999. These "representative" mass emissions rates and chemical compositions have been used in air quality models without adjustment for specific vehicle activity patterns (i.e., actual driving cycles and the actual distribution of cold starts), or for actual vehicle cold start temperatures (Schauer et al 1996Lurmann et al 1997;Kleeman and Cass 1998;Schauer and Cass 2000;Zheng et al 2002;Fraser et al 2003).…”

“…This article demonstrates the significant impact driving conditions and cold start temperature have on the detailed chemical composition of particulate matter emitted from four in-use gasoline-powered motor vehicles. Although a small number of past studies have addressed differences in particulate matter emissions of vehicles as a function of driving cycle and temperature (Cadle et al 1997(Cadle et al , 1999Moosmuller et al 2001), these efforts have not measured detailed chemical changes in particulate matter composition as a function of operating condition for specific vehicles. This study provides details on the important changes in emissions as a function of driving cycle that demonstrate the variables that need to be included in future vehicles emissions testing programs that seek to support air quality studies.…”