Determining Gaseous Emission Factors and Driver's Particle Exposures during Traffic Congestion by Vehicle-Following Measurement Techniques

• Published in: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) Vol. 56; no. 11; pp. 1532 - 1539
• Main Authors: Tang, U. Wa, Wang, Zhishi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pittsburgh, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01-11-2006; Air & Waste Management Association; Air and Waste Management Association; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Atoms & subatomic particles; Automobile drivers; Automobiles; Automotive emissions; Carbon Monoxide - analysis; Catalytic converters; China; Environmental aspects; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Health aspects; Human exposure; Humans; Inhalation Exposure; Measurement techniques; Motor Vehicles - classification; Motorcycles; Particulate Matter - analysis; Passengers; Pollution; Studies; Traffic congestion; Trucks; Urban areas; Vehicle emissions; Vehicle Emissions - analysis; Vehicles; China; Background concentration; Motor car; Correlation; Gas analyzer; Carbon dioxide; Emission content; Motor vehicle; Urban area; Pollutant emission; Modeling; Coarse particle; Lorry; Heavy traffic; Taxi; Bus; Air quality; Time resolution; Surveillance; Correlation analysis; Measurement technique; Aerosols; Air pollution; Road traffic; Measurement method; Reliability
• ISSN: 1096-2247; 2162-2906
• DOI: 10.1080/10473289.2006.10464567

Vehicle gaseous emissions (NO, CO, CO
2
, and hydrocarbon [HC]) and driver's particle exposures (particulate matter <1 μm [PM
1
], <2.5 μm [PM
2.5
], and<10 μm [PM
10
]) were measured using a mobile laboratory to follow a wide variety of vehicles during very heavy traffic congestion in Macao, Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China, an urban area having one of the highest population densities in the world. The measurements were taken with high time resolution so that fluctuations in the emissions can be seen readily during vehicle acceleration, cruising, deceleration, and idling. The tests were conducted in close proximity to the vehicles, with the inlet of a five-gas analyzer mounted on the front bumper of the mobile laboratory, and the distance between the vehicles was usually within several meters. To measure the driver's particle exposures, the inlets of the particle analyzers were mounted at the height of the driver's breathing position in the mobile laboratory, with the driver's window open. A total of 178 and 113 vehicles were followed individually to determine the gaseous emission factor and the driver's particle exposures, respectively, for motorcycle, passenger car, taxi, truck, and bus. The gaseous emission factors were used to model the roadside air quality, and good correlations between the modeled and monitored CO, NO
2
, and nitrogen oxide (NO
x
) verified the reliability of the experiments. Compared with petrol passenger cars and petrol trucks, diesel taxies and diesel trucks emitted less CO but more NO
x
. The impact of urban canyons is shown to cause a significant increase in the PM
1
peak. The background concentrations contributed a significant amount of the driver's particle exposures.