Vehicle emissions are a significant source of particulate pollution which most of us come in frequent contact with, and the composition of these emissions depends strongly on the type of vehicle and conditions under which it is operating. Sources of particulate emissions into the atmosphere can be characterized directly with transportable versions of the ATOFMS. Three studies of the particulates from vehicle emissions will be described in this presentation: 1) Carleton College and the University of California, Riverside conducted a study in July 2000 in the Caldecott Tunnel in Berkeley, CA to examine, characterize, and differentiate on-road gasoline and diesel particulate emissions on the individual particle level. 2) Non-exhaust emissions also contribute to the "vehicle emissions" aerosol. Last spring, Carleton College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, looked at resuspended brake dust and ground brake pads, to assess the contribution of this emission source to the on-road emissions. 3) In another Carleton/UW Madison study, the emissions from a heavy-duty diesel research engine were sampled under a variety of steady and changing conditions. The results obtained from these studies will be compared to filter-based bulk collections of particles and to the conditions under which the engine is operating. Overall, studies such as the three described in this presentation will help us to better characterize the various emissions from both gasoline and diesel vehicles, as well as to better apportion the ambient aerosol to specific sources.
[1] Gard, E., Mayer, J.E., Morrical, B.D., Dienes, T., Fergenson, D.P., Prather, K.A. Anal. Chem. 1997, 69, 4083-4091.
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