Overview
The Effects on Air quality of Semi-VOLatile Engine Emissions (EASVOLEE) project brings together leading European research groups, with state-of the-art observational and modeling facilities to:
- Quantify the contributions of secondary aerosol formation from transport engines to air quality problems in Europe.
- Develop and identify health-related metrics, mitigation strategies, and policies to improve air quality, limiting the concentrations of aerosol (organic, inorganic, nanoparticles).
The project combines state-of-the art measurement of the complete suite of emissions of transport engines under real driving conditions, investigations of the formation of secondary particulate matter (PM) during their atmospheric processing, and studies of the toxicity of both the fresh and aged PM and of the mechanisms that affect health.
These results will be used to improve chemical transport models that in turn will allow us to quantify the effects of engine emissions on air quality and health - both now and for a series of future scenarios. EASVOLEE will improve our understanding of organic emissions from vehicle exhaust including low-volatility (LVOCs), semi-volatile (SVOCs), intermediate volatility (IVOCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It will elucidate the corresponding secondary aerosol formation (both organic and inorganic) and characterize the health effects of these primary and secondary particles. The contribution of engine exhaust emissions to PM2.5 and size-resolved particle number concentrations in Europe will be quantified during all seasons. The above scientific evidence will be used to investigate the effectiveness of policies to reduce secondary organic and inorganic PM levels in urban areas – with a focus on components impacting health. Finally, EASVOLEE will develop new approaches to improve the quantification of transport impacts on air quality and health effects supporting future emissions and climate legislation.