APART - PM10 emission factors of abrasion particles from road traffic (ASTRA2005/007)
Overview
Background & policy context:
Excessive load of the ambient air with fine particles (PM10) is one of the most pressing issues of air pollution control. The limit values are exceeded not only in urban environments but also along national highways. The current debates in the context of the widespread exceedances of the EU limit values show strong public concern in this problem.
Particle emissions of road traffic are generally associated with exhaust emissions. Until recently particle emissions due to abrasion processes were neglected. However, the research project ASTRA2000/415 showed clearly the important contribution of these emissions to the PM10 load of the ambient air. They consist of particles from the abrasion of pavings, tyres, breaks and clutches. But no quantitative information is available about the contributions of the single processes. This, however, would be necessary for effective PM10 reduction scenarios. In particular it is important to know whether abrasion emissions from pavings or from vehicles are dominating.
Objectives:
The main scope of the project APART (Abrasion PArticles produced by Road Traffic) was to identify and quantify the non-exhaust fraction of traffic related PM10 for several road-side locations with characteristic traffic regimes.
Specific goals:
- To provide a reliable base for future PM10 reduction scenarios
- To determinate location-specific emission factors (mg/km/vehicle) for trace elements emitted by local road traffic.
- To calculate location-specific emission factors (mg/km/vehicle) for individual non-exhaust emission sources.
- To separate emission factor values for light duty vehicles (LDV) and heavy duty vehicles (HDV).
- To evaluate the local mass contribution from individual non-exhaust sources (% of traffic related PM10).
The scope of the project:
- The study focused on traffic related emissions and did not include a quantification of other PM10 sources.
- Exhaust related PM10 was quantified at the investigated locations to establish a mass balance of total traffic related PM10. An in-depth interpretation of the exhaust fraction is however subject of other studies and was not within the scope of the present investigation.
Methodology:
The research plan is based on particle measurements upwind and downwind of roads similarly to the already realised project ASTRA2000/415. What is new is the use of rotating-drum-impactors and of the new synchrotron x-ray facility at PSI which allows analysis of the elemental composition with high time resolution. This is a prerequisite for the identification and quantification of the single abrasion processes. BUWAL is interested in the project and would support it.
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