Characterization of aircraft emissions and air quality impacts of an international airport

Abstract

Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA) is the world's second busiest airport. In this study, the emissions of air pollutants from aircraft and other sources at ZBAA in 2015 were estimated using an improved method, which considered the mixing layer height calculated based on aircraft meteorological data relay (AMDAR), instead of using the height (915m) recommended by ICAO. The yearly emissions of NOx, CO, VOCs, SO2, and PM2.5 at the airport were 8.76×103, 4.43×103, 5.43×102, 4.80×102, and 1.49×102ton/year, respectively. The spatial–temporal distribution of aircraft emissions was systematically analyzed to understand the emission characteristics of aircraft. The results indicated that NOx was mainly emitted during the take-off and climb phases, accounting for 20.5% and 55.5% of the total emissions. CO and HC were mainly emitted during the taxi phase, accounting for 91.6% and 92.2% of the total emissions. Because the mixing layer height was high in summer, the emissions of aircraft were at the highest level throughout the year. Based on the detailed emissions inventory, four seasons simulation using WRF-CMAQ model was performed over the domain surrounding the airport. The results indicated that the contribution to PM2.5 was relatively high in winter; the average impact was about 1.15μg/m3 within a radius of 1km around the airport. Meanwhile, the near surroundings and southwest areas of the airport are the most sensitive to PM2.5.