Detailed Inventory of the Evaporative Emissions from Parked Gasoline Vehicles and an Evaluation of Their Atmospheric Impact in Japan.

Abstract

A detailed inventory was taken of evaporative emissions from parked gasoline vehicles in the Kanto region of Japan, 2015, based on the theoretical model to evaluate the amount of evaporative emissions. The inventory showed that evaporative emissions were high in metropolitan and urban areas because of the large populations in these areas and the high vehicle parking frequency. Using the new inventory, the sensitivity of evaporative emissions to the concentration of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol was evaluated using the chemical transport modeling solver, the community multiscale air quality modeling system (CMAQ), coupled with the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model. The calculation results showed that the evaporative emissions from permeation through fuel related parts were more significant in the generation of the tropospheric ozone than those from fuel tank venting. This was because the permeation emissions included a high proportion of high maximum incremental reactivity value components, such as aromatics. Neither of the evaporative emission types were significant secondary organic aerosol generators. Whole reduction of the evaporative emissions contributed an approximate 3 ppb decrease in tropospheric ozone in urban areas during the daytime. This information will contribute to the volatile organic compound (VOC) management strategy employed by governments worldwide.