Effects of driving behavior on real-world emissions of particulate matter, gaseous pollutants and particle-bound PAHs for diesel trucks

Abstract

This study employed a portable emissions measurement system to investigate the effects of vehicle attributes, driving behavior, and road grade on real-world emissions of particulate matter (PM), regulated gaseous pollutants, and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for old-model diesel trucks (model year 1995–2006, 6.7–35.0 metric ton) with little to no tailpipe emission control. The rated power of engines was a major determinant of the distance-specific emission factors of PM, particle-bound PAHs, and most gaseous pollutants. However, the engine size was unrelated to the total hydrocarbon emission factor and the benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaPeq) emission factor of PAHs. Aggressive (AG) and normal (NR) driving behaviors were quantitatively defined with a relative positive acceleration. The emission factors of PM, CO2, and THC were significantly different (p < 0.05) between the AG and NR driving modes. AG driving caused an average increase in emissions of PM, CO2, NOx, and particle-bound PAHs by 122%, 56%, 15%, and 128%, respectively, compared to the respective emissions under the NR mode. The BaPeq emission factor of PAHs in the AG mode was more than 10 times that in the NR mode. The road gradient (ranging from −9.3% to 9.0% over the test route) had significant impacts on the emissions of PM, CO2, and NOx. PM, CO2, and NOx emission factors increased by 109%, 168%, and 160%, respectively, in the >6% grade bin and decreased by 95%, 91%, and 90%, respectively, in the equivalent negative-grade bin, implying that the decrease in emissions on negative road slopes may not compensate for the increase in emissions on the equivalent positive road slopes despite the road slope being compensated. The findings of this study will be valuable for developing air quality management strategies and furthering scientific knowledge on the complex interplay of different variables that affect real-world emissions of on-road vehicles.