Enhancement of cigarette filter using MgO nanoparticles to reduce carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides of cigarette

Introduction: Thousandths dangerous chemicals are found in cigarette smoke. Each day millions cigarettes are consumed and its smoke is emitted in the atmosphere. Although several studies have been carried out on ciga-rette smoke, there is no reliable emission factor for pollutants emitted from burning cigarette. The aim of this study is to prepare four emission factors to estimate amount of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides per each cigarette. Materials and methods: In this study a set of experiments was designed to achieve this aim. Different brands of cigarettes were prepared and then they was burned by a vacuum pump. Their cigarettes smoke was analyzed by a gas analyzer to find the concentration of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides in the cigarettes smoke. Next, the average emission factor for complete burning of a cigarette was calculated. Results: High amount of pollutants could be found in cigarette smoke. The results revealed that 0.01 mg of hydrocarbons, 0.13 mg of carbon monoxide, 0.5 mg of carbon dioxide and 0.01 mg of nitrogen oxides are emitted during complete burning of each cigarette. Conclusion: If the number of consumed cigarettes was available, these emis-sion factors can be used to understand the share of cigarette smoke in air pol-lution of large cities to understand whether cigarette consumption is effective on air pollution.

This study presents a detailed investigation of diesel vehicle emissions utilizing chassis dynamometer testing. The recruited vehicle fleet consists of 15 in-use diesel vehicles, spanning a wide range of emission standards, engine sizes, weight, model year, etc. The real-time emission concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), total hydrocarbons (THC), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and the mass of particulate matter (PM) collected on filters are measured and used to calculate the vehicle emission factors (EFs) under various driving conditions. Results show that in general EFs of NOx, CO, THC, and PM of the recruited fleet span a wide range of values (NOx 0.80 ± 0.34 to 60.28 ± 2.94 g kg−1; THC 0.10 ± 0.04 to 5.28 ± 1.28 g kg−1; CO below detection limits to 24.01 ± 8.48 g kg−1; PM below detection limits to 2.47 ± 1.22 g kg−1). Further data analysis shows that the implementation of a higher emission standard has a significant effect on reducing the emission of pollutants, except for NOx. Driving conditions are also important factors affecting the EFs. Besides, statistical analysis shows a significant correlation between EFs of NOx with the testing weight and the maximum engine power of the vehicle. Further investigation is recommended to explore the effect of maintenance of the vehicles to the vehicular emission.

Effect of taxis on emissions and fuel consumption in a city based on license plate recognition data: A case study in Nanning, China

Introduction: Although many studies on Isfahan’s air pollution have been done, there is no report about the effects of cigarette consumption in Isfahan. The aims of this study were (a) to find the amount of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emitted by cigarette consumption in Isfahan; and (b) to model the distribution of such pollutants in Isfahan’s atmosphere. Materials and methods: Based on the literature, it is assumed that 15% of Isfahan’s people consume cigarettes and each smoker on average smokes 1,147 cigarettes per year. Based on these assumptions, the 249,000 smokers living in Isfahan consume 285,000,000 cigarettes per year. The amount of pollutant emissions was calculated by existing emission factors for cigarette consumption. Finally, the distribution of the emitted pollutants from cigarette consumption in Isfahan’s atmosphere was modeled using AERMOD. Results: The results illustrated that each year, 2.85 kg nitrogen oxides, 2.85 kg hydrocarbons, 37.05 kg carbon monoxide and 142.5 kg carbon dioxide are emitted into Isfahan’s atmosphere from residents’ smoking. The modeling of pollutants’ dispersion in Isfahan’s atmosphere showed that only some of these pollutants result from cigarette consumption. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the amount of pollutants emitted by cigarette consumption was negligible compared to the other pollutant sources in Isfahan.

The engine performance and exhaust emissions of biodiesel produced from peanut oil must be evaluated to assess its potential as an alternative diesel fuel. In this study, two diesel engines rated at 14.2 kW (small) and 60 kW (large) were operated on pure peanut oil biodiesel (PME) and its blends with a reference diesel (REFDIESEL). Results showed that comparable power and torque were delivered by both the small and large engines when ran on pure PME than on REFDIESEL while brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was found to be higher in pure PME. Higher exhaust concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2) and total hydrocarbons (THC) and lower carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were observed in the small engine when using pure PME. Lower CO2, CO and THC emissions were obtained when running the large engine with pure PME. Blends with low PME percentage showed insignificant changes in both engine performance and exhaust emissions as compared with the reference diesel. Comparison with soybean biodiesel indicates similar engine performance. Thus, blends of PME with diesel may be used as a supplemental fuel for steady-state non-road diesel engines to take advantage of the lubricity of biodiesel as well as contributing to the goal of lowering the dependence to petroleum diesel.

In this work we address the problem of air pollution in modern cities. We propose a method for detection and analysis of evaporation (H 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH 4 ) which are the typical components of exhaust gases produced by the gasoline vehicles. The method is based on infrared multi-wavelengths absorption in the range of 1.3–2.3 μm and can be implemented by using multi waves array of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The proposed approach allows several absorption spectra to be covered by one LED absorption line, thus the number of used LEDs should be not less than the number of considered absorption lines. The simulation was done for a 6-element multi-wavelengths LED array. We demonstrate that the method is highly relevant for the application to open-path detectors where the radiation source and the receiver are located at a distance of tens of meters from each other.

A gaseous emissions analysis of commercial aircraft engines during test-cell run

Air pollution in cities has a major impact on human health and constitutes one of the major environmental and public-health issues human society has to address today.Contamination of water, soil, and air in many parts of the world, but also in Kosovo, is a serious environmental problem, and a permanent risk to public health. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been associated with a wide range of effects on health, but effects on mortality are arguably the most important and are also most amenable to global assessment. Degradation of the atmospheric environment is intensified during the last years in the major cities of Kosovo. The main current air pollution sources in Kosovo are: KEC that includes thermal power plants (Kosova A and Kosova B) and lignite mines in Obiliq, Industrial complex in Mitrovice, Ferronikeli in Gllogovc, Cement factory - SharrCem in Hani i Elezit, etc. The monitoring objectives are to determine compliance with air quality limit value to detect pollutant levels of SO2, NOx, CO, O3, PM10, in PM10, which study is focused on four different urban areas in Kosovo. Air quality is a major problem in many urban areas in the Republic of Kosovo and therefore has an impact on human health. The main serious air pollutants are Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Sulfur Oxide (SOx), Carbon Monoxide CO, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and different specks of dust (PM10 and PM2.5). Keywords: air pollution, Kosovo, particulate matter, NOx, O3.

Regulatory agencies have shifted their emphasis from measuring emissions during certification cycles to measuring emissions during actual use. Emission measurements in this research were made from two different large ships at sea to compare the Simplified Measurement Method (SMM) compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) NOx Technical Code to the Portable Emission Measurement Systems (PEMS) compliant with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1065 for on-road emission testing. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured at load points specified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to compare the two measurement methods. The average percentage errors calculated for PEMS measurements were 6.5%, 0.6%, and 357% for NOx , CO2, and CO, respectively. The NOx percentage error of 6.5% corresponds to a 0.22 to 1.11 g/kW-hr error in moving from Tier III (3.4 g/kW-hr) to Tier I (17.0 g/kW-hr) emission limits. Emission factors (EFs) of NOx and CO2 measured via SMM were comparable to other studies and regulatory agencies estimates. However, EFPM2.5 for this study was up to 26% higher than that currently used by regulatory agencies. The PM2.5 was comprised predominantly of hydrated sulfate (70–95%), followed by organic carbon (11–14%), ash (6–11%), and elemental carbon (0.4–0.8%). Implications This research provides direct comparison between the International Maritime Organization and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reference methods for quantifying in-use emissions from ships. This research provides correlations for NOx, CO2, and CO measured by a PEMS unit (certified by U.S. EPA for on-road testing) against IMO's Simplified Measurement Method for on-board certification. It substantiates the measurements of NOx by PEMS and quantifies measurement error. This study also provides in-use modal and overall weighted emission factors of gaseous (NOx, CO, CO2, total hydrocarbons [THC], and SO2) and particulate pollutants from the main engine of a container ship, which are helpful in the development of emission inventory.

BackgroundTo enhance postoperative patient survival, particularly in older adults, understanding the predictors of mortality following hip fracture becomes paramount. Air pollution, a prominent global environmental issue, has been linked to heightened morbidity and mortality across a spectrum of diseases. Nevertheless, the precise impact of air pollution on hip fracture outcomes remains elusive.ObjectiveThis retrospective study aims to comprehensively investigate the profound influence of a decade-long exposure to 12 diverse air pollutants on the risk of post–hip fracture mortality among older Taiwanese patients (older than 60 years). We hypothesized that enduring long-term exposure to air pollution would significantly elevate the 1-year mortality rate following hip fracture surgery.MethodsFrom Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, we obtained the data of patients who underwent hip fracture surgery between July 1, 2003, and December 31, 2013. Using patients’ insurance registration data, we estimated their cumulative exposure levels to sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), particulate matter having a size of <10 μm (PM10), particulate matter having a size of <2.5 μm (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOX), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), total hydrocarbons (THC), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), and methane (CH4). We quantified the dose-response relationship between these air pollutants and the risk of mortality by calculating hazard ratios associated with a 1 SD increase in exposure levels over a decade.ResultsLong-term exposure to SO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5, NOX, NO, NO2, THC, NMHC, and CH4 demonstrated significant associations with heightened all-cause mortality risk within 1 year post hip fracture surgery among older adults. For older adults, each 1 SD increment in the average exposure levels of SO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5, NOX, NO, NO2, THC, NMHC, and CH4 corresponded to a substantial escalation in mortality risk, with increments of 14%, 49%, 18%, 12%, 41%, 33%, 38%, 20%, 9%, and 26%, respectively. We further noted a 35% reduction in the hazard ratio for O3 exposure suggesting a potential protective effect, along with a trend of potentially protective effects of CO2.ConclusionsThis comprehensive nationwide retrospective study, grounded in a population-based approach, demonstrated that long-term exposure to specific air pollutants significantly increased the risk of all-cause mortality within 1 year after hip fracture surgery in older Taiwanese adults. A reduction in the levels of SO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5, NOX, NO, NO2, THC, NMHC, and CH4 may reduce the risk of mortality after hip fracture surgery. This study provides robust evidence and highlights the substantial impact of air pollution on the outcomes of hip fractures.

Experimental study on the emission characteristics and performance of PNA coupled aftertreatment system with different catalyst loading

Based on heavy chassis dynamometer, an experimental study was conducted in diesel bus with China Stage Ⅲ, which investigated the effects of gaseous emission characteristics under CCBC driving cycle, such as carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbons (THC), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NO<i>x</i>) and carbon dioxide (CO2) with the fresh/aged oxidized catalyst (DOC) and oxidation catalysts coupled catalyzed particulate trap (DOC+CDPF, referred CCRT). The results showed that using fresh and aged DOC/CCRT, the diesel bus could reduce CO, THC and NO emissions, meanwhile increase NO2 emissions, but NO<i>x</i> and CO2 emissions remained basically unchanged. In idle speed, acceleration, deceleration and constant speed of working conditions, the diesel bus using the fresh DOC had better oxidation efficiency of the CO and THC emissions than the bus using the aged DOC. The diesel bus using the fresh CCRT had higher oxidation efficiency of THC emissions, but lower oxidation efficiency of CO emissions than the bus using the aged CCRT. The diesel bus using the fresh DOC/CCRT had a higher rate of NO emissions reductions and NO2 emissions increments than the bus using the aged DOC/CCRT, but it did not basically affect the NO<i>x</i> emissions.

The use of a 0.20 μm particulate matter filter decreases cytotoxicity in lung epithelial cells following air-liquid interface exposure to motorcycle exhaust

Environmental problems are a global concern, prompting all countries to implement increasingly strict emission regulations. For motorized vehicles with combustion engines, exhaust emissions are a primary concern. Catalytic converters in gasoline-powered cars are designed to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbons (THC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) throughout the vehicle's operational lifespan. This study evaluates the emission performance of various catalytic converter types after prolonged use. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was performed on 20 passenger vehicles from different models, such as AMPV, BMPV, SUV, and Van that varied in catalytic converter type, engine capacity, transmission model, and mileage. Emission tests were conducted using the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) method to assess compliance with both Indonesian regulations and EURO-4 standards. This study presents differences in performance between types of catalytic converters regarding CO, THC, and NOx emissions. In particular, type D catalytic converters exhibited the lowest CO emissions, while type B showed higher average CO and NOx emissions compared to the other types. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistically showed across all converter types significant differences in THC emissions (p &lt; 0.05), but no significant differences in CO and NOx emissions (p &gt; 0.05). We found that catalytic converter Type D performed better in reducing CO and THC emissions, although it did not significantly reduce NOx emissions compared to other types. Consequently, Type D is recommended for optimal emission reduction. Conversely, Type B requires further investigation due to its higher emission levels over time. Materials like alumina, cerium oxide, and zirconia are typically used in wash coats to improve catalytic oxidation and reduce THC emissions. The exact impact on THC reduction depends not only on the choice of wash coat material but also on the catalyst formulation and engine conditions. Enhanced performance can be achieved by combining these materials with the appropriate active metals, optimizing conditions for hydrocarbon oxidation. Future research should explore the performance of catalytic converters concerning the detailed composition and structure of the substrate material and wash coat. Additionally, vehicle operational variables and periodic maintenance should be considered as factors that influence performance.

Tailpipe emissions of a pool of 13 Euro 6b light-duty vehicles (eight diesel and five gasoline-powered) were measured over an extensive experimental campaign that included laboratory (chassis dynamometer), and on-road tests (using a portable emissions measurement system). The New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and the Worldwide harmonised Light-duty vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) were driven in the laboratory following standard and extended testing procedures (such as low temperatures, use of auxiliaries, modified speed trace). On-road tests were conducted in real traffic conditions, within and outside the boundary conditions of the regulated European Real-Driving Emissions (RDE) test. Nitrogen oxides (NOX), particle number (PN), carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbons (HC), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission factors were developed considering the whole cycles, their sub-cycles, and the first 300 s of each test to assess the cold start effect. Despite complying with the NEDC type approval NOX limit, diesel vehicles emitted, on average, over the WLTC and the RDE 2.1 and 6.7 times more than the standard limit, respectively. Diesel vehicles equipped with only a Lean NOX trap (LNT) averaged six and two times more emissions over the WLTC and the RDE, respectively, than diesel vehicles equipped with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. Gasoline vehicles with direct injection (GDI) emitted eight times more NOX than those with port fuel injection (PFI) on RDE tests. Large NOX emissions on the urban section were also recorded for GDIs (122 mg/km). Diesel particle filters were mounted on all diesel vehicles, resulting in low particle number emission (~1010 #/km) over all testing conditions including low temperature and high dynamicity. GDIs (~1012 #/km) and PFIs (~1011 #/km) had PN emissions that were, on average, two and one order of magnitude higher than for diesel vehicles, respectively, with significant contribution from the cold start. PFIs yielded high CO emission factors under high load operation reaching on average 2.2 g/km and 3.8 g/km on WLTC extra-high and RDE motorway, respectively. The average on-road CO2 emissions were ~33% and 41% higher than the declared CO2 emissions at type-approval for diesel and gasoline vehicles, respectively. The use of auxiliaries (AC and lights on) over the NEDC led to an increase of ~20% of CO2 emissions for both diesel and gasoline vehicles. Results for NOX, CO and CO2 were used to derive average on-road emission factors that are in good agreement with the emission factors proposed by the EMEP/EEA guidebook.