Primary emissions and secondary organic aerosol formation from in-use diesel vehicle exhaust: Comparison between idling and cruise mode

Abstract

Diesel vehicle exhaust is an important source of carbonaceous aerosols, especially in developing countries, like China. Driving condition impacts diesel vehicle emissions, yet its influence needs further understanding especially on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. In this study tailpipe exhaust from an in-use light duty diesel vehicle at idling and driving speeds of 20 and 40 km h−1 was introduced respectively into a 30 m−3 indoor smog chamber to investigate primary emissions and SOA formation during photo-oxidation. The emission factors of SO2 at 20 and 40 km h−1 were higher than those at idling, whereas the emission factors of aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) decreased when driving speeds increased. The emission factors of black carbon (BC) and primary organic aerosol (POA) at idling were comparable to those at 20 and 40 km h−1. The SOA production factors were 0.41 ± 0.09 g kg-fuel−1 at idling, approximately 2.5 times as high as those at 20 km h−1 (0.16 ± 0.09 g kg-fuel−1) or 40 km h−1 (0.17 ± 0.09 g kg-fuel−1). Total carbonaceous aerosols, including BC, POA and SOA, from diesel vehicles at 20 and 40 km h−1 were 60–75% of those at idling, due largely to a reduction in SOA production. Measured AHs and PAHs altogether were estimated to explain <10% of SOA production, and eight major OVOCs could contribute 8.4–23% of SOA production. A preliminary comparison was further made for the same diesel vehicle at idling using diesel oils upgraded from China 3 to China 5 standard. The emission factors of total particle numbers decreased by 38% owing to less nuclei mode particles, which was probably caused by the reducing fuel sulfur content; the emission factors of BC were almost unchanged, the POA emission factors and SOA production factors however decreased by 72% and 37%.