Emission Zone Research Articles

Effectiveness, Spillovers, and Well-Being Effects of Driving Restriction Policies

We study the effectiveness, spillovers, and well-being effects of low emission zones in Germany, an emission-intensity-based driving restriction rapidly growing in popularity. Using regression discontinuity and group-time difference-in-differences designs, we show that previous estimates of the policy’s impact on traffic-related air pollution significantly underestimate its effectiveness. We provide evidence of beneficial and harmful policy spillovers to neighboring areas, and increases in ozone due to changes in the chemical balance with precursor contaminants. Policy effects are heterogeneous by season, with greater decreases in traffic pollutants during winter and increases in ozone during spring and summer. Using individual-level data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we further find that the policy decreases subjective well-being despite clear evidence of health benefits. The decline in well-being is especially pronounced in the first year after policy implementation and is transitory.

Killing Prescriptions Softly: Low Emission Zones and Child Health from Birth to School

Killing Prescriptions Softly: Low Emission Zones and Child Health from Birth to School

A Study of the Travel Factors of Truck for the Low Emission Zone

A Study of the Travel Factors of Truck for the Low Emission Zone

Behavioural sensitivity towards emission concepts

Agent-based simulation lends itself to study emergent behaviour when agents respond autonomously, based on their unique and individual attributes, to external interventions. In transport, the vehicle-specific attribute of interest is its fuel efficiency and emissions. While research showed that vehicle-specific emissions can be accounted for in terms of pollutant quantities, this paper aims to demonstrate that the chosen model is sensitive to a vehicle’s designated emissions concept. In urban freight or city logistics, such behavioural sensitivity is necessary to evaluate interventions like low emission zones where access is provided to goods vehicles based on their emission category.

The impact of London traffic restrictions: Effective but insufficient

Short and long-term exposure to air pollutants has been shown to be strongly associated with mortality and morbidity. This is a particular problem in big cities, largely due to traffic. In response, low emission zones (LEZ) are becoming more common in cities all over the world. London introduced its Toxicity Charge in 2017 and the more restrictive Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in 2019. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of these policies on NO2 levels. Our results show that NO2 levels significantly dropped in the roadside stations, especially after the implementation of the ULEZ. Similarly, at the background stations, the Toxicity Charge and the ULEZ had a similar, smaller effect. Furthermore, our results suggest that there was a positive spillover effect associated with both traffic policies, which was, however limited to the area within the North and South Circular Roads. In any case, while these policies have been useful to comply with the recommended limits on NO2 levels, alleviating Londoners’ health problems, they need to be enhanced since some stations still are above those limits.

Requirements for a unified system of road vehicles environmental labelling and low emission zones

A concise analysis of global experience in the field of environmental labelling of road vehicles with an emphasis on differentiating access to low-emission zones is given. The main principles of the introduction and application of a unified system of environmental labelling of road vehicles are highlighted with an emphasis on tools to stimulate the maintenance of the environmental properties inherent in the design. On the basis of simulation, forecasts of a decrease in the average specific reduced emissions of harmful substances by a fleet of vehicles of different categories are given in accordance with different control scenarios. Through the introduction of the proposed environment zones of various levels, the fundamental possibilities are shown to achieve a decrease in the level of total specific reduced emissions approximately: up to 40–65 % of the current level within dense urban development covering large territories (“red” environment zones of level V with the maximum permissible level of reduced emissions of 251 g/km (g/tkm) and, accordingly, limiting the active operation of at least vehicles that meet the requirements of Euro-0 and below); 4–5 times in very polluted and densely populated areas (yellow environment zones of level IV, with restrictions for cars with engines with positive ignition of the level Euro-2 and below, and cars with diesel engines Euro-4 and below ); by an order of magnitude in especially sensitive designated areas (green environment zones of level III with the maximum permissible level of reduced emissions of 63 g/km (g/tkm) with unlimited access for cars with engines with positive ignition of the Euro-4 level and above, passenger cars with diesel engines of Euro-6d level up to 8 years, trucks and buses of Euro-6 level up to 15 years old)

Real World Vehicle Emission Factors for Black Carbon Derived from Longterm In-Situ Measurements and Inverse Modelling

Black carbon (BC) is one of the most harmful substances within traffic emissions, contributing considerably to urban pollution. Nevertheless, it is not explicitly regulated and the official laboratory derived emission factors are barely consistent with real world emissions. However, realistic emission factors (EFs) are crucial for emission, exposure, and climate modelling. A unique dataset of 10 years (2009–2018) of roadside and background measurements of equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentration made it possible to estimate real world traffic EFs and observe their change over time. The pollutant dispersion was modelled using the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM). The EFs for eBC are derived for this specific measurement site in a narrow but densely trafficked street canyon in Leipzig, Germany. The local conditions and fleet composition can be considered as typical for an inner-city traffic scenario in a Western European city. The fleet is composed of 22% diesel and 77% petrol cars in the passenger car segment, with an unknown proportion of direct injection engines. For the mixed fleet the eBC EF was found to be 48 mg km−1 in the long-term average. Accelerated by the introduction of a low emission zone, the EFs decreased over the available time period from around 70 mg km−1 to 30–40 mg km−1. Segregation into light (<3.5 t) and heavy (>3.5 t) vehicles resulted in slightly lower estimates for the light vehicles than for the mixed fleet, and one order of magnitude higher values for the heavy vehicles. The found values are considerably higher than comparable emission standards for particulate matter and even the calculations of the Handbook Emission Factors for Road Transport (HBEFA), which is often used as emission model input.

ЩОДО ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНИХ ОСНОВ СИСТЕМНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЮ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ЕНЕРГІЇ ТА ЗАБРУДНЕННЯМ ДОВКІЛЛЯ ДОРОЖНІМ ТРАНСПОРТОМ

Suggestions for the development of theoretical and methodological foundations of system management of energy efficiency and environmental pollution by road transport in the life cycle are given. It takes into account all essential areas covering transportation, infrastructure, maintenance, also energy, chemical and automotive industries, raw material extraction, utilization, and related processes of energy consumption and environmental pollution, distributed in space and time. A universal structural scheme of the “supersystem” is proposed, which reflects the processes of consumption of energy, material and other resources, distributed environmental pollution through the functioning of road transport and related industries, and linked damage as well. The target function of the “supersystem” can be represented as the fulfilment during a certain period (covering the life cycle of the main elements – objects of influence (regulation) and investment of financial resources) of the specified volumes of certain types of transport work with the minimum possible and economically justified consumption of energy, consumables, materials, other resources (including those consumed by the transportation, infrastructure, maintenance, also energy, chemical and automotive industries, raw material extraction, utilization), the minimum possible losses due to artificial pressure on the recipients (human beings, fauna and flora, buildings, etc.) of directly the transport system and infrastructure, as well as side effects of processes in other elements of the “supersystem”, that may be reduced to the total cost of transport, taking into account the inflation index of monetary units. It is proposed to carry out a mathematical description of complicated sets, dynamically distributed in the space of objects that change the structure and properties over time, based on the further development of such a tool as the theory of multisets. In a simplified form, it is presented an example of a fragment of the management system based on measures to regulate the first access of vehicles to the market, further operation, and to certain elements of infrastructure, with the introduction of low emission zones in cities. The development, creation and effective functioning of the management system of transport and related sectors of the economy in those mentioned above and other parts, requires a coherent system approach based on forecasting (modelling) the consequences of decisions, which can be implemented using the tools described in this article. Keywords: wheeled vehicles, road transport, systems management, energy efficiency, environmental pollution.

THE CONCEPT OF UNIFIED SYSTEM OF ROAD VEHICLES ENVIRONMENTAL LABELLING

Problem. The growing propagation of multiple and inconsistent vehicle Access Restriction Schemes, including Low-Emission Zones, is creating extraordinary fragmentation of the European continent`s transport infrastructure access rules, where road transport becoming increasingly expensive, inconvenient, and linked to superfluous barriers, inhibiting economic development and interregional ties. The abovementioned substantiate a strong need for a unified system of road vehicles environmental labelling as a crucial element of any Low-Emission Zone regulation framework as well as environmental marketing and customer decision-making influence in favour of environmentally-friendly vehicles choice. Goal. The main purpose of the research is to develop a concept of unified vehicle environmental labelling to combine in a stable system past, current, and future road vehicle technologies. Methodology. The research method is based on a conceptual framework regarding road vehicle environmental labelling data structure needed to support environmental marketing and management of vehicle access to infrastructure in view of an analysis of positive and negative experience directly in the field, the relevant determinants and driving factors, as well as other related issues. Results. The research gives systems analysis of worldwide experience in the field of road vehicles environmental labelling with emphasise on low-emission zones access differentiation. It is studied many aspects in order to analyse positive and negative experience, including low emission zones faults or low efficiency in reducing air pollution. Key factors lead to faults of low-emission zones or its low efficiency in many cases are identified. Originality and practical value. The proposed concept of unified vehicle environmental labelling not only combine in a stable system past, current, and future technologies, and not only technologically neutral but also join on a unified basis, in a unified global system, vehicles developed, approved and produced under incompatible emission standards in different regions of the world.

Emission Zone Measurement Gives Insight into the Suitability of Accelerated Aging Extrapolation

Emission Zone Measurement Gives Insight into the Suitability of Accelerated Aging Extrapolation

Low emission zones and population health

Air pollution has a detrimental impact on population health, but the effectiveness of policy measures targeting pollution is underexplored. I exploit the natural experiment generated by the staggered implementation of low emission zones in large cities across Germany to assess their impact on health. Using register data on outpatient and inpatient health care, I find that low emission zones reduce the number of patients with cardiovascular disease by 2–3%. This effect is particularly pronounced for those over the age of 65. The findings suggest that low emission zones can be an effective way to reduce air pollution and improve health.

Harnessing Erebus volcano's thermal energy to power year-round monitoring

AbstractYear-round monitoring of Erebus volcano (Ross Island) has proved challenging due to the difficulties of maintaining continuous power for scientific instruments, especially through the Antarctic winter. We sought a potential solution involving the harvesting of thermal energy dissipated close to the summit crater of the volcano in a zone of diffuse hot gas emissions. We designed, constructed and tested a power generator based on the Seebeck effect, converting thermal energy to electrical power, which could, in principle, be used to run monitoring devices year round. We report here on the design of the generator and the results of an 11 day trial deployment on Erebus volcano in December 2014. The generator produced a mean output power of 270 mW, although we identified some technical issues that had impaired its efficiency. Nevertheless, this is already sufficient power for some monitoring equipment and, with design improvements, such a generator could provide a viable solution to powering a larger suite of instrumentation.

Electrohydrodynamic emitters of ion beams

We discuss physical processes underlying the generation of ion beams with high emission current density in electrohydrodynamic (EHD) emitters based on liquid metals and alloys and with room temperature ionic liquids. We consider EHD effects that influence the emission of ions (ion production mechanisms) and the kinetics of ion interactions in high-density beams. We analyze the factors determining the emission zone size, sustainability of emission at high and low currents, generation of clusters, increase in energy spread, decrease in brightness, and other features of ion beams. We consider the specific design features of EHD emitters and the problems of practically ensuring their stable operation. Discussed in detail are modern application areas for ion sources with EHD emitters, including technological installations for ion beam lithography, micro- and nanopatterning, ion microscopes and tools for local mass spectrometry of secondary ions, and systems to control and neutralize the potential of spacecraft as well as electrostatic rocket engines (microthrusters). We analyze prospects for further development of EHD emitters themselves and instruments based on them.

Vehicle-to-Grid in the UK fleet market: An analysis of upscaling potential in a changing environment

Vehicle fleets are considered an important context for the deployment of innovations such as electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. Fleet vehicles constitute a significant share of vehicle registrations, yet little research has been conducted into how the make-up of the changing fleet market could influence upscaling of innovations. This paper presents an in-depth study of the fleet market in the United Kingdom and assesses synergies between V2G and vehicle fleets by analysing socio-technical trends. The approach taken allows for analysing the role of users and markets in upscaling socio-technical transitions. The paper provides a system-level account of the fleet market, and shows how changing user characteristics, the rise of telematics, Low Emission Zones and changes to business operations and labour relations present specific drivers and challenges for V2G. It is concluded that user-related changes in the market environment are highly influential in shaping the upscaling trajectory of sustainable innovations such as V2G. • User-centered analysis of market dynamics in socio-technical transition. • Fleets are a potential domain for the application of V2G. • Fleet market trends have contradictory implications for V2G uptake. • Changes in fleet management practices and vehicle use patterns are influential. • Labour relations with drivers could impact V2G potential.

Optimal Operation of Multi-fuel Power System Considering CO2 Emission and Restricted Operating Zones

Optimal Operation of Multi-fuel Power System Considering CO2 Emission and Restricted Operating Zones

Elucidating Deviating Temperature Behavior of Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes and Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells

AbstractOrganic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) and light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) exhibit different operational modes that render them attractive for complementary applications, but their dependency on the device temperature has not been systematically compared. Here, the effects of a carefully controlled device temperature on the performance of OLEDs and LECs based on two common emissive organic semiconductors are investigated. It is found that the peak luminance and current efficacy of the two OLEDs are relatively temperature independent, whereas, the corresponding LECs exhibit a significant increase by ≈85% when the temperature is changed from 20 to 80 °C. A combination of simulations and measurements reveal that this deviating behavior is consistent with a shift of the emission zone from closer to the transparent anode toward the center of the active material for both the OLEDs and the LECs, which in turn can be induced by a stronger positive temperature dependence of the mobility of the holes than the electrons.

High performance TADF-phosphorescence hybrid warm-white organic light-emitting diodes with a simple fully doping-free device structure

White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) with doping-free emissive layer (EML) structures have been increasingly attracting attention due to their excellent advantages, such as easier manufacturing process and more flexible structure design. In this paper, a series of highly efficient hybrid WOLEDs is manufactured using a simple doping-free EML structure, which is composed of two blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters and an ultrathin (<0.1 nm) orange phosphorescent emitter. Through the thickness optimization of the blue TADF emitters, the optimal device shows a maximum external quantum efficiency, power efficiency, current efficiency, and luminance of 9.1%, 22.7 lm/W, 29.0 cd/A, and 14 530 cd/m2, respectively. When the brightness is increased from 1000 cd/m2 to 10 000 cd/m2, the chromaticity coordinates migrate from (0.44, 0.48) to (0.41, 0.47), and the correlated color temperature changes from 3454 to 3881 K, which belongs to the warm-white light emission zone. The result indicates that the use of a doping-free blue–orange–blue structure provides a common path for fabricating efficient, simple, and low cost WOLEDs.

The implementation of a low emission zone in a medium-sized Swedish city: estimated effects on mortality and morbidity

Title: The introduction of a low emission zone in a medium-sized Swedish city: estimated effects on morbidity and mortalityAuthors: Anna Oudin1,2, Erin Flanagan1, Ebba Malmqvist11.Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Sweden2.Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Umeå University, SwedenAir pollution is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The introduction of low emission zones has been implemented in some cities as a measure to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by air pollution. In other cities, such measures are being considered to be implemented. We undertook a health impact assessment to estimate effects on mortality and morbidity in Malmö by introducing a low emission zone. This was done in dialogue with the Malmö city’s environmental department, assuming adjusted emission factors according to the Handbook Emission Factors for Road Transport version 3.3 with all vehicles on municipal roads being euro6 or better and a mix of vehicles on state roads. The intervention would lead to decreased nitrogen dioxide-levels by in average 2.1 mikrogr/m3 per person (minimum: 0.2, maximum: 5.1 mikrogr/m3). We estimated that the cleaner air would prevent 1-2% of all deaths, depending on what dose-response function was assumed. This corresponds to 26-37 lives per year in Malmö. In comparison in average 7 people die in Malmö each year from traffic accidents. We will also present results regarding how morbidity would be affected.

Car restriction policies for better urban health: a low emission zone in Madrid, Spain

The design of most cities prioritizes the use of motorized vehicles, having a negative effect on urban health. A major concern in the European Union (EU) is air pollution, especially nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which causes many inhabitants health problems and decreases the quality of life. A non-expensive way to reduce pollutants is implementing road restriction policies, as the creation of low emission zones. In this work, we analyze the case of Madrid Central, a low emission zone deployed in Madrid, Spain. We evaluate if it was effective to reduce air pollutants and if there were a side effect, as pollution displacement, during its application. Drawing on open data, we analyze air quality at different points of the city, before and during the application of this measure. Taking into account the EU directives in terms of what healthy air means, we consider three metrics: (a) the trend of NO2 concentration in the air in both periods, (b) the difference between the NO2 concentration during both periods, and (c) the percentage of time in which the population is exposed to air with NO2 concentration under a specific threshold (healthy air as defined by the EU). According to the results, Madrid Central significantly reduces the NO2 concentration in the air and does not produce pollution displacement. Thus, the population breathes healthy air during more time, and there is a positive effect on the whole city.

Methane Fluxes at the Water–Atmosphere Interface in the Southern Tatar Strait of the Sea of Japan: Distribution and Variation

Abstract —We present the results of gas-geochemical surveys in the sea surface water layer, water column, and bottom sediments of the Tatar Strait (north of the Sea of Japan) in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. The distribution of methane fluxes at the water–atmosphere interface is examined, and its relationship with the geologic structure of the Tatar Strait area is discussed. Methane emission has been revealed throughout most of the Tatar Strait area. The most intense methane fluxes at the water–atmosphere interface, up to 482 mol/(km2×day), are observed on the gas-bearing southwestern shelf and on the gas hydrate slope of Sakhalin Island. The high concentrations of methane in seawater and the high contents of methane, hydrogen, and helium in the shelf and slope bottom sediments are probably due to the seismotectonic activity in the region, the presence of gas hydrates, gas concentration zones, gas migration channels, and the regional deep structure. Application of the model for calculation of the flux and impurity transfer fields to the studied water area has shown high methane emission from the sea surface in areas of vertical gas migration from lithospheric sources. The contribution of hydrodynamic factors to the formation of such zones of high methane emission is less than that of geologic factors. The obtained data on methane flux at the water–atmosphere interface for a shallow sea gave a detailed insight into the main gas discharge zones in the southern Tatar Strait.