Measurements of OVOCs and NMHCs in a Swiss highway tunnel for estimation of road transport emissions.
Eighteen oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) and eight nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were measured continuously during a two-week campaign in 2004 in the Gubrist highway tunnel (Switzerland). The study aimed to estimate selected OVOC and NMHC emissions of the current vehicle fleet under highway conditions. For the measured OVOCs the highest EFs were found for ethanol (9.7 mg/km), isopropanol (3.2 mg/km), and acetaldehyde (2.5 mg/km), followed by acetone, benzaldehyde, and acrolein. Formaldehyde, the most abundant OVOC measured in other studies, was not measured by the method applied. Relative emissions of the measured OVOCs were estimated to contribute approximately 6 and 4% to the total road traffic VOC emissions from Switzerland and Europe, respectively. Results are compared with those from previous studies from the same tunnel performed in 1993 and 2002, and from campaigns in other tunnels. A continuous reduction in the emission factors (EFs) was determined for all measured compounds from 1993 until 2004. The relative contributions of light-duty vehicles (LDV) and heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) to the total emissions indicated that OVOCs were mainly produced by the HDVs, whereas LDVs dominated the production of the NMHCs.
Legreid
Geir
G
Laboratory for Air Pollution and Environmental Technology, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Empa, Ueberlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland.
Reimann
Stefan
S
Steinbacher
Martin
M
Staehelin
Johannes
J
Young
Dickon
D
Stemmler
Konrad
K
D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D013557:Switzerland; D014186:Transportation; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D014835:Volatilization
D006838:Hydrocarbons; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D001335:Vehicle Emissions