title: Measurements of nitrous acid in commercial aircraft exhaust at the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment.
abstract: The Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment (AAFEX), conducted in January of 2009 in Palmdale, California, quantified aerosol and gaseous emissions from a DC-8 aircraft equipped with CFM56-2C1 engines using both traditional and synthetic fuels. This study examines the emissions of nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrogen oxides (NO(x) = NO + NO(2)) measured 145 m behind the grounded aircraft. The fuel-based emission index (EI) for HONO increases approximately 6-fold from idle to takeoff conditions but plateaus between 65 and 100% of maximum rated engine thrust, while the EI for NO(x) increases continuously. At high engine power, NO(x) EI is greater when combusting traditional (JP-8) rather than Fischer-Tropsch fuels, while HONO exhibits the opposite trend. Additionally, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) was identified in exhaust plumes emitted only during engine idle. Chemical reactions responsible for emissions and comparison to previous measurement studies are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. hwanlee@fas.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Ben H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Gregory W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Santoni
authors.forename: Ezra C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Herndon
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Miake-Lye
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zahniser
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wofsy
authors.forename: J William
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Munger
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000401:Aircraft; D003031:Coal; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000032:analysis; D059206:Natural Gas; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000032:analysis*; D009608:Nitrous Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D003031:Coal; D006838:Hydrocarbons; C098607:JP8 aviation fuel; D059206:Natural Gas; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D009608:Nitrous Acid