EXHAUST EMISSIONS OF PAH<i>s</i> OF PASSENGER CARS

Abstract

Exhaust emissions of 16 PAHs, listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as priority pollutants, are measured using a vehicle bench on a sample of passenger cars. Thirteen gasoline vehicles and 17 diesel vehicles are tested, complying with ECE 1504 to Euro 3 emission standards, according to three real-world driving cycles based on European driving behavior (2 urban and 1 motorway). HPLC with fluorometric detection is used for their quantification. The effect of cold or hot start is put to the fore with the short urban INRETS cycle. The particle and gas-phase distribution is studied for all the vehicles and the hot driving cycles. In this study, the cars' emissions are shown to be reduced, according to the legislative level (Euro-1, 2, 3 …). The majority of volatile PAHs is mainly observed in the gas phase whereas the less volatile and carcinogenic PAHs are especially adsorbed on particles.