ME/ChE 449 Sustainable Air Quality

Slide 1:Class Project Report, May 2005 ME/ChE 449 Sustainable Air Quality Highway Transportation: Trends from 1970 to 2002 and Beyond By Scott Kaminski Instructor Rudolf B. Husar Washington University, St. Louis, MO

Slide 2:Data Consistency “Number of vehicles”, “miles driven”, and “fuel consumption” data given in six categories by the FHWA:1 Passenger Cars Buses Motorcycles Other 2-Axle, 4-Tire Vehicles Single Unit Trucks Combination Trucks “Emissions” data given in four categories by EPA:2 Light Duty Gas Vehicles and Motorcycles (LDGV&MC) Light Duty Gas Trucks (LDGT) Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles (HDGV) Diesels FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) Categorization Notes1 Motorcycles are included in passenger cars until 1995. Buses include commercial, school, and non revenue buses. Other 2-Axle, 4-Tire Vehicles include “include vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles”. Single Unit Trucks are “trucks on a single frame with at least two axles and six tires”. Combination Trucks include “tractor-trailers with semi-trailer(s)” and “heavy single-unit trucks used regularly with trailer(s)”. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Categorization Notes4 Light Duty Gas Vehicles (LDGV&MC) are passenger vehicles and “2 or 3 wheeled vehicles designed for on-road use“, respectively. Light Duty Gas Trucks (LDGT) are “pickup trucks, minivans, passenger vans, and sport-utility vehicles” with a Gross Vehicle Weight (which includes passengers and cargo) of 8,500 lbs. or under Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles (HDGV) have a Gross Vehicle Weight of 8,501 lbs. or above. Examples include “large pick-ups, buses, delivery trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), and semi trucks”. The Diesels categorization includes all light duty vehicles, light duty trucks, and heavy duty vehicles that use diesel fuel instead of gasoline. FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) Categorization Notes1 Motorcycles are included in passenger cars until 1995. Buses include commercial, school, and non revenue buses. Other 2-Axle, 4-Tire Vehicles include “include vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles”. Single Unit Trucks are “trucks on a single frame with at least two axles and six tires”. Combination Trucks include “tractor-trailers with semi-trailer(s)” and “heavy single-unit trucks used regularly with trailer(s)”. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Categorization Notes4 Light Duty Gas Vehicles (LDGV&MC) are passenger vehicles and “2 or 3 wheeled vehicles designed for on-road use“, respectively. Light Duty Gas Trucks (LDGT) are “pickup trucks, minivans, passenger vans, and sport-utility vehicles” with a Gross Vehicle Weight (which includes passengers and cargo) of 8,500 lbs. or under Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles (HDGV) have a Gross Vehicle Weight of 8,501 lbs. or above. Examples include “large pick-ups, buses, delivery trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), and semi trucks”. The Diesels categorization includes all light duty vehicles, light duty trucks, and heavy duty vehicles that use diesel fuel instead of gasoline.

Slide 3:Emissions

Slide 4:Important Emission Improvements 1968 – Tailpipe emission standards first implemented for new cars to reduce VOC and CO emissions.6 1970 – Congress passes the Clean Air Act which calls for a 90% reduction in emissions by 1975. This deadline is later extended to 1980 for VOC and 1981 for NOx and CO emissions.7 1971 - New cars have to meet evaporative emission standards for the first time and charcoal canisters are introduced to collect VOC vapors.7,8 1972 - Exhaust gas recirculation valves are implemented to reduce NOx emissions.7 1975 – Most new cars have catalytic converters to reduce VOC and CO emissions.8 Unleaded gasoline introduced (with a 13% market share) since lead inactivates the catalytic converters. Market share climbs to 50% in 1982 and 100% in 1996.9 1980/81 – In response to implementation of CAA emission standards, new cars are equipped with three-way catalysts that optimize the efficiency of catalytic converters and reduce NOx emissions.7 1983 – Passenger Vehicles are first required to undergo testing for “malfunctioning emission control systems”.7

Slide 5: 1990 – CAA Amendments passed including increasing testing requirements.7 Limit on diesel fuel sulfur content (to reduce SO2 and PM emissions) is set by EPA to take effect in 1993.9 1991 – Lower tailpipe standards set for VOC and NOx emissions to be phased in beginning in 1994.7 NOx emissions standards for new trucks and buses cut in half.10 1992 – Limits for CO emissions at cold temperatures are set to be phased in beginning in 1994.7 1993 – The Diesel PM standard for urban buses is reduced. This standard is further reduced in 1994 and 1996.11 1999 – SUV’s subject to same emissions standards as other vehicles for the first time. More restrictive standard for VOC, CO, NOx, and PM begin to be phased in (end 2008).7 Standard for sulfur content in gasoline is reduced to take effect in 2005.12 2000 –Standard for sulfur content of diesel fuel is again reduced to be phased in between in 2007 – 2010. By cleaning up the fuel, emission control technologies can finally be implemented in Diesel vehicles.13

Slide 6:CO Emissions

Slide 7:NOx Emissions

Slide 8:VOC Emissions

Slide 9:SO2 Emissions

Slide 10:PM-10 Emissions

Slide 11:Emissions Summary The trends are a result of the competition between the effectiveness of the emission control technology in the national vehicle fleet and vehicle use. The decrease in emission factors for each pollutant shows that emission technology is working. The decrease in absolute emissions shows that emission technology is progressing faster than the increase in vehicle usage. Difference between improvements in emissions factors and absolute emissions (ex. 85.2 % decrease to 73.1% decrease for overall VOC) is the increase in vehicle use . Full advantage of emission technology can only be achieved through reduced vehicle use.

Slide 12:References United States. Office of Highway Policy Information. Highway Statistics Summary to 1995 (Historical Summary to 1995): Table VM-201a. April 1997. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/vm201a.pdf 23 March 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. 1970 - 2002 Average annual emissions, all criteria pollutants. January 2005. ttp://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends/trends02/trendsreportallpollutants010505.xls 22 March 2005. Tooly, Rebecca Lee. Procedures Document For National Emission Inventory Criteria Air Pollutants 1985-1999. United States Office of Air Quality. Environmental Protection Planning and Standards Agency. Research Triangle Park. NC March 2001. http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends/procedures/neiproc_99.pdf 22 March 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. What are Mobile Sources? http://www.epa.gov/otaq/invntory/overview/examples.htm#onr 31 March 2005. Dill, Jennifer. Transportation Research Board. “Older Vehicles and Air Pollution: Insights from the 1995 NPTS.” http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/circulars/ec026/23_dill.pdf. 17 April 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Mobile Source Emissions - Past, Present, and Future: Milestones. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/invntory/overview/solutions/milestones.htm. 13 April 2005.

Slide 13:United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Automobile Emission: An Overview. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/05-autos.pdf. 17 April 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. National Air Pollutant Emission Trends: 1900-1998. March 2000. http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends/trends98/chapter3.pdf. 17 April 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Diesel Exhaust in the United States. September 2002. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/documents/f02048.pdf 24 April 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Motor Vehicles and the 1990 Clean Air Act. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/11-vehs.pdf. 17 April 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA National News. “CLEANER CARS AND CLEANER FUELS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.” 21 Dec. 1999. http://yosemite1.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/b1ab9f485b098972852562e7004dc686/0b8d5154df6d30a18525684e0077437d?OpenDocument. 20 April 2005. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental News. “EPA DRAMATICALLY REDUCES POLLUTION FROM HEAVY-DUTYTRUCKS AND BUSES; CUTS SULFUR LEVELS IN DIESEL FUEL”. 21 Dec. 2000. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/hd2007/frm/r-196.pdf 20 April 2005.