Browse Topic: Volatile organic compounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) generated in the oil transportation process are important precursors for secondary organic aerosols (SOA) and photochemical smog. These emissions have become one of the key environmental constraints in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan. Due to the diversity of oil products, VOC composition varies significantly among different types of oil, such as crude oil and refined oil, making it a critical consideration in the development of pollution control policies and treatment processes for the transportation sector. This study employs gas chromatography with a hydrogen flame ionization detector and mass spectrometry to analyze VOCs emitted from 31 types of crude oil and refined oil samples under simulated transportation and storage conditions. By utilizing multi-source detection and mass spectrometry overlay, along with area normalization spectral analysis, we provide a more accurate breakdown of VOC components from crude oil, asphalt mixtures, gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene, and naphtha. Special attention is given to the olefin and aromatic hydrocarbon components, which contribute significantly to ozone formation. The research results can provide important basis for the research and design selection of VOCs treatment technology and equipment in the transportation process.
In recent years, with the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic, people's lives worldwide have undergone significant changes. Additionally, the emergence of a new generation of consumers known as the millennial generation has led to a high demand for multipurpose family cars. The perspective is shifting towards choosing premium products that enhance the quality of life and pursue their own happiness and comfort through technology, rather than simply selecting a midsize SUV based on the increase in family size. We aim to meet the needs of these global customers by conducting research and developing various new features that were not previously available in midsize SUVs. In this study, we defined the actual target users for midsize SUVs and established UX concepts by analyzing their characteristics. Based on this, we employed an optimal design approach by analyzing the evaluation results by country for the various features implemented within the vehicle. This allowed us to understand the background behind commonalities and differences and integrate them into the actual design process. In addition, during this process, we qualitatively collected the Voice of the Customer (VOC) from actual customers, allowing us to establish the foundation for optimal design. We primarily used In-Depth Interviews (IDI) as our evaluation method, but in order to achieve optimal design, we also incorporated quantitative methods to ensure the quality of the evaluation results. Utilizing 16 categories of UX values, which allow for a more systematic and clear quantitative evaluation of UX, can be extended to evaluations across various vehicle grades and types.
Cabin Air quality is the measure of quality of air within the vehicle. Cabin air quality is not just important for comfort but for safety as well [1]. For decades, scientists have studied the air quality outside of automobiles. The in-cabin microenvironment has become a significant source of exposure to numerous air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, etc. [4]. There are various physical parameters such as filters, cabin temperature, air exchange rate, A/C ON or OFF condition and direction of flow of air inside the vehicle cabin, which can affect the cabin air quality and purification time. The air exchange and its rate being of highest importance [2]. The paper consists of various experimental results to check the effect of these parameters in improving the cabin air quality. The paper consists of data related to PM 2.5 which is one of the most significant contributors in hampering the cabin air quality. The paper clearly demonstrates the procedure followed to create high concentration of PM 2.5 inside the vehicle cabin, and how that PM 2.5 concentration value inside the vehicle cabin be reduced by varying air exchange rate, changing the kind of filter in HVAC unit, changing direction of air flow inside the vehicle cabin, or changing the mode of air intake.
Circular Economy (CE) is an alternative to the traditional linear economy model. It is a systematic sustainable development strategy that seeks to tackle the deleterious effects of environmental degradation and resource scarcity. It proposes different ways to reduce waste, derive energy from renewables, recover resources at the end of a products life cycle and recycle them back into the production chain thereby significantly reducing pollution. This study is a review of the rapidly increasing literature on Circular Economy and its implementation to the Air Cargo System (ACS). It first reviews the different concepts of CE and distinguishes it from the current linear model of taking resources, making goods, and discarding waste. The study then presents how the different principles of CE can be applied to the current model of Air Cargo system and suggests ways in which the present linear model can be transformed into a regenerative sustainable model. The focus here is to highlight the different areas in the Cargo handling system (CHS) where the policies of CE can be applied in its existing state. For example, the paints used to distinguish different types of locks and restraints in the CHS contain chromates and other volatile organic compounds. A chrome free alternative that allows for application of thinner films to save weight will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the product. Once the locks reach the end of its life cycle, ecofriendly techniques like dustless blasting can be used for paint removal and the metals parts can be recycled. The paint can be broken down into nontoxic component using the emerging Bioremediation technology that use metabolic pathway-based approaches for detoxification of chemicals. Finally, the paper identifies the different challenges in the implementation of CE model to CHS and provides some suggestions for its development as part of an initiative to make Air Cargo a greener mode of transporting goods.
Butanol is a potential alternative fuel for diesel in compression ignition (CI) engines. Many of the physico-chemical properties of butanol such as low carbon-to-hydrogen (C/H) ratio compared to diesel, higher heating value, lower heat of vaporization and suitable density-viscosity values compared to ethanol and methanol makes it suitable as an alternative fuel. However, poor cetane number and miscibility are the limitations associated with butanol. The use of fuel additives as ignition improver could be beneficial in overcoming the issues associated with alcohols. In this work, an experimental investigation in a twin-cylinder CI engine was carried out to assess the effect of doped cetane improving additives (Diethyl ether (DEE), Diglyme (DEGME) and Ethyl diglyme (DEGEE)) for diesel-butanol blend (B15). Cylinder pressure trace, heat release rate (HRR), location of maximum in-cylinder pressure (Pmax) and maximum rate of heat release (HRRmax), engine performance (brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC)) and gaseous emissions (oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) for blends of diesel and butanol (15% v/v) were measured and evaluated to determine the effect of these doped additives. B15 showed elevated cylinder pressure (~9% higher than diesel Pmax) and higher HRRmax (~9.3% higher than diesel). Higher BTE and lowest BSFC was recorded for B15 doped with DEE (B15+DEE) with lowest CO2, NOx and VOCs emissions among tested conditions.
Vehicle interior air quality is usually determined by the levels of in-cabin air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), gaseous air pollution (volatile organic compounds [VOCs], oxides of nitrogen [NOx], and carbon monoxide [CO]), and carbon dioxide [CO2], which reflect the freshness of indoor air. Nowadays, cabin air filters play a key role in preventing outdoor air pollutants transporting inside vehicles; hence, in-cabin air quality can be strongly associated with the filtration performance of cabin air cleaning solutions. However, challenges are existing in a standard method for assessing the performance of a cabin air filter in real-life driving conditions. This study is to develop a low-cost mobile test method for monitoring in-vehicle PM and CO2 and evaluating the performances of cabin air filters while driving the vehicles. The results reveal that certain boundary conditions are important to have a proper method for evaluating the particle removal efficiency. For example, recirculation ventilation can lead to high PM2.5 removal efficiency regardless of the status and performance of a cabin air filter, and the remarkable increase in CO2 in a short time is an obvious indicator of the activation of recirculation. Fresh air ventilation is effective in maintaining the in-cabin freshness without the built-up of interior CO2; however, drivers can be exposed to a high level of PM2.5 concentrations with cabin air filters of poor performance. For the vehicles involved in this study, the average PM2.5 removal efficiencies were about 17-50% under fresh air with existing installed cabin air filters (more than 3 months since installed). With a brand-new filter (original cabin air filter and CabinAir Nordzone™ filter), the vehicle could filter out about 80-86% of outdoor PM2.5. The application of ionization technology together with the Nordzone™ filter was proven to further enhance the PM2.5 removal efficiency by up to 97%. Future work would be of great interest to investigate the aging performance of those optimized cabin air filters and the contribution of ionization, as a promising technology to improve the performance of cabin air filters, on those aged filters in real-driving environments.
As governmental agencies focus on low levels of the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions compliance, new off-road applications are being reviewed for both regulated and unregulated emissions to understand the technological challenges and requirements for improved emissions performance. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has declared its intention to pursue more stringent NOX standards for the off-road market. As part of this effort, CARB initiated a program to provide a detailed characterization of emissions meeting the current Tier 4 off-road standards [1]. This work focused on understanding the off-road market, establishing a current technology emissions baseline, and performing initial modeling on potential low NOx solutions. This paper discusses a part of this effort, focuses on the emissions characterization from two non-road engine platforms, and compares the emissions species from different approaches designed to meet Tier 4 emissions regulations. The engine platforms reflected the available technology for diesel particulate filter (DPF) and non-DPF aftertreatment architectures. A detailed emissions characterization of the gaseous and particulate emissions was performed to measure an extensive list of non-regulated emission measurements. These measurements included volatile organic compounds (VOC), aldehydes and ketones, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), elemental carbon and organic carbon (EC/OC), intermediate soluble organic compounds (IVOC), and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC). State-of-the-art analytical sampling and analysis methods were employed for the determination of the various exhaust species. The engines were evaluated using certification cycles (Non-Road Transient Cycle - NRTC and two Ramped Modal Cycles - RMC) and a low load application cycle (LLAC) developed from field applications. Results from this study indicated that both applications met Tier 4 regulations, and the aftertreatment produced unregulated emissions which were consistent with the type of aftertreatment employed. This work provided valuable data regarding engine and aftertreatment simulation models used to evaluate candidate current-technology, low NOX aftertreatment architectures.
As agencies continue to focus on emissions compliance, low NOX discussions have started to propagate beyond the on-highway market. Nonroad applications, which contribute to 29% of the PM emissions and 11% of the NOX emissions in California, are being reviewed to understand the technological challenges and requirements for improved emissions performance. To help facilitate a nonroad low NOX technology demonstration, information from current engine and aftertreatment technologies required a detailed assessment. The following work will discuss the emissions characterization results from two non-road engine platforms. The intention of this study was to compare the emissions species from different approaches designed to meet Tier 4 emissions regulations. The platforms reflect available technology for DPF and non-DPF aftertreatment architectures. A detailed emissions characterization included gaseous emissions, particulate matter, particle number, and an extensive list of non-regulated emission measurements (e.g. volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and water-soluble organic carbon). The engines were evaluated utilizing certification cycles, as well as, a low load application cycle developed from field applications. Results from this study indicate that while both applications meet Tier 4 regulations, each engine platform has associated challenges. For example, the non-DPF engine reduces PM by 40% to 50%, while the DPF engine can reduce PM by 95% or more. The non-DPF engine, however, had better low load NOX reduction performance at 82% compared to the DPF engine at 67%. The tradeoff, though, was higher CO2 emissions for the non-DPF engine. This work will provide valuable inputs to engine and aftertreatment simulation models, which will be utilized to evaluate candidate low NOX aftertreatment architectures.
The air purifier industry has seen a growth in terms of demand and sales lately. All credit goes to massive Industrialization in developing countries such as India. The most harmful of the pollutants are PM 2.5 articulates and NOx Emissions. This leads to the new trend of customers become health and comfort conscious and willing to pay more for better and improved transportation. To satisfy these demands, COEM’s are developing more numbers of Air conditioning buses. Although the OEM’s are meeting this demand of quantity, the quality of air from air conditioner is still suffer. One of the main reasons for this poor air quality is because of the ineffectiveness of conventional air conditioner air filters to control particulate materials i.e. PM2.5, biological pollutants i.e. microbes, bacteria, viruses, and gaseous pollutants i.e. CO, CO2, SO2, NOX, O3 & VOCs in air. As per various researches, health problems associated with bus occupant compartment air quality appear more frequently. This article presents a study of the current scenario of the problems of air pollution. Severity of the issue has been highlighted. A Compilation of the most common and significant methods of purifying air such as those employing the use of filters.
A set of manganese oxide catalysts was synthesized and doped with Cu and/or Fe by means of the citric acid sol-gel preparation method. The samples were studied by means of several characterization techniques: field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), N2-physisorption at -196 °C, H2 and soot temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR, soot-TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalytic performance of the prepared catalysts was investigated in the oxidation of a probe VOC molecule (propylene) and carbon soot singularly and simultaneously. The catalytic performances were studied as well assuring a content of 5 vol.% of water in the gaseous reactive mix. The investigations evidenced that the best soot catalytic oxidation rates occurred over the Mn2O3 sample, while the copper-doped manganese oxide (i.e. the MnCu15) showed the best performance in the decomposition of propylene. The soot conversion rates of the samples were positively correlated to the Mn3+/Mn2+ ratio of the samples, while the activity in the oxidation of propylene could be attributed to the reducibility enhancement caused by the insertion of Cu species in the structure of Mn2O3. The most active samples in soot oxidation demonstrated only a slight catalytic activity deactivation after thermal aging and practically no deactivation during the tests with humidity. Interestingly, the simultaneous soot-propylene oxidation tests evidenced an enhancement of the oxidation of soot particles in “tight” contact with the catalyst, likely due to a cooperative effect between soot and propylene oxidation.
Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental resources.
This SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) provides information on aircraft cabin air quality, including: Origins of chemical airborne contaminants during routine operating and failure conditions. Exposure control measures, including design, maintenance, and worker training/education. This AIR does not deal with airflow requirements.
RDE regulation in Brazil for Light Duty Vehicles will be made effective after Jan/2022. Brazil has some specific conditions and it is necessary to adapt the European RDE procedure in order to attend them: ozone as main pollutant, more than half LDV fleet are flexfuel, able to burn gasoline and ethanol biofuel but with high VOC emission, main big cities altitude close to 1,000 m and high road grade and type approval laboratory cycle based on FTP-75. The objective of this paper is to share advances and concerns about the work of Brazilian specialists in RDE Brazil procedure development. Some changes have already been introduced in the RDE procedure, but some concerns are coming to light, as the correct representativeness of FTP-75 as reference cycle, high ethanol emission at cold start below 20°C, tendency to high hydrocarbon and CO emission when driving at high positive altitude gain and temperatures higher than 30°C.
Ensuring continuing environmental and health improvements, it is important regularly to reassess what pollutants from vehicles are targeted. Are the right compounds being regulated? The Emissions Analytics’ presentation looks at a range of pollutant sources that may need to be considered to give a holistic view of the environmental impact of vehicles, supported by data from its independent, real-world EQUA test programme. Post-Euro-6 emissions regulation in Europe is an opportunity to simplify and refocus on emerging environment threats. Certain unregulated tailpipe pollutants, such as ammonia, which contributes to secondary particle formation, are candidates for future regulation. Volatile organic compounds are of interest from several angles: vehicle interior air quality and the off-gassing from materials; tailpipe speciation of hydrocarbons including formaldehyde; and off-gassing from tyres. Tyre wear emissions are currently unregulated but are believed to be a growing contributor to air and marine pollution. Emissions Analytics runs independent test programmes that investigate and quantify real-world exhaust, cabin and tyre pollution. Resulting measurements form the EQUA Index database, which is the source of results presented in this paper.
The fossil fuels burning is the main source of air pollutants in large cities. Anthropogenic emissions and their impact on air quality are of concern both regarding primary and secondary pollutants, such as tropospheric ozone. This molecule if formed from chemical reactions between fuel burning products, such as nitrogen monoxide and dioxide (NOx = NO + NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), in the presence of sunlight. With the perspective of increasing the biodiesel content in the mixture with diesel oil, actually in 12 % in Brazil, it became relevant to know the exhaust composition and it reactivity. This work presents a review of the literature and reveals that most scientific articles point out that biodiesel is a suitable alternative for such circumstances, however they point out harmful effects such as an increase in NOx emissions and carbonyls. For ozone, are presented the formation pathways, the influence of external factors and the implication regarding vehicle emissions. It was used a Diesel cycle vehicle fueled by different mixtures of 0, 10, 15, 20 and 30 % of biodiesel added to diesel. The emissions were collected using a 4 m3 FEP reaction chamber to simulate conditions of ozone formation, allowing the study without the influence of meteorological parameters. The results are presented highlighting each of the pollutants and show the differences in the composition of the exhaust gases when the fuel is changed. It was possible to conclude that biodiesel tends to form more NOx, and the ozone formed was consumed by the NO, not detecting a significant change in ozone levels.
To characterize the effects of renewable fuels on particulate emissions from GDI engines, engine experiments were conducted using EN228-compliant gasoline fuel blends containing no oxygenates, 10% ethanol (EtOH), or 22% ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE). The experiments were conducted in a single cylinder GDI engine using a 6-hole fuel injector operated at 200 bar injection pressure. Both PN in raw exhaust and solid PN (SPN) were measured at two load points and various start of injection (SOI) timings. Raw PN and SPN results were classified into various size ranges, corresponding to current and future legislations. At early SOI timings, where particulate formation is dominated by diffusion flames on the piston due to liquid film, the oxygenated blends yielded dramatically higher PN and SPN emissions than reference gasoline because of fuel effects. For particulates >23 nm and with optimized SOI timing, the use of oxygenated blends significantly increases SPN and conversely decreases raw PN emissions at low load (4.5 bar IMEP). At high load (9 bar IMEP), overall SPN emissions were significantly higher and there were no clear differences between the blends. Additionally, SPN measurements showed that soot formation and emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) depended strongly on blend composition. Finally, adding oxygenates (up to 22%) to gasoline did not reduce emissions of SPN in the size ranges addressed by current regulations.
The goal of this project was to demonstrate that the multistage vapor-phase contaminant mass discharge (MS-CMD) test and vapor-phase tomography (VPT) can effectively characterize persistent volatile organic compound (VOC) sources in the vadose zone and measure their associated mass discharge. It is anticipated that these technologies will improve evaluation of vadose zone source impacts on groundwater and vapor intrusion.
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