Essay on Vehicle Pollution for Students and Children

500 words essay on vehicle pollution.

Vehicles have become a necessary need for a human being. Moreover, every work needs a vehicle for transportation. Without them, our work would be very difficult. It saves us time and also reduces our energy consumption in traveling from one place to another.

Essay on Vehicle Pollution

A vehicle needs fuel which is of two types- Diesel and petrol. These are the fossil fuels that are extracted from within the earth. Though a vehicle has so many benefits it is a major threat to the environment. Because it creates pollution which is increasing. And that is because of the increase in the number of vehicles.

Main Causes of Vehicle Pollution

The fuel on which a vehicle runs gets burned inside the engine which in turn emits various harmful gases. The gases that vehicle emits are carbon monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur Oxide. All these gases are harmful to the environment.

Furthermore, it hampers the health of a person to a dangerous extent. Carbon monoxide is poisonous. Due to which suffocation can occur in the lungs followed by difficulty in breathing. Also, these gases cause global warming. That is a major problem in this era. Furthermore, it causes the ozone layer depletion. Due to which ultraviolet rays can enter into our environment and can cause skin cancer.

Apart from all the hazardous effects of vehicle pollution, the number of vehicles is increasing day by day. According to an estimation, there is an average of 2 vehicles in a single house. Some of the families have more than that. This is the root cause of the increase in the pollution of the vehicle.

Because each member of the family is traveling alone on a two-seater or four-seater vehicle. Thus the consumption of the fuel becomes double. There are various measures by which there can be a reduction of vehicle pollution

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Measures to Reduce Vehicle Pollution

Foremost, vehicle pollution can get reduced by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Moreover, passengers should do bike and carpool. So that the passengers can reach the same destination by less consumption of fuel. Also, it will save energy as they can drive the car or bike in shifts.

Furthermore, the person should turn off the ignition on the red signals. This, in turn, will save fuel and money. At the same time, minor changes in driving like- driving the vehicle on economic speed, apply fewer brakes, reducing quick acceleration can save your fuel and your vehicle will also remain in good condition. Quality checks of the vehicles can also reduce fuel consumption and increase performance.

Above all, the government is taking some major steps to minimize pollution. Electric buses and trains run in the entire city to reduce the use of diesel buses as public transport. Furthermore, the installation of CNG( Compressed Natural Gas) engines is mandatory. This would reduce the cost of transportation and will not be harmful to the environment.

Recently, electric cars and bikes came into the market. This will reduce fuel consumption for personal transport and will be environment-friendly. These were all the measures that will significantly help in the reduction of vehicle pollution.

FAQs on Vehicle Pollution

Q1. What are the main pollutants emitted by a vehicle?

A1. The main pollutants emitted by a vehicle are Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur Oxide. Nitrogen dioxide. These are responsible for environment degradation. Also causing various health issues in a human.

Q2. How can we reduce vehicle pollution?

A2 . There can be a reduction in vehicle pollution by reducing the consumption of fuel. Car and bike pooling can reduce the consumption of fuel. Also, the use of electric public transport can help in a remarkable manner.

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Essay on Vehicle Pollution

We live in a world where everything is transported by the use of vehicles, so it is necessary to have knowledge about vehicle pollution. But before that let us talk about pollution. Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants. Similarly, vehicle pollution is the introduction of harmful pollutants into the environment by motor vehicles.

The pollutants introduced have several effects on human health and the symptoms include cough, nausea, headache, irritation in the eye, and visibility problems. As the population increases, the purchasing power of the people also increases therefore everyone has a vehicle these days for transportation which is very bad for the environment. 

In this essay on vehicle pollution, we are going to talk about the ingredients of vehicle pollution, causes of vehicle pollution, the effects of vehicle pollution, and how it could be controlled.

Causes of Vehicular Pollution 

The major cause of vehicle pollution is the rapid increase in the number of vehicles. Over the last few decades, most vehicles have been produced. The population of vehicles was about 1.4 billion in 2020 itself. The rapid growth in vehicles means more fuel is required which results in the emission of harmful gases in the environment that causes air pollution. Other major factors that contribute to the increase in vehicular pollution in urban areas are poor fuel quality, use of old vehicles, congested traffic which results in smog, no proper traffic management, two-stroke engines, no proper maintenance of vehicles.

Main Pollutants of Vehicular Pollution 

Hazardous air pollutants are the chemical compounds that are emitted by trunks, cars, gas pumps, and other related sources. 

Sulfur dioxide is another main pollutant that is released into the environment when the sulfur present in the fuel burns, especially diesel. It possesses a health risk to most children and can even lead to asthma. 

Carbon monoxide is formed by the combustion of fuels such as gasoline. It is both colourless and odourless gas. When carbon monoxide is inhaled, it can block the transport of oxygen to the brain, heart, and other important organs in the body.

Particulate matter- These possess a serious threat to human health as they penetrate into the human lungs and can cause serious breathing problems. A type of particulate matter is soot seen in motor vehicles. 

Nitrogen oxides- Oxides of nitrogen can cause irritation in the lungs and weaken the body’s defence against respiratory infections like pneumonia.

Effects of Vehicle Pollution 

Global warming is considered to be the leading effect of vehicular pollution. Pollutants released from the vehicles result in the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which results in depletion of the ozone layer. Depletion of the ozone layer results in an increase in the atmospheric temperature which in turn causes global warming. Other effects of vehicular pollution include smog and acid rain formation, reduction in the quality of air which affects tourism and it also causes health problems and lung-related diseases.

Vehicle Pollution

Vehicular pollution includes the introduction of harmful smoke and other materials into the environment by motor vehicles or any automobiles. These materials, known as pollutants, have several bad effects on human health and the general ecosystem. The air pollution from vehicles in urban areas, particularly in big cities and metropolitan cities, has become a more serious problem now than it is in rural places.

Among major primary pollutants that are emitted from mobile sources some of the emissions are that are life-threatening are carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxides of sulfur (SOx), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter including dust and smoke, and compounds of lead. Pollutants emitted from vehicles can affect more than just your lungs. Indeed, these automobile pollutants pose really serious health risks at every stage of life, and can even cause death. 

The impacts caused due to global warming will lead to climatic changes and largely affect people's health and the well-being of entire living creatures on earth and every community around the globe. Global warming will lead to more frequent and intense heat waves especially risky to young children and elderly people and will also cause sea-level rise, flooding, and drought that can destroy the local communities.

Some important ways to avoid vehicle pollution

You should always check whether your car is in good condition according to the usual norms, whether your tires are inflated properly, and tune in your car condition before you start for a trip. 

Combine unnecessary errands into a single trip so that it might save fuel wastage and cars when well warmed up are believed to pollute less.

An idle car emits more pollution than the one which is always in running condition.

You can opt-in to walk or cycle or bike instead of driving a car when you go for a short distance or somewhere very nearby. Plan accordingly so that you might not waste fuel as well.

You can always use public transit in order to avoid traffic tensions and energy input. This will reduce your driving tensions and search for a safe place to park your vehicle. 

Carpooling is also a very good option where you can find a fellow person who wants to travel to the same place as you would want to. You will find new friends and also save costs on fuel. You can split between you both.

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FAQs on Vehicle Pollution Essay

1. What is the main reason for vehicle pollution?

Burning excess amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel creates harmful byproducts like nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde. In addition, vehicles emit carbon dioxide, the most common poisonous greenhouse gas. The good news is that you can reduce pollution from motor vehicles by following the necessary steps. Mostly what kind of vehicle we drive and the way we drive will impact the environment. Automobiles that we use in our daily lives give off more than half of all carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. We should try to minimize vehicle usage to avoid further pollution-related problems since this will lead to serious health problems.

2. What are the serious and dangerous effects of vehicle pollution?

One of the leading serious problems caused by vehicular pollution is global warming. Vehicular pollution results in the emission of greenhouse poisonous gases into the atmosphere, which will result in causing damage to the ozone layer and increase atmospheric temperature, leading to global warming. Due to global warming, even animals and other living creatures on earth are being affected. Many living species that we didn't know existed are being extinct because of breathing in this poisonous gas. This will actually affect the actual existence of any living things on earth.

3. What are the major pollutants that are emitted by vehicles?

The emission that causes air pollution from cars, trucks, and buses is split into two major categories, primary and secondary pollution. Primary pollution is emitted directly into the atmosphere and secondary pollution results from chemical reactions between pollutants that are already present in the atmosphere. Fetuses, newborn children, any living creature extinction, and people with chronic illnesses are especially susceptible to the effects of air pollutants. If this air pollution is not controlled earlier, then it might cause life-related issues as the pollution level increases. Human beings should find ways to reduce pollution causing life-threatening activities in order to save their future generation and provide a better world. 

4. How can we legally stop emissions and their effects?

The right and timely policies and investments from federal, state, and municipal governments will accelerate the transition to a zero-emissions transportation system in the near future. These include setting targets for electric truck and bus adoption, enacting standards for manufacturers to make more of low emission types of vehicles, and developing and funding the necessary incentive programs to help cities and companies achieve these goals. This will largely help in introducing safety measures to avoid emissions that will cause life-threatening diseases.

5. How are heavy-duty vehicles responsible for air pollution?

Trucks and buses play a major role in our lives because they help in transporting goods from manufacturers to physical retail stores, picking up our daily household and other trash, delivering courier packages on time, and transporting thousands of people by providing public transportation facilities around cities, every day. But these vehicles also greatly contribute to public health and global warming problems. Heavy-duty vehicles comprise only about 5 percent of all vehicles on the road, yet they generate more than 25 per cent of global warming emissions than other daily use vehicles, that come from the transportation sector and significant amounts of air pollution.

vehicle pollution problems and solutions essay

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10 Possible Solutions to Air Pollution

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Bumper-to-bumper traffic in both directions on the Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. 

Cars are a real dichotomy. On one side, they provide opportunities for recreation, access to better stores and markets and the freedom to move where we want, when we want.

On the other hand, some claim they rob us of our health and produce a lot of pollution . It's this last part that worries many people. Cars produce a large portion of the world's pollution, in excess of several billion tons per year in the United States alone, and boats, trucks, trains and buses also contribute to the pollution whole. But as car users, we have a few easy-to-implement solutions to air pollution .

To really bring about change, humans have to change their attitude toward cars and take action, and that may be a harder change than any other.

Most importantly, there is no one magic solution. Each small step is a part of another, and no one single step can move ahead significantly without help from the others.

Effects of Air Pollution

  • Change Petroleum Fuel Vehicles to Fuel Cell Technology
  • Put More Electric Cars on the Road
  • Don't Idle
  • Reduce Distance Driven and Time on the Road
  • Change Travel and Commuting Patterns
  • Keep Your Car in Top Condition
  • Drive a More Fuel-efficient Car
  • Build Up Public Transportation
  • Walk or Bike
  • Change the Way We Live and Think

Finding ways to reduce air pollution can have positive impacts on the world as a whole and on our own health. If we can improve air quality, we can lower respiratory and cardiovascular diseases because even short-term exposure to air pollutants can cause health problems .

There is also a link between high air pollution levels and climate change. As the World Health Organization notes , "Reducing ambient and household air pollution can also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and short-lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon particles and methane, therefore contributing to the near- and long-term mitigation of climate change."

10. Change Petroleum Fuel Vehicles to Fuel Cell Technology

The back of the BMW Hydrogen 7

Effective hydrogen fuel cells are the Holy Grail of alternative fuel technologies. The best-known fuel cell is hydrogen-based. This technology uses hydrogen gas to create electricity. The electricity is then converted to mechanical energy in an electric motor to get the car, truck, bus, boat or any other form of transport run by an engine moving.

The only emission from the cell is water , pure H 2 O, clean enough to drink and a far cry from the hydrocarbons, CO 2 and oxides of nitrogen produce by the cleanest car today.

Technology is currently struggling with finding an absolutely pure form of fuel cell, one that emits no harmful pollutants, as well as using renewable energy to produce or supply the raw materials for the fuel cells.

Indeed, the easiest way to produce the needed supply of hydrogen gas at this point is using fossil fuels, though this may change in the future.

9. Put More Electric Cars on the Road

Nissan LEAF engine

Electric cars are not as new as most drivers realize. They were among the first prototype cars created in the late 1890s, and producers manufactured more electric cars than petroleum-powered cars at the turn of the last century.

Today, the electric car is going mainstream. The Nissan LEAF is one electric vehicle that opened a new market for consumers, allowing urban driving without the guilt of tailpipe emissions. Electric vehicles receive their fuel from a linked collection of batteries. The batteries are lead, nickel-metal hydrides and lithium concoctions storing energy provided from home electrical outlets or electric recharging station.

Like fuel cells , electric cars lack a reliable infrastructure, as well as a way of reliably using renewable sources — such as solar, wind or geothermal — to generate their fuel. Instead, they rely on fossil fuel-burning electric plants to supply their needs.

The are nearly 2 million electric vehicles traveling the country's roads as of 2023.

8. Don't Idle

Woman sitting in car

Alternative fuels provide one road to reducing pollution, but they're far from perfect at this point. However, there are a few steps that can be taken now to help reduce tailpipe emissions. One of the most effective is to reduce idle time for vehicles.

According to the California Energy Commission, your car idles anywhere from five to 10 minutes a day on average, depending on driving conditions. Idling your car for two minutes uses about the same amount of gas as going one mile. If you're sitting longer than 10 seconds, it's wise to turn off your car as those 10 seconds will use the same amount of fuel as it would take to restart the engine after being shut down.

Many hybrid cars and electric cars now have an automatic start and stop system that shuts down the engine when the speed is zero. Stepping on the gas, rather than turning the key, gets the car rolling again.

How much this feature will reduce pollution is the subject of debate. Some emissions systems work well at idle; others don't. Larger vehicles, including trucks and buses, as well as diesel engines, can produce more emissions at idle than when running. However, using less fuel means producing fewer emissions and less pollution.

7. Reduce Distance Driven and Time on the Road

Bumper to bumper traffic

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), vehicles account for almost one-third of smog-forming emissions, and every year, more people take to the road and drive farther distances, an increase of more than 120 percent since 1970. Driving fewer miles would, therefore, decrease the amount of pollution produced by cars.

Doing this is easy. You can:

  • Combine errands into one trip
  • Take public transportation
  • Shop by phone, mail or internet
  • Telecommute, if possible

However, this is just the tip of the transportation iceberg. Transportation engineers and urban planners are looking at how to reduce traffic congestion so vehicles spend less time on the road.

Think of the infamous Los Angeles traffic where the average commute time can exceed more than an hour. As people sit in traffic, inching forward, their cars are releasing a steady stream of pollution that, when combined with the geography of the LA basin, creates some of the worst smog in the country.

Better roads, better traffic light timing and access to better public transportation would go a long way to reducing air pollution.

6. Change Travel and Commuting Patterns

parked Zipcar

As engineers and planners struggle with how to reduce driving time and idle time, they're indirectly shaping how the country is settling and evolving.

The press of fuel prices has yet to result in a direct change in how Americans settle, but more Americans are settling closer to where they work and play in an effort to reduce their fuel consumption — or turning to technology to increase telecommuting and work-from-home opportunities.

By reducing commutes — the United States Census Bureau tallied the average commute time at about 30 minutes — cars would produce fewer pollutants.

The new trend in urban planning has become "walkable communities." The idea is to mix residential, business and industrial concerns together so people who live in the area can walk to their work, a store or even to their doctor's office without ever needing a car. The incentive here is not only to reduce pollution and use less fuel but to increase the quality of life for the residents and promote local businesses.

But people will still need to travel. Many of the community plans integrated public transportation, ride-sharing programs or hourly car rental programs such as Zipcar into the overall planning.

Seen from the outside, these communities almost seem unworkable, but whether they come to pass successfully or not, they do spur ideas for immediate ways — like better public transportation — to reduce pollution.

5. Keep Your Car in Top Condition

Man fixing his engine

Car manufacturers designed your car to run at optimal efficiency; however, time, distance, weather and a host of other factors all contribute to decreasing that efficiency. Routine maintenance and care can reduce the amount of fuel a car consumes — and reduce the amount of pollution it puts out, too.

These are just a few of the components and systems to check if you want to keep your car running its best:

  • Keep your engine properly tuned. This means changing the oil , air filter and checking the fluids on a routine basis. It also means changing the spark plug, spark plug wires and cleaning the fuel system at the manufacturer's scheduled interval. Doing this can improve mileage by more than 4 percent. If your check engine light is on (depending on the root cause), fixing that problem right away can sometimes improve mileage by more than 30 percent.
  • Keep your tires properly inflated. Under- and over-inflated tires have an effect on the rolling resistance of the car. Properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by more than 3 percent.
  • Reduce the weight in your car. Every 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) reduces fuel efficiency by 1 to 2 percent.
  • Remove the roof rack. Doing this can add about 5 percent to your miles-per-gallon rating
  • Drive steady. Fast acceleration and inconsistent speed can reduce your car's overall efficiency by more than 4 percent.

4. Drive a More Fuel-efficient Car

 Ford Focus on display

This makes good common sense, right? No matter how well-kept a car is, it becomes less efficient and therefore more polluting with time. If possible, trade an older car in for a newer, more fuel-efficient model.

Today's emissions controls are almost three times better than cars made a decade ago and pollute that much less, too. There's also a much greater variety of efficient cars on the market today than there was just 10 years ago.

The EPA offers a Green Vehicle Guide, which rates newer cars by how much they pollute and contribute to the overall smog problem. The same ratings are on all new car window tags.

While the issue of whether producing a new, less-polluting car creates more pollutants during the manufacturing process than during the new car's lifetime is still unsettled, it remains true that a newer car will pollute less and use less fuel.

3. Build Up Public Transportation

Bus

The United States, as a whole, does not have a well-developed public transportation system. If the car is a symbol of freedom, a public bus is just about the opposite. Bus or train schedules rarely seem to follow work or errand needs. The systems are often slow and inefficient.

But from the standpoint of reducing transportation-related pollution, using public transportation is one of the most effective and immediate changes the country can make.

According to PublicTransportation.org, public transportation — mainly buses and subways — saves about 37 million metric tons (40,785,500 tons) of carbon dioxide annually. Additionally, if an individual switches a 20-mile (32.2-kilometer) daily roundtrip commute to public transportation, their annual CO2 emissions will decrease by about 4,800 pounds (2,177 kilograms) per year.

Combining an increase in public transportation with better road engineering, land use and other factors could help reduce transportation-related pollution by more than 20 percent.

Private concerns can also help with public transportation. Companies sometimes provide a shuttle bus for their employees or post rideshare boards. Car cooperatives are making inroads in the United States. These services allow a member to rent a car from a central location and pay a small fee for use.

The system is ideal for inner-city dwellers who only occasionally need a car, allowing them access to a vehicle without needing to buy one. By using public transportation for their primary needs and a regular car for the odd trip where it was necessary, one Swiss study indicated that car cooperative owners drove at least 60 percent less than they would have if they owned a car.

2. Walk or Bike

Man riding bike and holding a surfboard

These obvious choices are (by far) the best way to reduce pollution as they produce no emissions. Many cities are experimenting with bike share programs similar to car cooperatives. While something of a challenge for a regular driver, most experts suggest not replacing a car with a bike in most cases, but rather parking the car and using a bike or walking to do errands.

Most errands within about a mile (1.6 kilometers) are comfortable by foot, and anything up to 5 miles (8.1 kilometers) is doable by bike for most people. And, in addition to polluting less, the person gets the benefit of exercise.

Making the switch isn't easy. Many streets and cities are not particularly bike- or pedestrian-friendly. Experts suggest starting small and easing into an alternate car routine. In essence, they suggest you have some experience before biking or walking in traffic.

There are several websites with tips, tricks and links to maps and mapping software for pedestrians and bicyclists to avoid the worst of the pitfalls.

If a person can't bike because of bad knees or other health issues, companies also produce electric motor kits that significantly reduce the physical power needed to ride a bike.

1. Change the Way We Live and Think

Woman swiping her transportation card

All solutions to transportation pollution ultimately rely on humans. Ask a European about Americans, and they will likely portray us as a little spoiled and a little too freewheeling with our transportation freedoms. Many of the solutions listed in this article will only work if there's a fundamental shift in thinking.

We'll have to adjust to smaller, more efficient cars. We'll also have to adjust to using more public transportation. And to use either of those, we'll have to change the way we live, move closer to our place of business, cram into a car with more people, take vacations closer to home, camp instead of RV— overall, do more with less.

At the turn of the century, people criticized automobiles as unreliable — a fad and something that would never catch on. People got by with trains and horses, and no one really needed to live more than 10 miles (16.1 kilometers) from where they worked. Why would you want a car? People now have the same attitude toward electric cars, fuel cells, public transportation and walking to work.

And will it work? Well, only you can say.

Lots More Information

Related articles.

  • 5 Myths About Renewable Energy
  • 5 Amazing Green Cities
  • Top 5 Green Myths
  • 5 Wacky Forms of Alternative Energy
  • American Public Transportation Association. (May 7, 2011) http://www.publictransportation.org/benefits/environment.asp
  • Bike Commuters. (May 12, 2011) http://www.bikecommuters.com/
  • Bridging the Gap. "Alternate Transportation Guide for the Greater Kansas City Area." (May 9, 2011) http://www.bridgingthegap.org/media_vault/documents/1243351866.pdf
  • California Energy Center. "Should I Shut Off My Motor When I'm Idling My Car?" (May 10, 2011) http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html
  • Car Talk. "Car Talk's Guide To Better Fuel Economy." (May 9, 2011) http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/fueleconomy/
  • Environmental Protection Agency. "Green Vehicle Guide." (May 11, 2011) http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/Index.do
  • Environmental Protection Agency. "SmartWay Program." (May 1, 2011) http://www.epa.gov/smartway/index.htm
  • Environmental Protection Agency. "Transportation and Climate." (May 8, 2011) http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/publications.htm#basic
  • Murphy, Samantha. "Toyota, Shell Open First U.S. Hydrogen Fueling Station from Pipeline." TechNewsDaily. (May 10, 2011) http://www.livescience.com/14099-toyota-shell-open-hydrogen-fueling-station-pipeline.html
  • U.S. Department of Energy. "Keeping Your Car In Shape." (May 8, 2011) http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

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What You Can Do to Reduce Pollution from Vehicles and Engines

  • Choose fuel efficient vehicles
  • Optimize home deliveries
  • Use efficient lawn and gardening equipment

Fewer miles driven means fewer emissions.

  • Walk or bike when you can.  
  • Use the bike-share programs if your city or town has them.
  • Take public transit when possible.
  • Carpool with friends instead of driving alone.
  • Use ride-sharing services.
  • Plan ahead to make the most of your trips and “trip chain.” If your grocery store is near other places you need to visit, do it all at once.
  • Work from home periodically if your job allows it.

The way we drive can reduce emissions from our vehicles.

  • Drive efficiently – go easy on the gas pedal and brakes.
  • Maintain your car – get regular tune-ups, follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, and use the recommended motor oil.
  • Driving more efficiently

Choose Fuel Efficient Vehicles

When shopping for a new car, look for fuel efficient vehicles with low greenhouse gas emissions. These cars can help the environment while potentially saving you money on fuel costs at the pump. Follow these tips:

1. Use EPA's Green Vehicle Guide to learn about vehicles that are more efficient and less polluting , including:

  • Electric vehicles;
  • Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles;
  • Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles; and
  • Cleaner burning gasoline vehicles.

2. Use the EPA's Fuel Economy and Environment Label to compare different vehicle models and find the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicle that meets your needs. This information is also available on the joint DOE and EPA website fuel economy.gov .

  • Green Vehicle Guide
  • Fuel economy and environment label
  • Fueleconomy.gov

Unnecessary idling of cars, trucks, and school buses pollutes the air, wastes fuel, and causes excess engine wear. Modern vehicles do not require “warming up” in the winter, so there is no need to turn on the engine until you are ready to drive.

Reducing idling from diesel school buses  prevents children from being exposed to diesel exhaust, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and saves money on fuel . EPA's Clean School Bus Program includes information and resources that can help you reduce school bus idling in your community. 

  • Clean school bus: Idle reduction

Optimize Home Deliveries

When getting home deliveries or shopping online, consider asking to have all your packages sent in one shipment and with minimal packaging. For scheduled home deliveries, try to  be flexible by choosing longer time windows so delivery trucks can optimize their routes and avoid extra trips.

  • What if more people bought groceries online instead of driving to a store?

Use Efficient Lawn and Gardening Equipment

Gas-powered engines in lawn and garden equipment emit significant amounts of pollutants.

  • Use a manual (reel) mower for small lawns.
  • When shopping for mowers and garden equipment, look for new technologies such as electric and battery-powered machines that are quieter and pollute less than gas-powered ones.
  • Properly maintain lawn and garden equipment - tune mowers and change the oil as needed. 
  • If you are purchasing commercial grade landscaping machinery, a number of products are now available with advanced emissions reduction technologies including catalysts and electronic fuel injection that result in significantly less pollution. 
  • Transportation, Air Pollution & Climate Change Home
  • What You Can Do
  • Accomplishments & Successes
  • Transportation & Carbon Pollution
  • Other Air Pollution

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Essay on Vehicle Pollution

Students are often asked to write an essay on Vehicle Pollution in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Vehicle Pollution

Understanding vehicle pollution.

Vehicle pollution refers to the harmful substances released by vehicles that use fossil fuels. These pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates.

Effects of Vehicle Pollution

Vehicle pollution harms our environment. It contributes to global warming and climate change. It also affects human health, leading to respiratory diseases and other health problems.

Reducing Vehicle Pollution

We can reduce vehicle pollution by using public transportation, cycling, walking, or carpooling. Using electric vehicles or vehicles with higher fuel efficiency can also help.

Vehicle pollution is a serious issue. We must take steps to reduce it for the betterment of our health and environment.

Also check:

  • 10 Lines on Vehicle Pollution

250 Words Essay on Vehicle Pollution

Introduction.

Vehicle pollution, also known as vehicular pollution, is a significant contributor to environmental degradation. It involves the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere by motor vehicles, causing serious health and environmental implications.

The Nature of Vehicle Pollution

Vehicular pollution is primarily caused by the combustion of fossil fuels like petrol, diesel, and gas in vehicles. This process releases various harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. These pollutants have detrimental effects on both the environment and human health.

Impact on Health and Environment

Vehicle pollution significantly contributes to air pollution, leading to a rise in global temperatures, also known as global warming. It also causes respiratory diseases, cardiovascular issues, and other health problems in humans. Furthermore, it contributes to the deterioration of the ozone layer, leading to harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth.

Addressing Vehicle Pollution

Addressing vehicular pollution requires a multifaceted approach. This includes promoting the use of public transport, encouraging carpooling, and enhancing fuel efficiency. Additionally, the adoption of electric vehicles and hybrid technology can significantly reduce vehicle emissions.

In conclusion, vehicle pollution is a pressing issue that needs immediate attention. By adopting sustainable practices and investing in greener technologies, we can significantly reduce the adverse effects of vehicle pollution. It is a collective responsibility to ensure a healthier and safer environment for future generations.

500 Words Essay on Vehicle Pollution

Vehicle pollution, also known as vehicular pollution, is the introduction of harmful material into the environment by motor vehicles. These materials, known as pollutants, have several bad effects on human health and the ecosystem.

Causes of Vehicle Pollution

The primary cause of vehicle pollution is the burning of fossil fuels like petrol and diesel. The combustion of these fuels results in the emission of harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and hydrocarbons. These substances are harmful to the environment and human health. Additionally, the manufacturing process of vehicles and the disposal of old vehicles also contribute to pollution.

Impacts of Vehicle Pollution

Vehicle pollution has several negative impacts on the environment and human health. It contributes to global warming, acid rain, and deteriorates air quality. The pollutants emitted by vehicles can cause respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer in humans. It also affects the flora and fauna, leading to a loss of biodiversity.

Measures to Control Vehicle Pollution

There are several ways to control vehicle pollution. The most effective measure is to reduce the use of private vehicles and promote public transportation, cycling, and walking. Governments can enforce stricter emission standards and promote the use of cleaner fuels. The automotive industry can contribute by designing more fuel-efficient vehicles and investing in electric and hybrid technologies.

Role of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Electric and hybrid vehicles can play a significant role in reducing vehicle pollution. These vehicles run on electricity and/or alternate fuels, which produce fewer emissions compared to conventional fuels. Although the production of electric vehicles has its environmental impacts, the overall emission throughout their lifecycle is much lower.

Vehicle pollution is a significant environmental issue that needs immediate attention. While individual efforts like using public transport and opting for cleaner vehicles can make a difference, institutional changes are necessary for a substantial impact. Governments, automotive industries, and environmental organizations must work together to promote sustainable transportation and curb vehicle pollution.

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Essay on Vehicle Pollution for Students in English [Easy Words]

January 12, 2021 by Sandeep

Essay on Vehicle Pollution: Vehicles help in easy transportation of humans and commodities. They also save time and energy compared to other modes of travel. But they emit harmful gases like carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur oxide that are harmful to the environment. They are very poisonous and can cause ozone layer depletion. They cause suffocation, difficulty in breathing and skin cancer. Safety measures like carpooling, quality checks and CNG engines installation can be adopted for a cleaner environment.

Essay on Vehicle Pollution 500 Words in English

Below we have provided Vehicle Pollution Essay in English, suitable for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10.

With the increasing population & globalisation mobility has been given topmost priority in recent years. It has pumped up our transportation technology with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. Let it be the number of cars, motorbikes, buses or trucks carrying materials, in everything; there is a noticeable increase in numbers in the last couple of years. It has become necessary for the human race, without which life on earth seems impossible. The transportation system has brought the world closer, saving a lot of time & energy.

Though the vehicles have made our lives easy & simple, it has given birth to more severe problems that are no more unnoticed by any of us. Air Pollution has become a significant concern worldwide. One of the significant contributors to air pollution is Vehicle Pollution. Research suggests that automobiles do pay a higher toll on the environment.

Causes of Vehicle Pollution

The principal of the motors use fossil fuels & gases as a source of energy to run, for example, diesel, petrol being the most common. It creates many harmful pollutants on combustion. Few pollutants which emit from automobiles affect our environment adversely, which has been discussed below.

  • Ozone – It is beneficial for us when present in the topmost layer of the atmosphere. However, if it is produced at ground level, then it gives rise to many respiratory diseases, cough, reduced lung capacity etc. It forms at ground level when hydrocarbons & nitrogen oxide reacts at the presence of sunlight.
  • Particulate Matter -The fine particles from the vehicular emission pose the most serious to human health by penetrating deep into the lungs.
  • Nitrogen Oxides – NOX type of oxides is the kind of vehicular pollutants which causes lungs irritation & decreases the immunity of the body against respiratory infections like pneumonia & asthma. These also help in the formation of the ozone layer at the ground level, which is a severe issue.
  • Carbon Monoxide (CO) – By the combustion of fossil fuel used in cars, carbon monoxide is created. It is an odourless & colourless gas. When inhaled this causes blockage of oxygen to the brain, heart & lungs.
  • Sulphur Dioxides (SO2) – By combustion of diesel, this kind of sulphur dioxide is produced. It helps in creating fine particles in the atmosphere & poses the risk of severe health problems to young children.

Effects of Vehicle Pollution

  • Global Warming – Automobiles are one of the significant sources for the emission of greenhouse gases. The temperature of the earth is increasing day by day, posing adverse weather problems.
  • Smog & Acid Rain – Nitrogen oxides produced from car emissions contribute to the formation of corrosive smog. When Nitrogen oxides mix with water, it gives rise to acid rain. The form of water from acidic rain is not fit for consumption or any other kind of usage.
  • Poor Air Quality – Due to increasing pollution rate, the air quality has dropped drastically. In a few places, people are using a mask to decrease the number of pollutants inhaled. Older vehicles contribute more to the cause.
  • Ozone Layer Depletion – Carbon monoxide & Sulphur dioxide released from the vehicle emission has contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer, allowing more ultra-violate rays to penetrate from the sun. It has posed a threat to life on earth.

How to Prevent Vehicular Pollution?

  • Awareness & Education – Education is the key to success. Many of the people are not aware of the deadly consequences of vehicular pollution. Carrying out civic education & awareness among people regarding the rising problem & its effects can be a vital step to reduce its effects.
  • Progressive Policies – Creating ethical rules & regulations that anticipate the challenges of the modern world when it comes to reducing vehicle pollution can be beneficial in mitigating it. Policymakers must make laws that will make people take the necessary steps which will help in bringing down the pollution. These include pollution checking of vehicles on a timely basis, discarding old vehicles from the loops, odd-even rule, encouraging alternate fuels etc.
  • Vehicle Maintenance – It not only ensures the excellent performance & efficiency of the vehicle but also helps to check the pollution. Replacing oil filters, engine oil etc. timely leads to less pollution.
  • Public Transport – Instead of using their vehicle using public transport must be encouraged, for this government must take initiatives to ensure the availability of transportation & comfortable, a safe journey of the passengers.
  • Carpooling – People travelling to the same place daily must share the car instead of using their vehicle like while going office, market etc. It reduces pollution as well as saves money; fuel &also helps in reducing traffic jams.
  • Alternative Fuels – Vehicles with alternative fuel option like CNG, battery, electricity or with any green energy must be given priority over any other kind of vehicle & must be encouraged by the government.
  • Electric Vehicles – Future will be much safer with the development of commercial electric vehicles. The government must encourage such kind of projects to large scale so that the problem can be given a serious thought.

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Watson AY, Bates RR, Kennedy D, editors. Air Pollution, the Automobile, and Public Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1988.

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Air Pollution, the Automobile, and Public Health.

  • Hardcopy Version at National Academies Press

Automotive Emissions

JOHN H.JOHNSON

Michigan Technological University

Pollution from Automobiles—Problems and Solutions

Concern about the automobile as a source of air pollution has been expressed periodically, but national concern was first evidenced in the 1960s when California established the first new car emission standards. The scientific basis of this effort is the pioneering atmospheric chemistry research of A.J.Haägen-Smit, who showed that photochemical reactions among hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) produce the many secondary pollutants that reduce visibility and cause eye and nose irritation in the Los Angeles area.

This paper reviews our current knowledge of automotive emissions, including standards, control technology, fuel economy, fuels and additives, in-use emissions, measurement methods for unregulated pollutants, and models for predicting future automotive emissions. Fuel economy is included because achieving high fuel economy and low emissions together makes the engineering effort more difficult. Emissions and fuel economy are interrelated because both are influenced by the engine combustion system design. In practice, the stringency of emission standards determines the importance of this interrelationship. After current knowledge in each area has been reviewed, important gaps in our knowledge are identified and research needed to fill these gaps is described.

Emissions Standards and Control Approaches

Evolving emission standards have resulted in three levels of stringency, and in turn, three types of control technology. Figure 1 describes the technologies applied in each of the three phases and the general time periods in which they were applied to cars, light-duty trucks, and heavy-duty trucks (Ford Motor Co. 1985a). The percent reduction in the HC, carbon monoxide (CO), and NO x emissions are also shown.

Major phases in the reduction of automotive emissions. (Adapted with permission from Ford Motor Co. 1985a.)

Air/fuel (A/F) ratio, which is controlled by the carburetor or fuel injection system, is the most important variable in determining emissions and in applying catalyst technology. Figure 2 (Heinen 1980) is a plot of NO x , HC, and CO concentrations in the exhaust versus A/F ratio for a typical gasoline engine. It is impossible to achieve the low emissions demanded by federal standards by A/F ratio control alone since the concentrations of the three pollutants are not minimums at the same A/F ratio. In fact, when CO and HC concentrations are a minimum, at an A/F ratio of around 16:1, NO x production is close to a maximum. Also shown is the A/F ratio for maximum power (13.5:1) and maximum fuel economy (17:1). The region where A/F ratio exceeds 17.5:1 is the lean burn region where misfires can occur along with slow flame speeds, causing increased HC concentration. The A/F ratio effects are used in all phases of control. The stoichiometric ratio of 14.7:1 is necessary in the Phase III control using three-way catalysts since the A/F ratio must be in a narrow window within ± 0.05 of the stoichiometric ratio to achieve high HC, CO, and NO x control efficiencies simultaneously. Exploring the lean burn region is an important area of research and development because of the potential of improved fuel economy and adequate emission control with only an oxidation catalyst.

Concentrations of HC, CO, and NO x emissions as a function of air/fuel ratio in a typical gasoline engine. (Adapted with permission from Heinen 1980, and the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.)

Fuel Economy

Federal regulations also mandate automotive fuel economy. The period from 1968 to 1974 resulted in primary emphasis on emission control with loss of fuel economy from lower compression ratios, changes in spark timing, A/F ratio and axle ratio changes, and exhaust gas recirculation. Figure 3 (Heavenrich et al. 1986) shows the U.S. fleet combined, city, and highway fuel economy data for each model year since 1974. The figure also includes information on average vehicle weight. The fuel economy from 1977 to 1980 improved almost exactly in proportion to the decreasing weight of vehicles. If the data in figure 3 were normalized to the 1978 weight mix, it would show that fuel economy improvements leveled out in 1982. With the introduction of the oxidation catalytic converter in 1975, improved fuel economy and reduced emissions occurred simultaneously. Further emission reduction with simultaneous fuel economy improvement continues through application of new technology, especially computer engine control.

U.S. fleet fuel economy and average vehicle weight by model year. (Adapted with permission from Heavenrich et al. 1986, and the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.)

In-Use Passenger Car Emissions

The in-use emissions from passenger cars exceed the new car standards mandated by law. Nonetheless, emissions continue to decrease in spite of high tampering rates and fuel switching (that is, using leaded fuel in engines developed to run on unleaded fuel). From field surveys in 14 cities, Greco (1985) found the overall tampering rates and catalyst tampering rates shown in figure 4 .

Overall and catalyst tampering rates by vehicle model year, based on 1984 survey. (Adapted from Greco 1985.)

Figure 5 shows EPA emission factors data as analyzed by General Motors Corp. (1985a). The measured emission concentrations for various model years are compared to the standards that were in effect during those years. The measured NO x concentrations follow the standards fairly well. Although the measured HC and CO concentrations are higher than the standards, the difference between the actual emissions and the standards appears to be narrowing (although the ratio is not decreasing) as improved technology, more frequent inspection and maintenance, and better training of mechanics has occurred. Even though the overall trend of emissions is down, a few vehicles have high emission levels, as shown in figure 6 , probably because of electronic problems rather than catalyst removal or misfueling problems.

Average vehicle lifetime HC, CO, and NO x emissions compared with standards (STD), by model year for all industry passenger vehicles. (Adapted with permission from General Motors Corp. 1985a.)

Scatter plots of CO emissions from 703 1981 model-year federal cars. (Adapted with permission from General Motors Corp. 1985a.)

  • Emissions Regulations

In the 1960s, motor vehicles were identified as one of the primary sources of air pollutants in urban areas. Emission standards for passenger cars were first imposed in California in 1965. These were followed by U.S. federal standards in 1968. The 1970 Clean Air Act further imposed stringent HC, CO, and NO x reductions for 1975 and 1976. These reductions were subsequently delayed and changed by the 1974 Energy and Environmental Coordination Act and the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments. Recognition of the motor vehicle as a major source of pollutants has spread to other countries, of which many have imposed diverse standards and test procedures reflecting various degrees of stringency. The differences have come about because of different regulatory philosophies and air quality goals, in combination with concerns about the conflicting goal of improved fuel efficiency (Barnes and Donohue 1985).

Emission Test Procedures

Passenger Cars. Emissions come principally from three automotive sources: the exhaust, the fuel system (evaporative), and crankcase ventilation gases. To give the standard (maximum allowable level of emission in grams per mile) operational meaning, two major aspects must be defined: the driving cycle and the emissions sampling method. Driving cycles are discussed below and sampling methods will be covered in a later section.

Regulations require exhaust emission measurements during the operation of the vehicle (or engine) on a dynamometer during a driving cycle that simulates vehicle road operation. The approach to driving cycles by various regulatory authorities represent two basic philosophies. According to the first, the driving cycle is made up of a series of repetitions of a composite of various vehicle operating conditions representative of typical driving modes. The European Economic Community and Japanese cycles reflect this philosophy. According to the second, the composite of driving modes is an actual simulation of a road route. The United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland all use a version of the federal test procedure (FTP). The FTP cycle is divided into a “transient” portion and a “stabilized” portion with a total cycle time of 1,372 sec, a driving distance of 7.5 miles, and an average speed of 19.7 miles per hour (mph). Two such cycles are run: one with the vehicle at an ambient temperature of 16–30°C before start (“cold” cycle), and one with the engine control system hot (“hot” cycle) after a 10-min shutdown after running the cold cycle.

Trucks. Many of the light-duty trucks intended primarily for the carrying of goods are also capable of use as passenger vehicles. The gross vehicle weight for light-duty trucks in the United States is less than 8,500 Ib; trucks heavier than 8,500 Ib are classified as heavy-duty vehicles. The driving-cycle philosophies for the light commercial vehicles follow those for passenger cars. For heavy commercial vehicles, engine dynamometers are used, not chassis dynamometers; that is, the engine rather than the vehicle is certified. The new (effective 1985) U.S. transient test procedure for heavy-duty vehicles combines the two philosophies just described in that the cycle is made up in a random way from actual driving cycle data. The use of this cycle replaces the 13-mode steady-state cycle in use since 1973 in California and since 1974 nationally (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1972).

Emission Standards

United States. Emissions standards and test procedures in the United States have changed significantly since the first automobile emission standards were imposed in California in 1966 (see table 1 ) (General Motors Corp. 1986). Light-duty truck standards are somewhat higher than the car standards because of the differences in weight.

Table 1.. Motor Vehicle Emission Standards in the United States.

Motor Vehicle Emission Standards in the United States.

The U.S. passenger car regulations require that the vehicle comply with the emission standards for five years or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Certification testing of prototype vehicles for 50,000 miles of use is based on the Automobile Manufacturers' Association (AMA) 40.7-mile durability cycle. The cycle consists of numerous stops, acceleration, and high/ medium-speed driving (maximum of 55 mph) (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1973).

Europe. The European Economic Community, an inter-Europe regulatory body, has announced future model standards for passenger cars based on three engine size (displacement) categories. Large-car (>2-liter engine displacement) standards are roughly equivalent to current U.S. standards although there is no valid correlation between the distinct U.S. and European emission test cycles. Standards for medium cars. (1.4–2.0 liters) are considered to fall in the Phase I/Phase II range shown in figure 1 . Requirements for small-car levels (<1.4 liters) are comparable to Phase I requirements. The standards include diesels; however, large diesel cars are only required to meet medium-car levels.

Japan. Catalyst forcing standards currently in effect for passenger cars are 0.25 HC/2.1 CO/0.25 NO x g/km for the unique 10-mode hot start and 7.0 HC/60 CO/4.4 NO x g/test for the 11-mode cold-start test procedures. These standards are generally considered to be equivalent to current U.S. California levels (Ford Motor Co. 1985a).

U.S. Fuel Economy Standards

There have been passenger car and light-truck fuel economy standards since 1978 and 1979, respectively. The manufacturers are required to conduct passenger car fuel economy tests according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urban or “city” driving cycle—the FTP for emission testing described earlier. The EPA also has a suburban or “highway” cycle that includes a significant amount of simulated highway driving. A combined fuel economy number based on these two tests is published by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy and used by manufacturers in their sales literature.

Manufacturers each have to meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for their sales-weighted fleet. Car standards started at 18 miles per gallon (mpg) in 1978, went to 27.5 mpg in 1985, but were reduced to 26 mpg by the U.S. Department of Transportation for 1986–1988.

  • Vehicle and Emission Control System Technology

The technology used for emission control in cars changed rapidly in the 1970s as the automotive industry spent considerable research and development funds to meet the stringent emission standards originally set by the 1970 and 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments. This technology is now being optimized to reduce the product cost associated with emission controls while improving the in-use durability of the emission control systems. Heavy-duty gasoline-powered vehicles have used this technology as allowable emissions have progressively decreased.

Control technology is being developed to meet proposed standards and anticipated changes in fuels. Proposed 1988, 1991, and 1994 particulate standards require new control systems for heavy-duty diesels. For the United States to become less dependent on imported petroleum fuels, there is interest in using methanol in passenger cars and diesel-fueled buses. There are continued efforts to develop stratified-charge engines for passenger cars because of their potential for better fuel economy at equivalent emissions. There is also a demand for development of direct-injection diesels that give 15 percent better fuel economy than prechamber or swirl-chamber engines with equivalent or better emissions. An additional demand exists for an adiabatic diesel engine (more precisely, a low-heat-rejection engine) that would have improved fuel economy and lower emissions with a simpler cooling system, particularly for vehicles in the heavy-duty class.

Spark-Ignition Gasoline-Powered Vehicles

During the past 15 years, emissions have been significantly lowered by improved design of the engine and fuel system while still achieving the high fuel economy demanded by the federal standards and the consumer market. These reductions have come about by A/F ratio control, cylinder-to-cylinder distribution of air and fuel, choke operation, combustion chamber design, fuel injection, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), ignition systems, spark timing, valve timing, and many additional design details. The computer scheduling of spark timing, EGR, A/F ratio, and transmission gear ratio as a function of engine operating conditions are done very precisely with sensors and actuators. This scheduling is referred to as the engine calibration. With all of this technology, vehicles still do not meet HC/CO/NO x standards of 0.4/3.4/1 g/mi without aftertreatment devices. The period after 1983 has seen better optimization of systems and removing of components to reduce costs, but nevertheless, catalysts are still necessary.

Catalyst Control Systems. Meeting the 1975 HC/CO standards of 1.5/15 g/mi and at the same time increasing the fuel economy was achieved through the broad introduction of the oxidizing catalytic converter. The catalyst is cold (16–30°C) at the start of the FTP cycle and must warm up to 250–300°C before oxidation of CO and HC occurs. The time required for this is a function of catalyst design and position but can be from 20 to 120 sec. The HC emitted during this period can be one-fourth to three-fourths of the allowable limit (Hilliard and Springer 1984). The amount of NO x emitted during the cold start is only about 10 percent of the allowable limit.

The time period from 1975 to 1984 saw increased fuel economy and improved emission control through exploitation of the high HC and CO removal efficiency of the oxidizing catalytic converter, so that the engine calibration could be optimized for efficiency. Progress was made by decreasing the cold-start engine-out HC and CO emissions, by achieving faster converter light-off, by reducing heat loss from the exhaust system, and by reducing the deterioration of catalyst performance with cumulative driving distance (Amann 1985).

Reducing combustion temperature by spark retard and/or diluting the incoming mixture with EGR provided NO x control during the time period from 1973 to 1980. The 1981 standards stipulate no more than 1 g/mi NO x , which could not be achieved either by EGR or engine design and calibration. Two additional catalytic approaches have gained widespread application along with the microprocessor control system, to provide the necessary control: the “three-way” catalyst and the “dual” catalyst.

Three-way catalysts are capable, within a narrow range of exhaust stoichiometry, of simultaneously decreasing NO x , HC, and CO, as shown in figure 7 . Within a narrow range of values of the A/F (approximately ±0.05 from the optimum), all three emissions are decreased with a reasonably high efficiency. An oxygen sensor is used in the exhaust in conjunction with a microprocessor to make this technology feasible.

Conversion efficiency characteristics of a three-way catalyst. (Adapted with permission from Amann 1985.)

In a dual catalyst, two catalysts are used in series—a three-way catalyst followed by an oxidizing catalyst. Air is injected into the exhaust gas between the two catalysts to provide the oxygen necessary for the oxidizing catalyst to operate efficiently. Once more, precise A/F ratio control is required to make the three-way catalyst function. During the cold-start portion of the FTP cycle, the air supply to the oxidizing catalyst can be diverted to the exhaust ports to add oxygen to the combustion products of the rich start-up mixture for faster catalyst light-off and to achieve higher HC and CO control efficiencies in the three-way catalyst. The dual-bed converter is more complex than the single-bed three-way catalyst, because it requires an extensive air management system.

To maintain A/F ratio control within the narrow window, closed-loop control (feedback control of fuel delivery on oxygen level in exhaust) was introduced on many cars in 1981. The schematic of a typical system is shown in figure 8 (Amann 1985). The key element in the closed-loop system is the oxygen sensor inserted in the exhaust pipe ahead of the catalyst. It measures exhaust oxygen concentration and signals an electronic controller to adjust fuel rate continuously so that the mixture is maintained at the stoichiometric ratio.

System for closed-loop control of A/F ratio. The oxygen sensor inserted in the exhaust pipe ahead of the catalyst measures oxygen concentration and signals the electronic controller to adjust fuel rate continuously. (Adapted with permission from Amann (more...)

Current Control Approaches. Since 1983 the number of engines with some type of fuel injection has grown drastically, but carburetors are still used on many engines. No particular trend in emission systems is evident except for the use of heated oxygen sensors to initiate closed-loop operation faster and more predictably and to maintain it during long idling periods. The heated sensors also deteriorate less with extended mileage (Way 1985). Most cars use closed-loop control with a three-way catalyst; many also have an oxidation catalyst that is a dual catalyst and one of three air supply systems (pulse air, air pump, or programmed pump).

Lean-Burn Combustion Systems. An important engine emission control system under development is the lean combustion system. This system uses a closed-loop microprocessor in conjunction with lean mixture sensor and an oxidation catalyst. This alternate emission control approach achieves good fuel economy (potential 10–15 percent improvement) and also meets the emission standards by operating beyond 22:1 A/F where NO x emission is low enough to meet the 1-g/mi standard. In this lean operating region, the engine needs a different sensor design to provide feedback, and also a highly turbulent fast-burn combustion system so that slow flame speed and misfires do not cause emissions and driveability problems. Toyota has developed and marketed such a system in Japan but not yet in the United States (Kimbara et al. 1985).

It may be possible to introduce this type of system into the U.S. market, but durability and driveability under hot and cold conditions need to be examined further (Kimbara et al. 1985). The other important technological limit might be that lean burn could be restricted to cars under 2,500– 3,000 lb because NO x generally increases with vehicle weight.

Diesel-Powered Passenger Cars: Particulate Control

There has been a major research and development effort during the past seven years to develop aftertreatment devices for diesel passenger cars to meet the federal 0.2 g/mi standard first proposed for 1985 and later put off until 1987. California has a 0.2-g/mi standard that was initiated in 1986, and will be lowered 0.08 g/mi in 1989. A number of prototype systems have been built and field tested to meet the 0.2 g/mi standard. Mercedes-Benz (Abtoff et al. 1985) introduced a catalytic trap oxidizer in 1985, in conjunction with careful modification of the engine (in particular, the turbocharger). The system meets and is certified to the 1986 California standards and has been sold in the 11 western states. Volkswagen has developed a prototype system that uses a Corning ceramic particulate filter in conjunction with Lubrizol 8220 manganese (Mn) additive. The additive consists of nonstoichiometric Mn fatty acid salts dissolved in naphtha, which is metered from a separate fuel-additive storage tank on the vehicle (lifetime filling) and mixed with the fuel (Wiedemann and Neumann 1985). Emissions of Mn oxide of all valence states, as well as MnSO 4 , may occur. Data suggest that most of the Mn residue is in the form of sulfate.

General Motors has also tested a system, shown in figure 9 , with on-board tank-blending, additive dispensing, and ceramic fiber trap (Simon and Stark 1985). This system uses pressure and engine speed to provide a measure of particulate loading for triggering the glow plug igniters for regeneration. Simon and Stark (1985) investigated three different additives: cerium (0.13 g Ce/liter), manganese (0.07 g Mn/liter), and cerium plus manganese (0.07 g (Ce+ Mn)/liter). Their tests showed that vehicles equipped with properly tuned 4.3-liter engines and operated using a fuel additive would not, on a production basis, be able to meet the 1987 federal emissions standards at sea level or at altitude. Equipped with particulate traps, however, the vehicles would probably meet the 1987 federal standards and might, with further engine tailoring, be able to meet the 1989 California standards on a production basis.

Diesel particulate trapping system utilizing a ceramic fiber trap, a fuel additive, glow plug igniters, and exhaust backpressure regeneration controls. (Adapted with permission from Simon and Stark 1985, and the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.) (more...)

Diesel-Powered Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles use direct-injection turbocharged engines of two-cycle as well as four-cycle design. Diesel engines are designed for a commercial market and hence durability, reliability, and fuel economy drive their development. The approaches enforced to date to meet the standards for particulates, HCs, and NO x have involved improved turbochargers, intercooling, improved fuel systems and nozzles, and electronic fuel injection control. To reduce NO x emissions and improve fuel economy, some manufacturers use heat exchangers to lower air inlet temperature. The industry believes that the 1988 standards can be met with advanced electronic fuel systems and possibly with mechanical fuel systems with electronic-governing, air-to-air intercoolers (or low-flow radiators) and improved turbochargers, but that the 1991 particulate standard of 0.25 g/brake horsepower (bhp)-hr will need trap technology. EPA standards have emphasized particulate control rather than NO x control. There is the feeling that the 1988 standards will result in some loss of fuel economy. GM-Detroit Diesel Allison Division (DDAD) has also decided to remove their 2-cycle engines from the on-highway market because of the disadvantages of this engine under these tight emissions constraints. This is now being reevaluated under the new Detroit Diesel Corp.

  • In-Use Vehicle and Engine Characteristics

How vehicles and engines perform in the hands of the operator ultimately determines their emissions and, in turn, their impact on air quality. This section examines the emission characteristics of gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars and trucks as actually used by owners. The effects of field environmental conditions such as temperature, tampering (removal of and changes in components), or misfueling on emissions are discussed.

Gasoline-Powered Passenger Cars and Trucks

To develop an understanding of the in-use characteristics of gasoline-powered passenger cars, it is important to know whether tampering and misfueling with leaded fuel occur. Misfueling has a twofold impact on the environment: increased lead (Pb) emissions and increased regulated HC, CO, and NO x emissions due to poisoning of the catalyst. Tampering has a direct effect on the regulated emissions and can also affect the unregulated emissions. In this section, the latest tampering data gathered by the EPA and the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers' Association (MVMA) are examined first. This is followed by data showing the emissions and fuel economy of vehicles in use.

Tampering and Misfueling. The latest EPA report on tampering is based on a survey of 4,426 light-duty vehicles conducted in 14 cities between April and October 1984 (Greco 1985). These inspections were performed with the consent of the vehicle owners and therefore may underestimate tampering rates. Four categories were used to summarize the condition of the inspected vehicles:

Tampered—at least one control device removed or rendered inoperative;

Arguably tampered—possible but not clear-cut tampering;

Malfunctioning;

Okay—all control devices present and apparently operating properly.

Greco's overall survey averages of vehicle condition were as follows: tampered, 22 percent; arguably tampered, 29 percent; malfunctioning, 4 percent; okay, 46 percent. The rates for tampering with selected components and the rates of fuel switching are shown in table 2 . These results have not been weighted to compensate for inspection and maintenance program representation and probably underestimate the actual nationwide rates. The tampering rates for catalytic converters and filler inlet restrictors (the insert in the fuel tank neck that prevents insertion of the larger leaded fuel nozzle) have increased steadily since 1978, whereas the rates for other components have fluctuated. The increasing tampering rates for catalytic converters and inlet restrictors may be partly due to the increasing age of the vehicles surveyed. In addition, the presence of inspection and maintenance programs affected tampering rates. The catalyst was removed in 3 percent of the vehicles in areas with mandatory inspection and maintenance programs and in 11 percent of the vehicles in areas having no programs.

Table 2.. Tampering Prevalence in Light-Duty Vehicles for Critical Emission Control Components, April-October 1984.

Tampering Prevalence in Light-Duty Vehicles for Critical Emission Control Components, April-October 1984.

Removing the catalytic converter increases HC and CO emissions by an average of 475 percent and 425 percent, respectively (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1983). For vehicles equipped with three-way catalysts, substantial increases in NO x emissions would also be expected to occur. Tampering with the EGR system can increase NO x emissions by an average of 175 percent (Greco 1985).

Fuel switching, defined as the presence of a tampered fuel filter inlet restrictor, a positive Plumbtesmo tailpipe test, or a gasoline Pb concentration of more than 0.05 g/gal, was found in 14 percent of the unleaded gasoline-powered vehicles, in the 1984 survey (see table 2 ). Regional distribution in the prevalence of misfueling is shown in table 3 . The impact of fuel switching on emissions depends upon its duration and certain vehicle characteristics, but emission increases of 475 percent for HCs and 425 percent for CO can easily occur (Greco 1985).

Table 3.. Incidence of Misfueling in Large Urban and Nonurban Areas, 1981–1982.

Incidence of Misfueling in Large Urban and Nonurban Areas, 1981–1982.

The tampering rate for light-duty trucks was equal to or higher than that for automobiles in every tampering category, as shown in table 2 . The difference in prevalence of catalytic converter tampering is particularly striking—nearly three times as prevalent in light-duty trucks as in passenger cars (14 percent versus 5 percent) (Greco 1985).

To confirm the EPA tampering and misfueling data, the MVMA recently studied catalyst removal and defeat of the fuel filler restrictor. The vehicles used in the MVMA survey were a sample of 1975–84 model year cars and light-duty trucks from scrapyards and impoundment areas in 10 cities (Motor Vehicles Manufacturers' Association 1985; Survey Data Research 1985).

The MVMA study sampled 1,865 vehicles, allowing the following conclusions to be reached to a 95 percent confidence level by Survey Data Research (1985):

Nationwide, 8.3% of all the vehicles in the sample were found to have their catalytic converters removed. This removal rate is significantly higher among older (i.e., 1975–1978) model year passenger cars and light-duty trucks.

The rate of fuel filler neck restrictor tampering on a national basis (7.3%) is slightly lower than the rate of catalytic converter removal (8.3%). Again, this tampering rate is higher among older (i.e., 1975–1979) model year cars and light-duty trucks.

Both catalytic converter removal and fuel filler neck restrictor tampering rates are substantially lower in the sample of Inspection/Mainte nance area locations than the sample of Non-Inspection/Maintenance area locations.

As a result of this study, MVMA is now confident that the much more detailed EPA studies, covering in addition such components as the air pump, EGR system, the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system, the evaporative emissions control system, and others, are yielding results that are reasonably representative of the in-use fleet (Motor Vehicles Manufacturers' Association 1985).

Effects of Tampering on Emissions. Recently, the Automobile Club of Southern California conducted a test program using its 1981 fleet vehicles (General Motors, Buick, and Pontiac vehicles) in an effort to better understand the effect of system component failures. The primary objective of the program was to determine the degree to which fuel economy, exhaust emissions, horsepower, and driveability are affected by disabling key components of a computer-controlled system; a secondary objective was to establish a method of accurately and efficiently identifying vehicles with disabled components (Jones et al. 1982).

Jones and coworkers (1982) found that disabling the coolant temperature sensor, the throttle position sensor, or the mixture control solenoid has a major effect on vehicle performance. Disconnection of the coolant temperature sensor increased HC emissions an average of 549 percent and CO emissions an average of 1,120 percent over baseline emission levels; disconnection of the throttle position sensor increased HCs by 1,195 percent and CO by 3,113 percent; and disconnection of the mixture control solenoid increased HCs by 1,293 percent and CO by 3,438 percent. Each of these disablings is the disconnection of a single electrical connector (Jones et al. 1982).

■ Recommendation 1. Tampering and Misfueling. Tampering and misfueling statistics are fairly well developed but their effect on emissions is not as well known. Therefore, work should be done to better characterize the effect of tampering and misfueling on emissions from vehicles and to better assess their effect on ambient pollutant concentrations.

Diesel-Powered Passenger Cars

The available in-use data are much more limited for diesel passenger cars than for gasoline-powered cars for two reasons: first, there are far fewer of them, and second, most of the diesel cars that are in use were sold between 1979 and 1983 so only a small proportion of them are more than seven years old.

Hyde and coworkers (1982) drew the following conclusions about the relation between cumulative mileage and rate of emissions from a sample of 20 in-use lightduty diesel vehicles from General Motors, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz.

Particulate emissions do not show a mileage-related deterioration (increase) in the Volkswagen group and the Mercedes-Benz group, but show a large deterioration in the General Motors group because of a large increase in extract emissions.

Federal Test Procedure HC emissions do not show a mileage-related deterioration in the Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz groups, but show a deterioration in the General Motors group.

FTP CO emissions show a deterioration in the General Motors and Volkswagen groups but not in the Mercedes-Benz group.

FTP NO x emissions show a decrease with accumulated mileage in the General Motors and Mercedes-Benz groups but no change for the Volkswagen group.

Diesel-Powered Trucks

There are limited data on diesel engines in operational use although there are some recent laboratory data obtained by the various manufacturers in an EPA/Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) in-use emission factor test program for heavy-duty diesels. As part of this emission factor testing effort, the following classifications were included in the sample of 30 engines: tampered engines, poorly maintained engines, and rebuilt engines. The engines were tested on FTP 13-mode steady-state and FTP Heavy Duty transient cycle.

CO air quality and emission factor trend as calculated from three computer models and as measured from the base year 1973. CO measurements were averaged from 50 U.S. stations and from 16 U.S. stations reporting the highest 8-hr yearly concentrations. (more...)

The EMA reached the following tentative conclusions from this program (General Motors Corp. 1985b):

The in-use control of gaseous emissions from heavy-duty diesel engine from the 1979–80 model year is quite good.

Tampering and poor maintenance do not result in excessive gaseous emissions.

The lab-to-lab variability of transient emission test results of unburnt HCs as well as particulates needs to be improved.

■ Recommendation 2. Diesel Particulate Emissions and Control. There is a need for continued research on particulate control technology, including the regeneration systems, to reduce the cost and complexity of these systems and the associated fuel economy penalties. Work needs to continue with various additives, substrate materials, regeneration systems, and controls to develop optimum systems that are able to decrease the diesel particulate emissions to the levels of 0.1 g/bhp-hr for heavy-duty diesels and 0.08 g/mi for light-duty vehicles required in California. In conjunction with this research there is a need to measure the metal species and the size distribution of the particles coming from diesel particulate traps.

  • Models for Predicting Future Emissions

Computer models are used for predicting future emissions from in-use vehicles. The EPA publishes the vehicle emissions model most used at present (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1985). The highway source data are based on MOBILE3, a computer program issued by the EPA in June 1984 and recently updated (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1985). Figure 10 shows the predicted trends of various models compared to actual air quality data for CO. The curve for percent reduction of CO predicted by MOBILE2 does not correspond to the curves generated by air quality measurements from 50 U.S. stations or the 16 highest U.S. stations (General Motors Corp. 1985a).

There are large differences between General Motors' analysis of the actual emissions data and the EPA MOBILE3 emission factor data beyond 50,000 miles, with MOBILE3 being the higher (General Motors Corp. 1985a). General Motors attributes the difference to EPA's choosing too high a bhp-hr/mi constant for gasoline-as well as diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles.

In addition, General Motors is concerned that the evaporative submodel in MOBILE3 uses a value of 11.5 psi for Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) for gasoline volatility whereas the national average is 10.5 psi. In fact, the RVP varies with the season of the year in different parts of the country as formulations matched to seasonal conditions are refined and delivered to the pumps. It is unlikely that the model will ever give good results if a single RVP number is used to represent evaporation characteristics in all places at all seasons. Instead, the United States should be subdivided into the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) class regions to allow for seasonal changes in RVP. The model would then use RVP values that are representative of the season and region of the country. Other problems include estimating the number of trips per day for an average vehicle, identifying an appropriate ambient temperature, and understanding the effect of fuel aging.

Furthermore, a new approach using a proportion of vehicles in each model year with emission rates in each of a number of incremental ranges, that is, a distribution for emission rates within each model year, should be developed for modeling emission rates. The model needs to account for the few high-emission vehicles as well.

The evaporative emissions submodel needs additional work so that it better simulates the actual field fuel and control system effects, because the actual and test fuels have different vapor pressures. Regional and seasonal differences in RVP should be incorporated in the model along with the effects of alcohols.

■ Recommendation 3. Evaporative Emission Model. An improved vehicle evaporative emissions model should be developed that is valid over various types of operating conditions for a variety of ambient temperatures. At the same time, changes should be made in the EPA test procedure to obtain the data necessary to properly design and size the evaporative system for the high-temperature soak situation, and data should be sought that can be used in EPA's MOBILES computer model for other use patterns of cars.

  • Fuels and Fuel Additives

Trends in Gasoline Fuel Properties

The EPA limited the use of Pb in gasoline to 0.5 g/gal after July 1, 1985, and to 0.1 g/gal after January 1, 1986. This has increased refineries' interest in the use of alternative low-cost octane boosters, particularly light alkanes and methanol and/or ethanol alcohols blended with gasoline.

Figure 11 shows the recent upward trend in the RVP that has resulted from these industry trends (Ford Motor Co. 1985b). Through 1980, the average RVP of the fuels sampled stayed reasonably close to the specification of the certification fuel (9.0 psi RVP). The increase since 1980 results from the petroleum industry's use of more light stock, such as butanes, in the gasoline. Historically, the petroleum industry has favored adding light HCs to gasoline for economic reasons. Large quantities of butane, a volatile HC, are produced during the refining of crude oil and natural gas. Butane has a high research octane number (about 94), and it is a good substitute for Pb in gasoline blending. The addition of butane increases the “front end” volatility of a gasoline. High fuel volatility increases automotive evaporative emissions and increases vapor losses from fuel tanks by displacement during refueling (Stebar et al. 1985).

Trends of gasoline RVP averaged by class of cities. Classification of cities by the ASTM D439 is based on weather conditions and geographical location. (Adapted with permission from Ford Motor Co. 1985b.)

Stebar and coworkers (1985) analyzed a large data base (267 cars from 1978 to 1985 with 141 from 1981) to develop figure 12 . The figure illustrates the importance of different HC emission routes and the contributions via individual routes to total vehicle HC emissions for carbureted as well as fuel-injected cars. They observed that:

Contribution to total HC emissions from various routes and processes as function of gasoline RVP. Evaporative emissions are derived from nonoperating vehicles parked overnight (diurnal); recently turned off, nonoperating vehicles (hot soak); and vehicles (more...)

Evaporative emissions (primarily diurnal losses) are the major contributor to the increase in vehicle HC emissions with increase in RVP.

Hot soak emissions (particularly with carbureted cars) are a larger contributor to HC emissions than are diurnal losses.

Refueling and exhaust HC emissions have low sensitivity to changes in RVP.

Exhaust emissions are the largest contributor to total HC emissions and constitute about the same proportion of the total for both carbureted and fuel-injected cars. At 12 RVP, exhaust emissions represent about half of total HC emissions for both types of engines.

Furey (1985) measured the vapor pressures and distillation characteristics of a large number of gasoline/alcohol and gasoline/ether fuel blends. In that study, the maximum increase in RVP above that of gasoline ranged from 0.2 psi for tert- butyl alcohol to 3.4 psi for methanol. As little as 0.25 percent methanol, ethanol, and Oxinol™ 50 (a 1:1 mixture of methanol and gasoline-grade tert- butyl alcohol) was found to produce measurable increases in RVP.

The EPA estimates that the difference in volatility between the certification fuel and commercial gasoline is responsible for about half of the evaporative emissions from late-model light-duty vehicles and that this trend will continue, as shown in figure 13 , if no action is taken to change it (Schwarz 1985).

Predicted trend of the fraction of vehicles meeting evaporative emission standards and the reasons why the remaining fraction does not meet the standards. Because the RVP of commercial gasoline is different from the RVP of certification fuel, a significant (more...)

The Coordinating Research Council-Air Pollution Research Advisory Committee (CRC-APRAC) is also investigating another important gasoline fuel issue—benzene emissions. Their preliminary findings from testing specially blended fuels in five late-model cars with three-way catalysts show that the benzene fraction of exhaust HCs increases with increasing benzene content and aromaticity. In refueling and evaporative emissions the benzene fraction increases with benzene content but not with aromaticity (Coordinating Research Council-Air Pollution Research Advisory Committee 1985).

Fuel Usage Trends

Although total gasoline usage has moved slowly upward during the past three years (from 6.5 million barrels per day (MMB/D) to 6.8 MMB/D by 1985), this trend may be temporary. The U.S. Department of Energy (1985) projects that gasoline demand will turn downward in the balance of the 1980s and remain flat in the early 1990s as shown in figure 14 . By 1995, total gasoline consumption is projected to be 6.1 MMB/D (8.1 percent below 1983 levels). This number could be somewhat higher if the U.S. Department of Transportation establishes the post-1988 fuel economy standards at 26 mpg.

Projected motor fuel consumption by fuel type. (Adapted from the U.S. Department of Energy 1985.)

Total diesel highway fuel demand will continue to grow over the next two decades primarily because of increased use of diesel engines in heavy-duty vehicles. Total highway diesel fuel usage is projected to rise 30 percent from 1.0 MMB/D in 1982 to 1.3 MMB/D in 1995, as shown in figure 14 . Figure 15 shows the breakdown of projected fuel usage by application including off-highway usage (U.S. Department of Energy 1985).

Figure 15 . Projected motor fuel consumption by vehicle type. (Adapted from the U.S. Department of Energy 1985.)

Methanol-Fueled Vehicles

From an energy perspective, methanol is one of the most promising long-term alternative fuels for motor vehicles. It can be made from natural gas now and from coal later. One major practical problem is that motor vehicle consumption for a fuel has to reach 10 percent of the present market to create an economically viable free market (Society of Automotive Engineers/U.S. Department of Energy 1985). For the use of methanol to become widespread, it should be competitive in price with gasoline. Gasoline prices would probably have to exceed $1.50/gal (1985 dollars) for a significant period of time to provide the necessary confidence for investors in methanol processing facilities and car buyers (Sobey 1985). The EPA is, overall, encouraging the use of methanol as outlined by Gray (1985).

Spark-Ignition Engines for Passenger Cars. The technology for methanol-fueled vehicles exists and demonstration fleets have been tested. A summary of the emission results obtained to date for the 1983 Ford Escort fleet is given by Nichols and Norbeck (1985). Overall the vehicles averaged 6,800 miles with a range of 3,100 to 20,300 miles. The average formaldehyde emission rate varied from 54 mg/mi to 79 mg/mi and accounted for 7.0 to 8.8 percent of the reactive HC mass on a mole-of-carbon basis. The formaldehyde as a percent of reactive HC in the exhaust for any individual vehicle ranged between 5.0 and 17.9 percent.

A recent EPA summary of methanol emissions data has been documented by Alson (1985). The HC emissions are largely methanol, and the aldehydes are nearly all formaldehyde. Figure 16 is a summary of formaldehyde emission data (using the FTP) comparing methanol-, diesel-, and gasoline-powered vehicles, the latter with three-way catalysts, oxidation catalysts, and no catalyst (Alson 1985). Methanol-powered vehicles have higher formaldehyde emissions than diesel-powered or catalyst-controlled gasoline-powered vehicles.

Comparison of formaldehyde emissions from methanol-, diesel-, and gasoline-powered vehicles, the latter with three-way catalysts, oxidation catalysts, and no catalyst. (Adapted from Alson 1985.)

Ford has recently discussed the concept of a methanol/gasoline flexible fuel system that would accept either methanol or gasoline. An electronic fuel-injected Escort was modified to use an optical fuel sensor for determining the methanol/gasoline mixture ratio. The sensor output is continuously processed by the electronic engine controller which optimizes fuel quantity and spark timing in response to the methanol/gasoline mixture ratio. This system was tested on a 1983 Escort-Lynx having a 1.6-liter electronic fuel injection engine in a production vehicle. The vehicle used the production engine compression ratio of 9.0, while the fuel tank, fuel filter, and the electric fuel pump were replaced with parts that methanol would not corrode. Figure 17 shows a schematic of the system in the vehicle (Wineland 1985).

Schematic of Ford Escort modified to use a flexible fuel system installation. Electronic engine controller (EEC); electronic fuel injection (EFI); exhaust gas oxygen (EGO). (Adapted with permission from Wineland 1985, and the Ford Motor Co.)

Spark-Assisted, Compression-Ignition and Stratified-Charge, Spark-Ignition Buses. Methanol is considered to be a good choice as an alternative fuel for buses for several reasons. First, buses are usually a fleet operation so that methanol fuel distribution should be significantly easier than in the consumer market. Second, the particulate and odor emissions are less than those of the diesel engines it would replace. Third, the use of methanol should improve the reactivity of the exhaust, although the methanol and formaldehyde emissions could be a problem if control systems are not properly developed and maintained.

Lipari and Keski-Hynnila (1985) studied the effect of a catalyst on formaldehyde emissions of a methanol-fueled, two-stroke diesel bus engine and found that even with this catalyst, emissions were still higher than those from conventional diesels in the steady-state 13-mode cycle. Additional data are needed for the transient FTP cycle and for light-load low-temperature operation, since the production of formaldehyde across the catalyst could occur under certain operating conditions.

Areas in Need of Additional Research. Methods for accurately measuring HC emissions from methanol-fueled vehicles are lacking. The HC unburnt fuel of a neat (100 percent) methanol vehicle is basically methanol. Measurements of HC and formaldehyde concentrations have not been developed yet that can show how high the individual excursions are under acceleration, deceleration, and other transient conditions. There is a particular lack of data taken under light-load or idling conditions, especially of operation at low temperatures. Data show that the NO x concentration can increase as exhaust from methanol-fueled vehicles passes across a catalyst. Further work needs to be done to understand this effect and to control it properly in the field or determine if it is merely a measurement problem. There is a need to study the worst-case dispersion situations outlined by Harvey et al. (1984) using these new methanol and formaldehyde concentration data. Similar experimental field studies with real-time instrumentation should also be gathered so as to ensure that methanol technology is safe in the hands of the consumer. In these latter studies, misfueling and tampering should be monitored and their effects measured, for we know they occur in gasoline-powered vehicles.

■ Recommendation 4. Formaldehyde Measurements. Real-time measurements of formaldehyde concentration should be performed under transient and extreme conditions such as acceleration and deceleration, low temperature, light load, and extended idling with restricted ventilation. This research work should be done with and without catalysts since worst-case conditions in the field will occur with catalysts removed. Similar measurements should also be made on bus engines.

Trends in Diesel Fuel Properties

Recent trends in diesel fuel properties have an adverse effect on particulate emissions. They make it harder to meet stringent particulate emission standards for cars and trucks (0.2 g/mi in 1987 for cars and 0.6 g/bhp-hr in 1988, 0.25 g/bhp-hr in 1991 for trucks) because the EPA certification is based on typical in-use fuels. An automotive quality No. 2 diesel fuel with low sulfur and low aromatics is necessary if low particulate emissions are to be achieved (Weaver et al. 1986). Two important fuel characteristics affecting diesel engine emissions have been deteriorating in recent years: the cetane number has been falling and 90 percent boiling point has been rising, as shown in figure 18 (Wade and Jones 1984).

Historical trends of diesel fuel properties. Curve represents data from a DOE survey of type T-T diesel fuel. Open circles represent data from a MVMA survey of No. 2 diesel fuel. (Adapted with permission from Wade and Jones 1984, and the Society of Automotive (more...)

■ Recommendation 5. Automotive Quality No. 2 Diesel Fuel. An automotive quality No. 2 diesel fuel with low sulfur and low aromatics is necessary if low particulate emissions are to be achieved. Research should be undertaken in cooperation with the automotive and petroleum industries to decide on effective and economical cetane number, sulfur and aromatic content, and 90 percent boiling point temperature specification limits for automotive quality No. 2 diesel fuel, and to formulate fuels that meet the specifications. The need for this research becomes more urgent as diesel fuel usage continues to increase. Improved emissions and more control options require a quality low-sulfur diesel fuel.

Refueling Emissions

The basic source of HC emissions associated with the vehicle refueling process is the vapors contained in vehicle fuel tanks that are displaced by gasoline during refueling operations. However, additional emissions are associated with vehicle refueling operations as the result of “breathing losses” from underground storage tanks at gasoline service stations. Stage I (delivery of gasoline to station) vapor recovery is approximately 95 percent efficient (Austin and Rubenstein 1985).

At Stage II (dispensing of gasoline to vehicle fuel tanks) vapor recovery, gasoline vapors are collected at the vehicle fillpipe opening using a nozzle spout. The nozzle is also equipped with a vapor passage in the body of the nozzle that connects the annular space between the spout and the boot to the vapor space in the underground storage tank (Austin and Rubenstein 1985). A Stage II system reduces fillpipe emissions by 85–95 percent. Such systems are being used successfully in California.

The automotive industry, the petroleum industry, and the EPA are debating whether refueling losses should be controlled by onboard vehicle systems or by Stage II systems (Austin and Rubenstein 1985; Schwarz 1985). By use of onboard control systems, vapors displaced from the vehicle tank are vented to an enlarged canister where they are absorbed and subsequently purged into the engine (Austin and Rubenstein 1985; Schwarz 1985). A separate canister to control refueling emissions or an enlarged evaporative canister could be used.

In a further detailed analysis of Stage II and onboard control, Austin and Rubenstein (1985) reached the following general conclusion: “the implementation of Stage II controls is a clearly superior alternative to the onboard control concept.” Their specific reasons for this conclusion were:

Stage II controls have been proven in California and they can achieve about 85 percent control.

Stage II controls are the more cost-effective, that is, $0.21/lb HC are reduced versus $0.66 to $2.25/lb HC depending on whether the EPA's or Ford's cost estimate is used for onboard control. The onboard systems can be made more cost-effective with additional evaporative emissions control.

Stage II controls give better short-term control because of lead time, and vehicle turnover due to replacement, among others as shown by Austin and Rubenstein (1985).

■ Recommendation 6. Evaporative Emissions Control. Some combination of field RVP control along with a test fuel with typical RVP (or calculation corrections for RVP differences) should be developed. Controlling RVP in motor gasoline, an approach successfully applied in California, is needed generally for controlling field evaporative emissions. The question of whether car manufacturers should be testing with a worst-case RVP test fuel or a typical fuel needs further study.

Additives are used to improve engine performance and durability and to ensure that fuel specifications and quality are maintained during transport and storage. They are an integral part of today's fuels. Tupa and Doren (1984) discuss in great detail the specific functions and benefits of additives, typical use levels, and test methods for evaluation. Generic types of additives and their uses are shown in table 4 along with general levels of additive treatment for the various types of additives. The variety of chemical compounds used in gasolines today are listed in table 5 and table 6 (Tupa and Doren 1984).

Table 4.. General Fuel Additive Classification and Typical Bulk Treatment Ranges.

General Fuel Additive Classification and Typical Bulk Treatment Ranges.

Table 5.. Chemicals Typically Used for Gasoline Additives.

Chemicals Typically Used for Gasoline Additives.

Table 6.. Chemicals Typically Used as Diesel Additives.

Chemicals Typically Used as Diesel Additives.

How additives may affect control technologies needs additional research. Knowledge of the size distribution of particles from diesel particulate traps and the metal species they contain. Data on operation with as well as without the working traps are needed since tampering of control devices can occur in the field. The effect of the additive compounds that plug the trap pores also needs further study.

■ Recommendation 7. Diesel Fuel Additives. Data should be obtained about the size distribution of particles in diesel exhaust and about the metal species they contain, with and without a particulate trap, with a diesel fuel containing a typical additive under consideration for production use. Data on the HCs bound to the particles and the vapor-phase HCs should also be obtained.

Methods for Measuring the Unregulated Pollutants *

The unregulated pollutants in automotive exhaust have been measured with varying degrees of sophistication for the past 20 years. Interest in a particular pollutant varies as studies of its potential health effects are reported; benzo [a] pyrene represents a good example. Since most of the unregulated pollutants are present only in small amounts in exhaust (in the parts-per million [ppm] range or less) and very small amounts in the ambient air (in the parts-per-billion [ppb] range or less) their amount or concentration is measured only with great difficulty and usually at high expense. There is little doubt that there is a need to balance the degree of difficulty, the cost, and the sensitivity against the real value the procedure produces in assessing health effects or engine performance.

Since most of these pollutants are found at low concentrations, nearly all methods of analysis call for collecting a sample over an extended time interval and concentrating it before analysis. Samples are frequently collected by the use of impingers, filters (Evans 1980; Perez et al. 1980; Gorse and Salmeen 1982; Gross et al. 1982; Fox 1985), and solid sorbents (Hampton et al. 1982; Fox 1985).

Sampling of the exhaust may be more important in determining the value of the analysis than the actual measurement itself. For example, there is every reason to believe that during the sampling of particulates on a filter, chemical reactions take place between the organic compounds in the particulates and gaseous or aerosol compounds such as nitric acid (HNO 3 ), NO 2 , and sulfuric acid. These reactions produce the so-called “artifacts of sampling” that are of concern to all who work in this field (Lee et al. 1980; Perez et al. 1980; Pierson et al. 1980; Gorse and Salmeen 1982; Herr et al. 1982; Risby and Lestz 1983). One of the possible sampling artifacts of greatest concern is the formation of the biologically active compounds nitropyrene and nitrobenz [a] pyrene from the reaction of NO 2 with the relatively innocuous compounds pyrene and benzo [a] pyrene, respectively (Gibson et al. 1980; Schuetzle et al. 1980). Other artifacts of concern are the formation of HNO 3 and sulfuric acid on the surface of the sampling material. The effects of artifact formation can be minimized by reducing the length of time a filter is exposed to the exhaust stream to the minimum required to collect a suitable sample, by using inert materials for filter construction, and by cooling and diluting the exhaust stream prior to sample collection.

Analytical Methods

Not every analytical method used for characterizing emissions from spark-ignition engines is applicable for analysis of emisbecause of interference from combustion products found in compression-ignition engines. Diesel engines produce higher levsions from compression-ignition engines, els of particulates, NO x , sulfur oxides (SO x ) and certain HCs, all of which can interfere with one or more of the analyses that are commonly used on spark-ignition engine emissions. Some real-time monitoring techniques based on the absorption of light fail when applied to diesel exhaust analysis, either because of scattering of light by suspended particulates or absorption of light by aromatic HCs present in the gaseous phase. Electrochemical methods are affected because particulates foul the membranes and electrode surfaces used in the measuring cells. Applying some of the methods used for continuous monitoring of chemical species in ambient air is even more difficult when one considers that spark-ignition as well as compression-ignition engines generate interfering species that affect the sensitivity, accuracy, and repeatability of the analyses.

The analytical methods used to measure concentration or amount of unregulated pollutants are summarized in table 7 . It should be emphasized that these are the analytical methods presently used in laboratories where measurements are being made on a regular basis for judging engine performance. They meet current requirements but will not necessarily meet the requirements of the future.

Table 7.. Summary of Analytical Methods for Characterizing Unregulated Emissions from Spark-Ignition and Compression-Ignition Engines.

Summary of Analytical Methods for Characterizing Unregulated Emissions from Spark-Ignition and Compression-Ignition Engines.

We need to find out which of the unregulated pollutants must be measured to evaluate advanced technology for the control of emissions from gasoline as well as diesel engines. It would be folly to measure the concentrations of pollutants just because they are there. Present methods of analysis are so tedious, expensive, and unreproducible that unnecessary analyses are to be avoided whenever possible.

Areas in Need of Additional Research. Gaps in unregulated emission measurement methods center on the lack of real-time measurement methods that have the sensitivity required for producing results at moderate costs. If advanced emission control technology is to be studied with transient-cycle test protocols, these real-time techniques are necessary.

Real-time measurements based upon piezoelectric devices, tunable diode laser systems, thermal lens spectroscopy, long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy, ultraviolet fluorescence spectroscopy, and differential absorption lidar have been reported by Fox (1985). The studies reported in these cases are normally of ambient air with no concern for interferences that may be present in gasoline and diesel exhaust. Pitts et al. (1984) reported the measurement of gaseous HNO 3 , NO 2 , formaldehyde, SO 2 , and benzaldehyde in the exhaust of light-duty vehicles, using an instrument that coupled a multiple reflection cell to a differential optical absorbtion spectrometer. The techniques hold promise for the future and should be explored in more extensive studies.

■ Recommendation 8. Emissions Measurement Methods. Studies should begin immediately with an evaluation of the best available emissions data on engines operating with and without emission control devices, to determine which of the unregulated pollutants really pose a potential threat to human health. Other unregulated pollutants might be added to this list if their concentrations reflect engine or emission control device performance. Next, every effort should be made to improve the analytical procedures presently used to measure the concentrations of those pollutants, to the point where they can be readily carried out by technicians. This may require that packaged sets of reagents and equipment be marketed for a specific analysis. For example, prepacked traps might be available for collecting gaseous HC prior to thermal desorption onto a gas chromatograph with a specified capillary column for the analysis of specific HCs at predetermined conditions.

  • Current Regulated and Unregulated Emissions

The main focus of this section is unregulated organic emissions, for significant data on regulated emissions and non-organic unregulated emissions from in-use vehicles have been presented already. MOBILE3, a computer model discussed earlier, is the best source of data about regulated emissions since the EPA analyzes all manufacturers' data and develops sales-weighted emission factors (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1985). Emission factors for regulated pollutants, based on California Air Resources Board (1980) data, are also available.

Regulated Emissions

Table 8 from the National Research Council (1983b) shows a summary of the regulated emissions from light-duty vehicles. Imposing the HC, CO, and NO x standards has resulted in 84, 79, and 56 percent reductions, respectively, in 50,000-mi emissions from gasoline-powered, sparkignition vehicles.

Table 8.. Exhaust Emission Rates for Light-Duty Gasoline-Powered Vehicles.

Exhaust Emission Rates for Light-Duty Gasoline-Powered Vehicles.

Unregulated Emissions

Gas-Phase Hydrocarbons. The components detected as gas-phase HCs are listed in table 9 (National Research Council 1983b). In another report, the National Research Council (1983a, appendix A) prepared an extensive list of vapor-phase compounds in both diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles by reviewing 250 papers in the literature.

Table 9.. Unregulated Gaseous Hydrocarbons Emitted from Vehicles.

Unregulated Gaseous Hydrocarbons Emitted from Vehicles.

Diesel Exhaust Particulate . Diesel exhaust particulate material has been the subject of extensive study in the past five years. It is typically about 25 percent extractable into organic solvents, although different vehicles may have extractable fractions of 5–90 percent, depending to some extent on operating conditions. More than half the extractable material is aliphatic HC of 14–35 carbon atoms, alkyl-substituted benzenes, and derivatives of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) such as ketones, carboxaldehydes, acid anhydrides, hydroxy compounds, quinones, nitrates, and carboxylic acids. There are also heterocyclic compounds containing sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms within the aromatic ring. The alkyl-substituted PAHs and PAH derivatives tend to be more abundant than the parent PAH compound (National Research Council 1983b).

The particulate-extract in the high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) eluent can be separated into nonpolar, moderately polar, and highly polar fractions. The fractions can then be further analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Table 10 lists the results of such an analysis of the nonpolar and moderately polar fractions of a particulate extract from an Oldsmobile diesel vehicle, including the approximate extract concentrations for this particular vehicle. The highly polar fraction has not been fully characterized. It contains the PAH carboxylic acids, acid anhydrides, and probably sulfonates and other highly polar species (National Research Council 1983b).

Table 10.. Qualitative Analysis of Nonpolar and Moderately Polar Fractions of Diesel Particulate Extract.

Qualitative Analysis of Nonpolar and Moderately Polar Fractions of Diesel Particulate Extract.

Most (75 percent) of the direct bacterial mutagenicity resides in the moderately polar fraction. The remaining direct mutagenicity is in the highly polar fraction. These aspects are discussed further in the National Research Council's report (1983b).

Over 50 chromatographic peaks of nitro-PAH compounds have been identified in diesel particulate extracts, as listed in table 11 . The most abundant of the nitro-PAHs is 1-nitropyrene, ranging from 25 to 2,000 ppm in the vehicle extracts studies. The other nitro-PAHs are present at concentrations from below the ppm range to a few ppm. The nitropyrenes have been studied in greater detail than other PAH compounds. They are released in diesel and gasoline exhaust (according to particulate extracts) at rates of approximately 8.0 (diesel fuel), 0.30 (leaded gasoline), and 0.20 mg/mi (unleaded gasoline) (National Research Council 1983b).

Table 11.. Nitroarenes in Diesel Exhaust Particulate Extracts.

Nitroarenes in Diesel Exhaust Particulate Extracts.

1-Nitropyrene has been the only nitro-PAH detected in spark-ignition particulate extracts. Very low 1-nitropyrene particulate extract concentrations have been found recently in on-road heavy-duty diesel and light-duty spark-ignition vehicles (National Research Council 1983b).

Gasoline-Powered Vehicle Refueling Hydrocarbons. Williams (1985) has reported the concentration of HCs in the breathing zone of individuals during vehicle refueling. Gas chromatographic data for gasoline and the refueling vapor indicate that only the lower molecular weight, more volatile compounds are emitted. Williams concluded that:

Vapor composition does not equal gasoline composition;

Range of total HC concentrations varied widely with the environmental conditions, resulting in exposures from 8 to 3,000 ppmC; and

Propane, butane, and pentane provide more than 80 percent of total exposure.

Areas in Need of Additional Research. To do efficient particulate control development work and to better understand emission characteristics, there is a need for a fast-response real-time particulate mass measurement instrument. The tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) holds the most promise, but there is a gap between what is known about its principle of operation and the reality of making its use practical for measuring particulates.

The other instrument gap involves measuring methanol accurately. Formaldehyde has also been identified as a potentially important unregulated pollutant that needs careful real-time measurement and control because it is generally considered to be a carcinogen.

Measurement of particulate emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines using the EPA test procedures with dilution tunnels is inadequate. The current repeatability of measurements is poor. Barsic (1984) showed from a round-robin test that the root mean square of the 2- σ standard deviations were 76 percent of a 0.25 g/bhp-hr standard for six heavy-duty diesel engines tested in seven laboratories. For measurements intended to implement the 0.25 g/bhp-hr or the 0.1 g/bhp-hr standard, this variation is unacceptable.

It is uncertain whether particulate emission standards should be based on amount of total particulate matter, on which current standards are based, or amount of soluble organic component extracted from the particulates. The soluble organic component is the portion of the particulate that has been shown to be mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic (Claxton 1983), suggesting that future health-related regulations should be based on this fraction. Basing standards on the soluble organic component poses the problem of separating and quantifying the specific toxic components by one of the present methods—solvent extraction, vacuum sublimation, or thermogravimetric analysis. Variability associated with the separation methods and sampling condition affects the mass of the soluble fraction collected, compounding the previously stated measurement variability problem for the total particulate matter.

Present measurement methods for the collection of vapor-phase HCs from diesel engines do not collect all the compounds. Characterization of potentially toxic HCs is not possible if they cannot all be collected.

There is need to continue the development and use of advanced HPLC and GC/MS techniques in conjunction with separation methods to more accurately measure the amounts of key biologically active HCs in the particulate as well as the vapor phases. The nitroaromatics are important compounds whose concentrations in diesel exhaust with and without particulate traps should be measured more accurately.

There is a need to investigate and develop measurement methods that quantify diesel odor. Pioneering work was carried out in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but was dropped around 1978 because of the potential health effects of diesel particulate emissions. Diesel odor, along with particulates, is still the typical person's perception of the diesel pollutants that are of concern. There is a need to apply odor measurement methods to new engines used in light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles and advanced engines that use particulate traps or incorporate advanced high-temperature materials.

Refined organic compound measurement is particularly important to advance the development of low-heat-rejection (or commonly called adiabatic, as an ideal goal) diesel engines because their combustion chamber wall and gas temperatures will be higher. This elevated temperature will increase the amount of lubricating oil appearing as particulate emissions and has the potential of producing reactions between the HCs and oxygen/HNO 3 /NO x and other such gaseous mixtures to form toxic and biologically active species.

A particular need in unregulated pollutant characterization data for gasoline engines is additional nitrous acid (HNO 2 ) data as an extension to Pitts et al. (1984). That paper showed higher levels of HNO 2 from older (1974 and earlier) light-duty vehicles than from 1982 and newer cars that use three-way catalyst systems. The data show that even though the number of older cars is small, their HNO 2 emission levels are so high that they may be the major source of all gaseous HNO 2 from automotive emissions. HNO 2 is a key precursor to photochemical air pollution and is also an inhalable nitrite.

There is little known about how and when the nitro-PAHs are formed in the exhaust system (or the dilution tunnel) of diesel engines. Flow reactor studies with the basic species—NO, NO 2 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 , O 2 , SO 2 , HCs—present in the exhaust, along with detailed engine studies that include the effects of the particles in the reactions, could help resolve this issue.

■ Recommendation 9. PAH Measurements. There is a need for a program of comparative measurements of PAHs in partial-exhaust sampling systems and in full-flow dilution tunnel systems, with measurements made in the atmosphere downwind from the plume, for the purpose of determining how well laboratory data reflect the true composition of emissions into the atmosphere.

■ Recommendation 10. Kinetics of Nitro-PAH Formation. Research is recommended to discover how and when nitro-PAHs are formed in the diesel engine exhaust system and dilution tunnel. This work can best be done by flow reactor studies of the basic gases in conjunction with detailed engine studies that include the actual HCs and particles.

■ Recommendation 11. Particulate Measurement Variability. Research is required to reduce the variability in heavy-duty diesel particulate measurements. Work needs to be undertaken to determine how to better control the parameters that influence this variability.

■ Recommendation 12. HC Characterization. There is a need for research on the complete characterization of particulate-phase and gas-phase HCs in diesel exhaust.

■ Recommendation 13. Diesel Odor. There is a need to investigate and develop analytical methods that quantify diesel odor. This research should take advantage of the knowledge gained in the past eight years about measuring particulate-bound and vapor-phase HCs.

■ Recommendation 14. Nitrous Acid. Additional data should be obtained about HNO 2 emissions from older gasoline-powered vehicles. The literature shows high levels of HNO 2 from older cars that may be contributing significantly to increased photochemical smog and direct effects.

  • Summary of Research Recommendations

HIGH PRIORITY

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  • Acknowledgment

I would like to thank Peter V.Woon for all of his assistance in the preparation of this paper.

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This section was written by David Leddy, Michigan Technological University.

Air Pollution, the Automobile, and Public Health. © 1988 by the Health Effects Institute. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.

Correspondence should be addressed to John H.Johnson, Michigan Technological University, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Houghton, MI 49931.

  • Cite this Page Watson AY, Bates RR, Kennedy D, editors. Air Pollution, the Automobile, and Public Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1988. Automotive Emissions.
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Vehicle pollution Essay

An irrelevant element involved in the air which is harmful for environment is called air pollution. In India, its biggest cause is due to vehicle pollution which creates many problems including lack of oxygen in the atmosphere that leads to breathing diseases for all the living beings and the major issue of global warming.

Long and Short Essay on Vehicle pollution in India in English

On this crucial issue of vehicular pollution in India, we are presenting here various types of essays on vehicular pollution under different word limit to help you with the school/college assignments and exams. You can select any Vehicle pollution essay as per your need and interest:

Essay on Air Pollution Caused by Vehicles – Essay 1 (200 words)

A Vehicle has always been the prime necessity for the general public in India either it is scooter, motor cycle or car; it is not the time when having an own transport was treated as status symbol but nowadays it has become the need for everyone either in urban or rural areas to commute from one place to another.

Where some changes proves beneficial to a part of generation on the other side it become a curse for all world. For example invention of petrol or diesel fuelled vehicles. At this current time this world is living under the alarming rate of air pollution and the major cause of this crisis is the pollutants emitted from vehicles.

Air Pollution Caused by Vehicles

India is the country of 125 million people and is the biggest consumer of motor vehicles or automobiles. These vehicles either operated by petrol or diesels, extremely affect the environment and our ecosystem. Generally pollutants emitted from car are one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere. As we know that the whole world is under the fear of global warming and the biggest cause of it is the increasing level of vehicle pollution which needs a quick attention by all of us.

Automobile impact on environment is about 80 to 90%. According to Environmental Defence Fund (EDF) on-road vehicles cause one-third of the air pollution and all transportation causes 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Essay on Effects of Vehicular Pollution – Essay 2 (300 words)

Introduction

Pollution in big metropolitan cities is increasing day by day and main cause for this is pollution through vehicle apart from industry. As more people are shifting from small cities to big cities, numbers of vehicles are increasing and it deteriorating the air quality badly. Various diseases in big cities are due to the vehicle pollution.

Effects of Vehicle Pollution on the Environment

With the increase in number of vehicles, pollution from these automobiles is increasing drastically. Combustion of fuel in vehicle emits various gases such as Sulphur oxide (SOx), Carbon mono oxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), suspended particulate matter (SPM) etc. These gases are creating immediate and long-term effect on the environment. Immediate effect are on the human for developing health hazard and long effect are harming the environment by creating global warming, acid rain, imbalance in eco system etc.

These gases trapped the heat in the atmosphere and leading to increase in temperature of earth i.e. global warming. This increase in temperature affects ecology such as increase in sea level; destroy of natural landscapes, drought in many part of world, flood, Cyclone etc. These gases are depleting the Ozone layer; due to this Ultraviolet rays are easily reaching in atmosphere which is a source of various skin diseases. SOx and NOx in the atmosphere converts into acid during rain and destroy the crops, forest and other vegetation. CO2 concentration in the air is increasing and reached up to 400ppm at its alarming level.

Diesel vehicles are more prone to generate air pollution and create various diseases such as cough, headache, nausea, asthma and other respiratory problems etc. Earlier, lead was used in fuel to increase the efficiency of burning, however it was discontinued as it was releasing poisonous gases such as lead, benzene in atmosphere which was more harmful if inhale by any person.

Effects of vehicle pollution are increasing day by day with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. Effects of vehicle pollution are badly affecting the living beings on the earth and causing lots of health related problems. Slowly but surely, it may make the earth an unsuitable place for living; so, we must take it serious and run to stop the vehicle pollution by regarding all the possible solutions.

Essay on How to Control Vehicular Pollution – Essay 3 (400 words)

Pollution through vehicle is a big problem in world, especially in metropolitan city. Vehicles are increasing day by day due to urbanization and increase in income of people. Everybody wants to go by own car or other vehicles to avoid the crowd in public transport system.

How to Control Vehicular Pollution

Here are few methods that the government are taking to control the vehicle pollution:

  • Promoting of vehicle use with CNG fuel (Compressed Natural Gas) instead of Petrol and Diesel fuel. CNG are called green fuel i.e. pollution from CNG vehicle are very less in comparison to Petrol or Diesel.
  • Regularly check up of pollution from vehicle through registered Authority.
  • Promotion of Electric operated vehicle to reduce pollution.
  • Phasing out of old or high polluted vehicles from the big city.
  • Implementation of Euro-VI fuel in all over India progressively i.e. initially it was implemented in Delhi from April, 2018. In other big cities, it will be implementing till Dec, 2018. Euro-VI fuel will reduce the sulphur by 50 to 75 in Diesel engines.
  • Government of India are working to introduce LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as fuel, it will further reduce the pollution from vehicle.
  • Government has taken initiative to introduce mass transport system i.e. number of buses increased, Metro in various cities, Infrastructure development, Improvement in Road network.
  • Implementation of Automatic tag system in Toll booth so that vehicle can go easily without waiting in queue for toll.
  • Creating the bypass across the big cities so that vehicle coming from one end will not need to pass through the city to go to other side. Recently Eastern Peripheral Expressway opened that will bypass the Delhi for trucks or buses, if they are not having any stoppage in Delhi. It will reduce the traffic situation as well as reduce the pollution and save time for the public.
  • Delhi Government implemented the odd-even car to run based on their registration number on particular day.

Conclusion:

For the development of any country Urbanization is highly require but unfortunately it has been become possible at the cost of unwanted situation of air pollution all over the place. May be Causes are much enough for this drastic issue but there is always a solution to be execute.

Essay on Vehicle Pollution: Meaning, Causes, Effects and Solution – Essay 4 (500 words)

A major part of polluted air in atmosphere is because of vehicle and other means of transportation via water road or air. Vehicle pollution needs a quick attention to control over it in manner to save people’s health and to avoid global warming. In India some of its metro cities are under so much polluter air that it has become so difficult even to take breath by people over here. Situation is so worst that Bangalore has got the title of ‘asthma capital of India’.

Meaning of Vehicle Pollution

Vehicle pollution is the pollution caused by the types of vehicles running on the road. Vehicles need petrol or diesel as a fuel to get energy to run which emits various types of harmful gases in the environment after combustion. These harmful gases (carbon monoxide, unburned gasoline, lead, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, etc) get spread in the atmosphere and pollute the pure air thus cause air pollution. Air pollution caused by automobiles/cars/vehicles emissions is called as vehicle pollution.

Causes of Vehicle Pollution

It is clearly defines that cause of increased vehicle pollution is the increased population of country and thus rapidly increasing demand of cars, bikes, scooter or other vehicles. Urbanization is also the major cause for vehicle pollution. As people are continuously moving towards the urban cities from rural areas which lead the growing demand of vehicle on road day by day.

Petrol or diesel fuelled passenger vehicles emerges a huge amount of nitrogen oxide, carbon mono oxide, Sulphur oxide (SOx) in the air. Vehicles are responsible for the unwanted elements in atmosphere which directly or indirectly affecting the people and all living being on earth.

Effects of Vehicle Pollution

  • Vehicle pollution is affecting our environment in various manners like it is making our atmosphere so harmful that to take breath under metro cities is like just to take slow poison from air.
  • Multiple diseases are emerging or we can say growing in urban areas due to vehicle pollution.
  • Pollution in air creates major effects on human health including animals and plants also it is badly harming our ecosystem which results in terms of global warming.
  • Automobile industry is directly affecting 80 to 90% in atmosphere by emerging greenhouse gases which are a group of compounds that are able to trap heat in the atmosphere, like nitrogen oxide carbon mono oxide, Sulphur oxide (SOx).

Solutions of Vehicle Pollution

Vehicle pollution is a major environmental issue in India which need to be resolve as soon as possible for the sake of our future generation.

  • Air Pollution due to vehicle can be control only by getting strict for traffic rules and by enhancing the quality of automobile and manufacturing industries.
  • Proper care of tyres and fuel tank of any vehicles helps in less exhaust emission. Car pooling, use of transport buses, improved and proper road management, use of CNG operated vehicles instead of petrol or diesel always helps in reducing air pollution.
  • Regular vehicle pollution check up from authorized centres is highly required also its time to remove old vehicles from cities and to introduce electrical operated vehicles in cities for transportation.
  • To control over vehicle on road government has tried to do some efforts time to time by introducing some new traffic rules like odd-even policy in Delhi NCR which led to run vehicles based on their registration number on their specified day.

Problems has always its solution only we need is to search and apply the better one. In India the Vehicle pollution is at high risk that needs an attention and support by each and every person individually.

Essay on Pollution Due to Vehicles /Automobiles/Cars – Essay 5 (600 Words)

In this essay we are taking a serious issue of vehicle pollution in India which is require to solve at prime basis. As the number of vehicles increases it lead to increase of harmful emissions which directly affects in air quality. In India this issue has become so huge in some metropolitan cities that oxygen level has been decreasing rapidly in atmosphere.

Vehicles are always counted as responsible for the production of greenhouse gases these are calculated as 70% of CO2, 50% of HC, 30-40% of NOx, 30% of SPM and 10% of SO2 of the overall air pollution over cities.

Causes of Air Pollution Due to Vehicles

Now a day a vehicle has become the need of general public in cities because of the high distance destinations all over and to avoid the over loaded passengers vehicles like autos, buses and local trains. Urbanization is also biggest reason for the increasing air pollution in India.

  • A huge amount of air pollution creates because of the petrol fuelled passenger vehicles as it emerges a significant amount of nitrogen oxide carbon mono oxide and others harmful element in air.
  • A major part of air pollution about 35% in metro cities of India is because of automobiles, cars or other vehicle. Vehicle pollution causes polluted air in environment and results as a harmful impact on people’s health.
  • Engine exhaust (diesel and gas) carries more than 40 dangerous air pollutants. Uncountable numbers of vehicles on road in metro cities of India are inducing a kind of poison in air which results in form of symptoms like cough, headache, nausea and asthma problems.
  • Vehicles play an important role in the formation of ground level ozoneand Carbon monoxide (CO). This colourless poisonous gas is formed by the combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline and is emitted primarily from cars and trucks.

Increased Demand of Automobiles in India

According to the data in year 2011, the urban population has increased up to 377million which was only 62 million in the year of 1951. Also adding to this, there were only 18 cities with a population of over 1 million in 1991 which is expended to 46 cities in 2012. This shows the unmanaged unplanned increased population rate and results in form of high demand of transportation and its consumption patterns.

There were about 8.9 million vehicles sold in between year of (2005-06) and it reaches 15 million in 2010-2011. In period of 2016-2017 for the first time in India Passenger vehicle sales crossed the three million mile stone with a growth of 9.23 per cent.

By the end of March 2017 domestic passenger vehicles (PV) sales were at 30, 46,727 units against 27, 89,208.

Domestic car sales during the year grew 3.85 per cent to 21, 02,996 units from 20, 25,097 units.

Motorcycles sales in 2016-17 were at 1, 10, 94,543 units compared with 1, 07, 00, 406 in the previous fiscal, up 3.68 per cent.

Scooter sales in 2016-17 were at 56, 04,601 units in comparison to 50, 31,678 in the previous fiscal, up 11.39 per cent.

Which shows that the number of vehicles sold in India is increasing fast during the past few years. At the end of discussion this all lead to the crucial problem of air pollution in environment due to vehicles, automobile and cars.

Air pollution due to vehicles in India has majorly affected the metro cities. Bangalore has become the asthma capital of the country and in Pune air pollution has become such a serious problem that the respiratory suspended particulate matter in the air is more than the standard national level.

Related Information:

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Solving Traffic and Pollution Problems: Essay Ideas

Below are some ideas for the following IELTS writing task 2 essay question.

Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think might be effective?

There are two questions to answer:

  • Do you think increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems?
  • What other measures do you think might be effective to solve traffic and pollution problems?

Increasing the price of petrol:

  • if the price is increased, less people will be able to afford it
  • if less people can afford petrol, less people will drive cars
  • if less people drive cars, there will be less congestion on the roads
  • if less people drive, there will be less air pollution

Other ways to solve traffic and pollution problems:

  • traffic problems can be solved by improving public transport to encourage more people to use it rather than to use their own cars
  • public transport can be improved by having more public transport available, making it more punctual and reducing the price of tickets to make it more affordable to the average person
  • another measure is to have no traffic zones in city centers which will  reduce both congestion and pollution in urban centers.

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Hi Liz. I have a question, please , if possible, instruct me the best way to do it. So, in some essay has two questions. To be specific, in the agree and disagree essay I don’t know how I should approach. Like this: To what extent do you agree or disagree, and next question in the same essay : ‘What other measures do you think might be effective’. Please, enlight me if I construct the essey: introduction, the first paragraph- the first side(which I don’t agree, the second- which I agree, third paragraph-solution? Or the first-my side, senond-solutions?

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You are over thinking. Try to take a very simple, logical approach. IELTS is testing you on logical organisation. One body paragraphs contains your opinion (whatever it is) and the other body paragraph contains the solutions. Simple, clear, logical = high band score for Coherence & Cohesion.

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Is it okay to use “this essay will discuss/ this essay discussed?? I’ve seen many teachers teach this . Thank you!

If the instructions ask for your opinion, the words “this essay will” does not express your opinion.

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Dear ma’am , How can i improve my sentense formation ………. My teacher said that ” mostly, i make incorrect sentense ” please give the instruction to make correct sentense ………. Thankyou…

You need an English language teacher and an English language website. This website is for IELTS skills. Start developing your English first.

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Hi Liz, this topic popped up on 25 Mar IELTS in Australia.

Yes, sometimes the topics and questions can re-appear in the test 🙂

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hai liz please suggest what type of essay is the below mentioned one.

Some companies have uniform for their staffs which must be worn at all times

What are the advantages for a company of having a uniform?

Are there any benefits of having a uniform for the staff ? tnq kalaivanan

This is Direct Question Essay. You have two questions to answer.

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hi Liz, i’m not clear about what type of question is this?is it opinion essay,cause/solution or direct question essay????

It is a mixed type. It contains an opinion with solutions.

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Please have a look at this one. Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree. What other measures do you think might be effective.

Growing traffic is considered to be a major issue to the world. More cars are hitting the road day by day, which lead to serious pollution problems. In order to tackle this ongoing issue, countries decide to increase the price of petrol, as they think it is the most convenient approach and use some alternatives to petrol like wind and solar power that might be effective. I personally feel that increasing petrol price is not necessary to cut down pollution problems.

To begin with, we can classify people into three categories based on their income such as low income, middle income and rich. When the country increases the petrol price, the first two of these categories will be affected. With regards to low paid people, they suffer from paying petrol’s normal price, but when it is increased, they will not be able to afford it. It is likely to be the same with middle-income people, the money they get is only sufficient for their hand and mouth, so they spend their money consciously. Most of their money goes for household appliances, children education, electricity, and petrol. When petrol price increases, they will suffer a lot and think twice before paying for petrol. On the other hand, this will not majorly affect rich people, as they can afford petrol because of their extra allowances.

However, the country should encourage people to reduce the usage of cars by advertising the consequences of the traffic congestion on the society. Having said that, carpooling is another environmentally friendly solution, as it reduces the carbon footprint of each individual by going to work in groups. In addition to that, we as individuals play a major role in this process. We should be aware of keeping our body fit by cycling or walking instead of using cars for short distances. This will help us to be physically active and healthy, as well as reduce the consumption of petrol. Furthermore, Government could also reserve separate lanes for carpoolers, bicyclers and pedestrians so that they can reach their destination faster which will encourage other people to follow them.

To conclude, traffic is one of the main causes of pollution as it produces harmful gasses and we should be aware of this catastrophic problem. The Government should raise awareness among people on limiting the usage of petrol and use public transportation to keep our atmosphere safe and clean. In this regard, I feel that the government should focus on educating the people instead of increasing the price of petrol. Government and people are the two sides of a coin, so not only the Government always plays a role in saving our earth, but also we should work along with the Government in order to restrict the pollution problem due to the large consumption of petrol.

I don’t usually comment. However, I will say that your conclusion should be either one or two sentences long – no more.

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It is believed that the most effective solution to rapidly increasing traffic and pollution problems is to make petrol expensive. In my opinion, I agree that, by doing so, it will help to bring down the traffic congestion but there are also other ways to curb the exploding traffic and pollution menace.

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Hi Liz How can I write a thesis statement for a cause and effect essay?

The percentage of overweight children in western society has increased by almost 20% in the last ten years.

What are the causes and effects ?

https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/

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Hi Liz…i am confused with the use of the verb ‘increase’…I thought that it is a passive verb which means that we do not use it in Passive voice as it has a passive meaning..However you used the phrase ‘if the price is increased’or …’need to be increased’…please could you explain me this grammatic phenomenon?…thanks a lot

This verb can be used in all forms. Please check your dictionary. All the best Liz

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I noticed that the question states “pollution problem”. Would I be deviating from the topic if I state that increasing fuel cost will not be the optimal solution for mitigating pollution issues since other factors unrelated to car use may pollute the air, such as improper waste disposal?

I am looking forward to your response. thank you very much.

For this essay question, the subject is both traffic and pollution together which means you can separate them. The pollution in the essay question relates to traffic pollution only so it wouldn’t be advisable to start writing about other sources of pollution. Liz

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Hi Liz sorry for disturbing.Could you assess my essay and give some advices.

Nowadays,increasing number of cars on roads,one of the big issues for the environment and growthing amount of people.Owing to,vehicles emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,which able to create greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.Simultaneously,greenhouse gases cause to raise average ambient temperature. In my opinion,increasing the price of petrol isn’t the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems.Due to,the people who has afford to drive a car,although increasing price of petrol,ongoing driving,by connecting it with their needing.Meanwhille,increasing price of petrol can influence to the price of other manufactures trade,makes it raise.That is why,I can’t go along this opinion.In addition,the increasing price of petrol also can lead to protest and demonstrations,which aren’t good for goverment policy. I suggest that the solution start mass to make vehicles which use alternative types of fuel instead of petrol and that is can mitigate the pollution of environment.Furthermore,for reducing traffic congestion I reckon that,some rich people need change their opinion about cars psychologically.They should look to cars as transport method don’t as luxurious.Because,many rich families have more cars than they need.To conclude,I’d like to mention about that,todays many entrepreneurs at the world are interesting about mass producing cars which use alternative types of fuel (hybrid,hydrogen e.t.c.)

Please read my notice about posting writing: https://ieltsliz.com/posting-writing/ Thanks Liz

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Essay#10 | Pollution

Important tips.

For  IELTS Writing Task 2 , you may be asked to discuss a problem and possible solutions to it. For this type of question, you should explain exactly what the problem is (its causes and effects) and then consider the merits and drawbacks of various solutions.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

As the number of private cars has increased, so too has the level of pollution in many cities.

What can be done to tackle this increasingly common problem?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model answer.

As the number of private cars has increased, so has the level of pollution. Overreliance on cars at the expense of public transport has made this problem even worse, causing many concerned citizens to look for a solution to the problem.

One potential solution to this problem is to discourage the use of private cars by raising taxes. If the cost of petrol was increased, then many people would consider using alternative forms of transport or even walking. Admittedly, there would be a number of complaints from car drivers, but these would not be of much importance when balanced against the environmental benefits.

Another solution could be to look at more specific causes of the problem. Modern cars are fitted with cleaner-burning engines and catalytic converters. Accordingly, they do not cause as much of an environmental hazard as some older cars. In Japan, for example, cars are heavily taxed once they have been on the road for three years or more, encouraging people to buy new cars which pollute less. By heavily taxing older vehicles from the road, some of the worst polluting vehicles would be taken off the road. However, this would not really be fair to those who cannot afford a new car with such regularity.

An improvement in the quality and efficiency of public transport would also encourage people to use their cars less. In London, for example, a system has been operating for some time in which people are allocated days of the week when they can use their cars. On days that they are not allowed to drive, public transport is taken.

Although these are potential solutions to the problem, none of them are perfect. Only by a concerted effort by both the government and the public can this situation truly be resolved.

(298 words)

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Ielts essay # 456 - the best way to solve traffic and pollution problems, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve the growing traffic and pollution problems., to what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement what other measures do you think might be effective.

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vehicle pollution problems and solutions essay

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Analysis of Air Pollution from Vehicle Emissions for the Contiguous United States

  • Published: 10 May 2024
  • Volume 8 , article number  16 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

vehicle pollution problems and solutions essay

  • Mikalai Filonchyk   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3389-9203 1 , 2 &
  • Michael P. Peterson 3  

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Road transport remains a significant contributor to air pollution, particularly in the form of nitrogen oxides (NO x ). Using multiple data sources to offer a comprehensive perspective on air pollution from vehicles, this study explores the spatial distribution of NO x emissions associated with the United States (US) interstate highway system. The study integrates satellite data from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), emission inventories from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), and traffic data from the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) to map and quantify pollution along major highways. TROPOMI’s high spatial resolution allows for the detection of NO 2 vertical column densities (VCD) over highways and urban areas, while EDGAR provides a detailed inventory of emissions across the United States. MOVES simulates emissions from mobile sources, offering insight into the impact of vehicle type and usage on air quality. The study found that the highest NO 2 VCD was recorded on the west and east coasts of the country where the largest metropolitan areas are located, with readings ranging from 100 to 300 μmol/m 2 . Results indicate a strong correlation between traffic volume and NO x emissions, with higher NO 2 levels concentrated along these coasts. This trend underscores the need for continued policy efforts to mitigate emissions from road transport, focusing on areas with the highest traffic density. The study’s multi-source approach provides valuable findings for policymakers, aiding in the development of targeted emission reduction strategies to address air quality concerns in densely populated regions. The significant contribution of the transportation sector to these emissions underscores the importance of addressing vehicle-related pollution to improve air quality and public health.

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Data availability.

The data used in this article are sourced exclusively from open-access repositories. All data outputs generated during the study are publicly available and are properly cited in this paper.

Abbreviations

United States

TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument

Vertical column density

Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator

Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research

US Environmental Protection Agency

US Federal Highway Administration

Annual average daily traffic

Carbon monoxide

Hydrocarbons

Particulate matter

Sulfur dioxide

Carbon dioxide

Nitric oxide

Formaldehyde

Nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen oxides

Volatile organic compounds

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This paper is supported by the Basic Research Top Talent Plan of Lanzhou Jiaotong University (2022JC05).

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Filonchyk, M., Peterson, M.P. Analysis of Air Pollution from Vehicle Emissions for the Contiguous United States. J geovis spat anal 8 , 16 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41651-024-00180-6

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  • United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
  • Study published in the journal 'Nature'.
  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  • World Health Organization (WHO).

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vehicle pollution problems and solutions essay

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