A Field Study of Particulate Emissions for Major Roadways in the Phoenix Airshed

A Field Study of Particulate Emissions for Major Roadways in the Phoenix Airshed
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2006
Genre: Air
ISBN:

This report describes field experiments conducted to determine particulate emission amounts for PM10 along freeways in the greater Phoenix area. A field site at Mile 47 on Loop 101 near the Chaparral Road exit was chosen for experiments conducted in Feb-Mar 2001 and Feb-Mar 2002. Three mobile laboratories with instruments for measuring and sampling aerosol particles and measuring meteorological parameters were deployed, one on each side 3 m from the roadway and, in Mar 2002, one 100 m to the west of the roadway. A 10 m tower was also used to determine the vertical profiles of wind velocity and direction, and aerosol concentration. Soil dust particles dominate the freeway aerosol , but it also has significant concentrations of black carbon (soot) and iron oxide or other metal Many of the iron-rich particles are hypothesized to result from engine wear, although other sources of iron-rich particles are known in the Phoenix area. The measured emission factor for this experiment was 0.1 grams per vehicle kilometer traveled, a value that is similar to an emission factor calculated for roads in southern California through modeling by other investigators. However, emission factors such as this are not constants and can be expected to vary with changes in conditions such as vehicle fleet composition and loading of dust on the road surface. Vertical profiles of wind and aerosol are in disagreement with the assumptions made in current line source models; if the measured vertical profiles are used in the emission factor calculation, the emission factor is reduced to 0.06 grams per vehicle kilometer traveled. Both values are similar to MOBILE6 model results by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for freeways in Maricopa County. Low wind conditions are very common in the Phoenix area. When wind speeds are below a critical value (4-5 mph), PM10 aerosol concentrations build to high values. This is because the turbulence from passing vehicles becomes more pronounced than the normal surface winds; under such conditions the aerosols are trapped in an essentially narrow, elongate plume above the freeways. When the low wind conditions break down, wind speed increases, and the plume of aerosol is dispersed down wind. The ratio of PM2.5 to PM10 is dependent on wind speed as well and can be very high when the wind speed is below the critical value. The evidence suggests that new dust is constantly being loaded onto the freeway surface so that the freeway is a perpetual source of PM10. The observations about high PM concentrations during frequent periods of low wind speed have broader implications for urban freeways. The control of noise by building urban freeways below grade, with high sound walls or both can artificially create low wind conditions for longer periods than naturally occur; the consequences of artificially created wind stagnation with regard to PM levels is as yet undetermined.

Particulate Matter from Roadways

Particulate Matter from Roadways
Author: Chatten Cowherd
Publisher:
Total Pages: 172
Release: 1998
Genre: Air
ISBN:

Paved roads constitute a major category of PM-10 and PM-2.5 emissions in urban areas. Paved roadway resuspension processes emit antiskid materials, abraded pavement particles, rubber tire fragments, and dirt that is tracked from unpaved areas. In the Denver area, exceedances of the PM-10 standard in late winter and early spring are related to residual road sand loadings from wintertime antiskid controls. This report presents the results of research, sponsored by the Colorado Department of Transportation, to (a) determine the relationships between the paved roadway surface dust characteristics and fine particle emissions, and (b) evaluate emission control measures that reduce road surface silt loadings (either by preventive or mitigative means). Several types of field studies were used in performing this research. The Correlation Studies entailed simultaneous paved road plume profiling and road surface material sampling at three test sites in the Denver metropolitan area. The composition of collected airborne and surface samples were analyzed by chemical and microscopic analysis. The upwind/downwind airborne particulate matter samples that were selected for analysis included PM-10 and PM-2.5, while the road surface samples included the resuspended PM-10 and PM-2.5 from Midwest Research Institute's Dustiness Test Chamber. The Correlation Studies demonstrated that emission control effectiveness for the paved road resuspension processes can be evaluated in terms of reductions of roadway surface material loadings. Additional composite surface sampling of Denver arterial roadways compared the effects of winter sanding and alternative chemical deicers on surface loadings.

Environmental Issues 2007

Environmental Issues 2007
Author: National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board
Publisher:
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2007
Genre: Air
ISBN:

This document discusses the energy and environmental issues of the transportation systems.

Indexes

Indexes
Author: United States. Environmental Protection Agency
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1760
Release: 1983
Genre:
ISBN:

The Ongoing Challenge of Managing Carbon Monoxide Pollution in Fairbanks, Alaska

The Ongoing Challenge of Managing Carbon Monoxide Pollution in Fairbanks, Alaska
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2002-08-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309182751

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic air pollutant produced largely from vehicle emissions. Breathing CO at high concentrations leads to reduced oxygen transport by hemoglobin, which has health effects that include impaired reaction timing, headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, weakness, clouding of consciousness, coma, and, at high enough concentrations and long enough exposure, death. In recognition of those health effects, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as directed by the Clean Air Act, established the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for CO in 1971. Most areas that were previously designated as "nonattainment" areas have come into compliance with the NAAQS for CO, but some locations still have difficulty in attaining the CO standards. Those locations tend to have topographical or meteorological characteristics that exacerbate pollution. In view of the challenges posed for some areas to attain compliance with the NAAQS for CO, congress asked the National Research Council to investigate the problem of CO in areas with meteorological and topographical problems. This interim report deals specifically with Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks was chosen as a case study because its meteorological and topographical characteristics make it susceptible to severe winter inversions that trap CO and other pollutants at ground level.

Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations

Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2003-04-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309168643

Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations: Current Knowledge, Future Needs discusses the need for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement a new method for estimating the amount of ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, and other pollutants emitted from livestock and poultry farms, and for determining how these emissions are dispersed in the atmosphere. The committee calls for the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a joint council to coordinate and oversee short - and long-term research to estimate emissions from animal feeding operations accurately and to develop mitigation strategies. Their recommendation was for the joint council to focus its efforts first on those pollutants that pose the greatest risk to the environment and public health.

Urban Stormwater Management in the United States

Urban Stormwater Management in the United States
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 611
Release: 2009-03-17
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309125391

The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.

Ecotoxicology Essentials

Ecotoxicology Essentials
Author: Donald W. Sparling
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 502
Release: 2016-04-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128019611

Ecotoxicology Essentials: Environmental Contaminants and Their Biological Effects on Animals and Plants provides a fundamental understanding of this area for students and professionals in ecotoxicology, ecology, conservation, chemistry, public health, wildlife management, fisheries, and many other disciplines. Although new chemicals and potential problems are developed every year, a basic education is essential to address these new challenges, and this work gives such training. Written with the regulatory framework in mind, the material guides readers on modelling, how to conduct assessments, and human and wildlife risk, focusing on effects on animals rather than transport of chemicals. Simple discussions of chemistry are complemented by coverage on the behavior of the animal, dynamics of the ecosystem, real-life situations like drought, and predators in the system – i.e., the natural system versus the lab setting. The book’s first section contains chapters on the principles of contaminant toxicology including a brief history of the science of ecotoxicology, basic principles of the science, testing methods, and ways of determining if animals have been exposed to either acute or chronic concentrations of contaminants. The second section deals with the primary classes of contaminants including their chemical characteristics, sources, uses, and effects on organisms. The third section focuses on more complex issues such as the regulation of pollution, population and community effects, risk assessment and modelling. Uses examples from both aquatic and terrestrial environments and species Includes a Terms to Know section and a list of study questions in each chapter, fostering a greater understanding of the issues Focuses on the effects of contaminants on wildlife while providing enough chemistry to allow a detailed understanding of the various contaminant groups Emphasizes natural examples and 'real' species, rather than laboratory studies on only a handful of organisms Features case histories, detailing actual events that include aspects of how the contamination occurred and its effects on wildlife Provides material from a wide variety of international sources