Evaluation of primary and secondary emissions from two Euro 6 SUV in laboratory and under real driving conditions

The AEROSOLS project aims to define robust and transparent measurement and modelling methodologies to quantify the currently disregarded volatile/semi-volatile (V/S-V) primary and secondary emissions, assess their associated risks, and propose technological and legislative monitoring and abating mechanisms to help improve air quality and public health. This work will present the overall methodology utilized to extensively assess the regulated and unregulated, gaseous and particulate, emissions from the vehicles.

The project includes two comprehensive vehicle-level experimental campaigns during which the primary and secondary emissions of two state-of-the-art Euro 6 sport utility vehicles (SUV) will be assessed, both on a chassis dynamometer under controlled conditions and on open roads under winter and summer conditions.

During the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) experiments on roads, the vehicles will be equipped with a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) in addition to the standard Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS). This allows extended characterization of the emitted gaseous compounds beyond the current Euro 6 protocol, with a particular focus on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). In the laboratory, the emissions from the vehicles will be evaluated under standard driving conditions using the Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) and under more realistic conditions reproducing the RDE trips previously characterized on roads. In addition to the standard devices used for the Euro 6 testing, the experimental protocol will include additional instruments to comprehensively assess the emissions of unregulated organic and inorganic gaseous compounds, and aerosols characteristics, e.g., particle number (PN) down to 1 nm.

Thanks to these complementary evaluations and extensive protocols, the AEROSOLS project will achieve a better understanding of vehicles’ primary emissions compared to the current Euro 6 and upcoming Euro 7 standards, and of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA) and their potential precursors. Furthermore, three different atmospheric ageing devices (a simulation chamber and two oxidation flow reactors) will be employed for the laboratory tests to also allow enhanced understanding of the ageing conditions’ effects on SOA formation.

Acknowledgments:

This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme within the AEROSOLS project under grant agreement No. 101096912 and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10092043 and 10100997].