Size-resolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission factors from on-road gasoline and diesel vehicles: temperature effect on the nuclei-mode

Motor vehicles are a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions in urban areas. Motor vehicle emission control strategies have included improvements in engine design, exhaust emission control, and fuel reformulation. Therefore, an updated assessment of the effects of the shifts in fuels and vehicle technologies on PAH vehicular emission factors (EFs) is needed. We have evaluated the effects of ambient temperature on the size-resolved EFs of nine US EPA Priority Pollutant PAH, down to 10 nm diameter, from on-road California gasoline light-duty vehicles with spark ignition (SI) and heavy-duty diesels with compression ignition (CI) in summer 2004 and winter 2005. During the winter, for the target PAH with the lowest subcooled equilibrium vapor pressure --benzoa]pyrene, benzoghi]perylene, and indeno1,2,3-cd]pyrene-- the mass in the nucleation mode, defined here as particles with dp <32 nm, ranged between 14 and 38% for SI vehicles and 29 and 64% for CI vehicles. Our observations of the effect of temperature on the mass of PAH in the nucleation mode are similar to the observed effect of temperature on the number concentration of diesel exhaust particles in the nucleation mode in a previous report.