Comparison of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions on gasoline- and diesel-dominated routes

Abstract

Three diesel-dominated routes (DDRs) and three gasoline-dominated routes (GDRs) were chosen as the study sites. The total number of vehicles on GDRs (47,200) was much higher than that on DDRs (14,500). The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), elemental carbon, organic carbon, and metals from GDR roadsides was higher than that for DDRs. The diagnostic ratios (ANTHR/PHE + ANTHR, FLT/FLT + PYR, BaA/BaA + CHR, and IND/IND + BghiP + ANTHN) all indicated that the major PAH source on DDR and GDR was emissions from vehicle engine combustion. The marked diesel ratios of low molecular weight PAH2.5/T-PAH2.5, methyl-PAH2.5/T-PAH2.5, methyl-PHE/PHE, and Mo/PM2.5 on DDRs were higher than those on GDRs. Significant correlations were found between the number of vehicles and the concentration of T-PAH2.5, Car-PAHs2.5, and BaPeq2.5 on DDRs and GDRs. The increase in the levels of T-PAH2.5, Car-PAHs2.5, and BaPeq2.5 per 100 vehicles on DDRs was about 3.3, 3.5, and 4.2 times higher than that on GDRs, respectively. The higher percentage of high-exhaust volume from the larger amount of diesel vehicles on DDRs than that on GDRs was the main factor leading to these results. The diagnostic ratios BaA2.5/CHR2.5 and (BbF + BkF)2.5/BghiP2.5 showed significant differences between the fine PAH sources emitted on DDRs and GDRs, whereas the diagnostic ratios Me-PAH2.5/T-PAH2.5 and (BbF + BkF)2.5/BghiP2.5 showed good correlations with the percentages of diesel exhaust volume in the total exhaust volume (E(diesel)/E(total)) on DDRs.