Investigation of factors affecting the gaseous and particulate matter emissions from diesel vehicles

This study presents a detailed investigation of diesel vehicle emissions utilizing chassis dynamometer testing. The recruited vehicle fleet consists of 15 in-use diesel vehicles, spanning a wide range of emission standards, engine sizes, weight, model year, etc. The real-time emission concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), total hydrocarbons (THC), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and the mass of particulate matter (PM) collected on filters are measured and used to calculate the vehicle emission factors (EFs) under various driving conditions. Results show that in general EFs of NOx, CO, THC, and PM of the recruited fleet span a wide range of values (NOx 0.80 ± 0.34 to 60.28 ± 2.94 g kg−1; THC 0.10 ± 0.04 to 5.28 ± 1.28 g kg−1; CO below detection limits to 24.01 ± 8.48 g kg−1; PM below detection limits to 2.47 ± 1.22 g kg−1). Further data analysis shows that the implementation of a higher emission standard has a significant effect on reducing the emission of pollutants, except for NOx. Driving conditions are also important factors affecting the EFs. Besides, statistical analysis shows a significant correlation between EFs of NOx with the testing weight and the maximum engine power of the vehicle. Further investigation is recommended to explore the effect of maintenance of the vehicles to the vehicular emission.