About cookies on this site Our websites require some cookies to function properly (required). In addition, other cookies may be used with your consent to analyze site usage, improve the user experience and for advertising. For more information, please review your options. By visiting our website, you agree to our processing of information as described in IBM’sprivacy statement. To provide a smooth navigation, your cookie preferences will be shared across the IBM web domains listed here.
Publication
Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association
Paper
Individual measurements of the emission factor of aerosol black carbon in automobile plumes
Abstract
As automobiles passed a measuring point, we recorded the concentrations of carbon dioxide and aerosol black carbon (BC) in their dispersing exhaust plumes. After subtraction of background levels, the ratio of the increments of these species allows us to calculate the emission factor of BC per unit mass of fuel from each individual vehicle. These factors spanned a range of greater than two orders of magnitude, representing the emission of from 4 X 10-6 to 10-3 grams of aerosol black carbon per gram of carbon consumed In the fuel. Their distribution showed that 20 percent of the vehicles accounted for 65 percent of the emissions. The real-time measurement methodology allows for a determination of the distribution of emission factors across the actual population of sources. These results are similar to the wide range of carbon monoxide emission factors reported recently. © 1990 Air & Waste Management Association.