 |
NARSTO Workshop on Innovative Methods for Emission Inventory Development and Evaluation University of Texas, Austin October 14-17, 2003 |
 |
Spatially-Resolved, Direct Measurement of Road Dust Emissions from Vehicles
Hampden Kuhns, Vic Etyemezian, John Gillies, and Djordje Nikolic, Sean Ahonen
The Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
Traditional estimates of paved and unpaved road dust emissions have relied on analysis of silt samples obtained by vacuuming and/or sweeping of material from roads. This process is time-consuming and limited in the amount of spatial coverage achievable. Testing Re-entrained Aerosol Kinetic Emissions from Roads (TRAKER) is a technique that allows for measurement of road dust emissions in real-time and over a large spatial scale. Particle sensors that are mounted behind the front tires of a vehicle are influenced by the PM10 dust generated from the contact of the tire with the road. A background measurement of particle concentrations is obtained simultaneously near the front bumper of the vehicle. The difference in the signals between the influence monitors and the background monitor is directly related to the amount of road dust emitted. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver is used to simultaneously log the location of each data point.
The TRAKER system has been collocated on an unpaved road with horizontal flux towers. Based on the relationship between PM10 dust flux and TRAKER signal , the road dust emission potential can be inferred for all roads surveyed by TRAKER. TRAKER has been used to build road dust emission inventories, assess the effects of road sanding and sweeping on paved road emissions, and monitor seasonal changes in emissions for winter to summer.