Miłosław Kozak

Air Pollution by the Exhaust Emissions from Construction Machinery under Actual Operating Conditions

The paper discusses the problem of exhaust emissions from non-road vehicles. In many cities there are low emission zones for vehicles. Unfortunately non-road engines are excluded from this restriction e.g. construction machinery operates on construction sites, including those located in the said zones. Therefore, the paper presents the results of the exhaust emission tests from an excavator under actual operating conditions. For the tests the authors used a portable exhaust emissions analyzer SEMTECH DS by Sensors for the measurement of gaseous exhaust emissions and SEMTECH LAM for the measurement of the emission of Particulate Matter. The analyzers provide an on-line measurement of the concentrations of the exhaust components under actual operating conditions. The tests performed under actual traffic conditions provide invaluable information regarding the emission during actual operating conditions. In the paper the authors analyzed the relations between the engine operating parameters, vehicle parameters, road conditions (traffic congestion) and the exhaust emissions. The authors, despite differences in the methodology, also presented a comparison of the obtained results with the currently applicable exhaust emission limits in order to draw attention to this issue in urban areas.

Rapeseed Oil Methyl Esters (RME) as Fuel for Urban Transport

The use of biofuels is justified by the common agricultural policy decisions, by the need to improve environment protection and by the search of alternative energy sources. In such a context, methyl esters of vegetable oils, known as biodiesel and ethyl alcohol are receiving increasing attention as alternative fuels for automotive engines. The main advantages of biodiesel and ethyl alcohol are that these fuels are nontoxic, biodegradable, and renewable with the potential to reduce engine exhaust emissions, especially with regard to greenhouse gases emission. The fact that these biofuels are available in larger and larger quantities is of great importance as well. Currently, in the European market the most important biofuel is FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Esters) manufactured mainly as Rapeseed Methyl Esters (RME). It is fore‐ casted that the scale of production and consumption of this fuel will continue in‐ creasing as a result of the growing demand for diesel fuels and a levelled demand for spark-ignition engine fuels. Currently, FAME is added to regular diesel fuels in the amount of up to 7%. Besides, its consumption in a pure form grows as well. This chapter presents ecological properties of RME in relation to conventional diesel fuel. The aim of the research was to determine the potential of RME in reducing ex‐ haust emissions (CO, HC, NOx and PM) from diesel engines operated in buses. The tests were carried out in real operating conditions of a city bus meeting EEV emis‐ sions standard. Comparative analysis made it possible to assess the environmental performance of buses depending on the type of fuel used. The obtained results indi‐ cate a slightly lower emission of CO, HC and PM when the vehicle was fuelled with RME but at the same time its application results in a slight increase in the emission of NOx. It seems that similar level of exhaust emissions recorded regardless of fuel type results from an advanced exhaust gas aftertreatment system (SCR + DPF) which was applied in the test vehicle.

Predicting exhaust emission changes resulting from local improvement of city bus traffic in Poznan

In this paper, the authors analyze the influence of the introduced public transit improvements on the exhaust emissions based on the example of the proposed traffic organization changes i.e. separate bus lanes on Garbary and Mostowa streets in Poznan. To that end, software for traffic microsimulation was applied with modules enabling exhaust emission testing being divided into vehicle types, exhaust emission standards and the extent of influence of the traffic conditions. A selected portion of the road network of the city of Poznan was subjected to an analysis that covered the said streets and parts of the adjacent ones. In order to enable a comparison of the introduced changes in the traffic conditions and exhaust emissions level, the authors analyzed the existing road network in the first place (no separate bus lanes) and then, with the same vehicle type structure, the variant with the said modification was scrutinized. The potential influence of the introduced modification in the traffic organization on the traffic rate on the analyzed road portion was determined with the use of a macrosimulation traffic model. The above will enable a comparison of results and an assessment of the purposefulness of the introduction of changes from an environmental point of view. The proposed approach aims at proving the need to extend the current approach to the planning of changes in the traffic organization and the process of realization of infrastructural investments, particularly in the areas of intense housing development by also taking into account the environmental aspects.

Environmental Aspects of the Use of CNG in Public Urban Transport

This chapter concerns the problem of assessing the exhaust emission from the engines of city transport buses fuelled by CNG. It presents a comparative analysis of toxic exhaust emissions of CO, HC, NOx and PM, from urban buses powered by diesel and CNG. The measurements were carried out over the SORT standardised cycles as well as during a real drive condition on a city bus route. The research revealed that CNG bus generates significantly lower NOx emission, whereas its CO and HC emissions are higher. Taking into account low PM emissions, CNG buses should be regarded as eco-friendly means of public transport.

AUTOMOTIVE AIR POLLUTION IN POZNAN FROM BENZENE: SOURCES AND REDUCTION MEASURES

An automatic measuring system, known as OPSIS, was installed in several locations in Poznan, Poland, to measure online the concentration of pollutants in the citys atmosphere. A special team of experts was formed after the OPSIS obtained alarmingly high concentrations of benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons at a site near the Copernicus Roundabout. This paper describes the findings of the teams work, and its recommendations for reducing benzene and aromatic hydrocarbon levels in Poznans city center.