Total OH reactivity and VOC analyses for gasoline vehicular exhaust with a chassis dynamometer

Total OH reactivity for the exhaust gas of gasoline vehicles was measured for the first time under nine different driving conditions with a chassis dynamometer at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES). Along with the total OH reactivity measurements, analysis of trace species such as CH4, CO, NO, NO2, and 56 kinds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including two aldehydes, was carried out. The ratio of alkanes to alkenes in the exhaust gas turned out to depend on the condition of the driving cycles. There were a considerable number of unidentified peaks obtained during GC analysis. About 15–30% of the total carbon was unidentified species. The chemical compositions of vehicular exhaust were found to depend on the temperature of the engine or catalysts. The contribution of OH reactivity to the species obtained depended on the temperature condition for the engine. The calculated total OH reactivity for VOCs was compared with ozone formation potential (OFP) and it turned out that there are in good correlation, while the correlation for “Cold” start deviates from that for “Hot” start. The measured and calculated OH reactivities were compared with each other. For all driving cycles, the calculated OH reactivity was confirmed to be an underestimation, implying the existence of unknown species in the exhaust gas. The percentage contribution of OH reactivity to the unknown species during “Cold” start was about 17.5%, which was almost the same as that for “Hot” start at 17.0%. However, the absolute value of OH reactivity for “Cold” start was about ten times higher than that for “Hot” start.