Chemical characterization of particulate emissions from diesel engines: A review

This review examines the chemical properties of particulate matter (PM) in diesel vehicle exhaust at a time when emission regulations, diesel technology development, and particle characterization techniques are all undergoing rapid change. The aim is to explore how changes in each of these areas impact the others. Particle composition is of central interest to the practical issues of health effects, climate change, source apportionment, and aerosol modeling. Thus, the emphasis here is to identify the emerging questions and examine how they can be addressed. As regulations drive down the allowed tailpipe emission levels, advances in engine and aftertreatment technology have made it possible to substantially reduce PM emissions. Besides the reduction in level, new technologies such as diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) can also affect the physical and chemical properties of PM. This in turn introduces new analytical demands that must address not only the issue of sensitivity, but also of specificity. New methods of aerosol chemical analysis are described that address these needs, improve our understanding of particle composition, and provide critical insight into the current issues surrounding motor vehicle PM emissions and their environmental impact.