Abstract
Human health and a clean environment are undoubtedly of great importance all over the world. Currently, toxic exhaust emissions in the atmosphere are significantly increasing due to the more widespread use of motor vehicles. In this study, we aimed to characterize the microstructure and chemical properties of exhaust particles released from modified spark-ignition vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas fuel. For this purpose, particulate matter samples taken from vehicle exhausts in Karaman, Turkey, were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Microscopic studies of these particles showed the particulate matter to have an ultra-thin (150-nm) nanostructure, whereas the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies identified 18 element structures in the content, including carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. In addition, the morphology and crystallography of toxic structures such as hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and carbon dioxide were determined by the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and molecular bonds were revealed by the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Our results demonstrated that the exhaust emissions of all vehicles using petroleum-derived fuel contained harmful components at levels above those acceptable for environmental and human health. In addition, vehicles using liquefied petroleum gas as fuel produced relatively fewer harmful emissions compared to other vehicles. However, due to the low cost of liquefied petroleum gas, the more widespread use of these vehicles also significantly increases the amount of exhaust emissions, uncontrollably spreading pollutants into the atmosphere and causing environmental problems.
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Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Abbreviations
- CH4 :
-
Methane
- CO:
-
Carbon Monoxide
- CO2 :
-
Carbon Dioxide
- CxOx :
-
Carbon Dioxide Compounds
- CxHx :
-
Hydrocarbon Compounds
- EDS:
-
Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy
- FTIR:
-
Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
- HC:
-
Hydrocarbon
- ICE:
-
Internal combustion engine
- LPG:
-
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
- μm:
-
Micrometers
- nm:
-
Nanometers
- NG:
-
Natural Gas
- NOx :
-
Nitrogen Oxide
- NH3 :
-
Ammonia
- NxOx :
-
Nitrogen Oxide Compounds
- O3 :
-
Ozone
- PM:
-
Particle Matter
- PN:
-
Particle Number
- SEM:
-
Scanning Electron Microscopy
- SOx :
-
Sulfur Oxide
- SxOx :
-
Sulfur Oxide Compounds
- THC:
-
Total Hydrocarbon
- XRD:
-
X-Ray Diffraction Spectroscopy
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University for its financial support.
Funding
This study was prepared by using the master thesis entitled "Microstructural characterization of particulate matter from vehicle emissions," financially supported by the 16-YL-19 Project accepted by the Scientific Research Projects Commission of Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University.
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BG involved in writing-reviewing, editing and supervised the study. AA involved in conceptualization, methodology and participated in visualization and investigation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Güney, B., Aladağ, A. Microstructural analysis of liquefied petroleum gas vehicle emissions, one of the anthropogenic environmental pollutants. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 249–260 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03675-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03675-7