Elsevier

Science of The Total Environment

Volume 580, 15 February 2017, Pages 1162-1174
Science of The Total Environment

Emissions of organic pollutants from traffic and roads: Priority pollutants selection and substance flow analysis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.074Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Methodology to select organic priority pollutants for stormwater treatment

  • Sources of organic pollutant emissions in a traffic environment were identified.

  • The loads of PAH emitted in the road catchment area were estimated by means of SFA.

  • 2–6% of the total PAHs emitted reached road runoff.

  • Calculated quantities and measured PAH and oxy-PAH loads show large differences.

Abstract

A large number of organic pollutants (OPs) emitted from vehicles and traffic-related activities exhibit environmental persistence and a tendency to bioaccumulate, and may have detrimental long-term effects on aquatic life. The aim of the study was to establish a list of significant sources of OPs occurring in road runoff, identify the OPs emitted from these sources, select a number of priority pollutants (PP), and estimate the quantity of PPs emitted in a road environment case study using substance flow analysis (SFA). The priority pollutants included in the SFA were selected from a list of approximately 1100 compounds found after comprehensive screening, including literature and database searches, expert judgments, the Ranking and Identification of Chemical Hazards method, and chemical analysis of sediments. The results showed the following priority order: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) > alkanes C20–C40 > alkylphenols > phthalates > aldehydes > phenolic antioxidants > bisphenol A > oxygenated-PAHs > naphtha C5–C12 > amides > amines. Among these, PAHs were chosen for a SFA, which was performed for a highway case study area in Gothenburg (Sweden). The SFA showed that the main sources of PAHs emitted in the area were vehicle exhaust gases, followed by tyre wear, motor lubricant oils, road surface wear, and brake linings. Only 2–6% of the total 5.8–29 kg annually emitted PAHs/ha ended up in the stormwater sewer system. The measured PAH loads were found in much smaller amounts than the calculated loads and the outflow to stormwater contained much more of the hazardous PAHs than the total loads emitted in the catchment area.

Keywords

Exhausts
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Road runoff
Road wear
Tyres
Vehicle emissions

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