Comparison of Emission of Dioxins and Furans from Gasohol- and Ethanol-Powered Vehicles

• Published in: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) 2011-12, Vol.61 (12), p.1344
• Main Authors: de Abrantes, Rui, de Assunção, João V, Pesquero, Célia R, da Nóbrega, Raimundo P, Bruns, Roy E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2162-2906
• DOI: 10.1080/10473289.2011.608617

The exhaust emissions of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated in two spark-ignition light-duty vehicles, one gasohol-fueled and a flexible-fuel one fueled with hydrated ethanol. Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and 22% ethanol. The influence of fuel type and quality, lubricant oil type, and use of fuel additives on the formation of these compounds was tested using standardized U.S. Federal Test Procedure (FTP)-75 cycle tests. The sampling of the PCDD/Fs followed the recommendations of a modified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 23 ( http://www.epa.gov/ttn/emc/promgate/m-23.pdf ) and the analysis basically followed the U.S. EPA Method 8290 ( http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/8290a.pdf ). Results showed that emission factors of PCDD/Fs for the gasohol vehicle varied from undetected to 0.068 pg international toxic equivalency (I-TEQ) km (average of 0.0294 pg I-TEQ km ), whereas in the ethanol vehicle they varied from 0.004 to 0.157 pg (I-TEQ) km (average of 0.031 pg I-TEQ km ). In the gasohol-powered vehicle, the use of fuel additive diminished the emission of Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) significantly, whereas in the ethanol vehicle no significant associations were observed between the investigated variables and the emissions. [Box: see text].