Rapid detection of high-emitting vehicles by on-road remote sensing technology improves urban air quality.
Yuhan Huang, Casey K C Lee, Yat-Shing Yam, Wai-Chuen Mok, John L Zhou, Yuan Zhuang, Nic C Surawski, Bruce Organ, Edward F C Chan
Author Information
Yuhan Huang: Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. ORCID
Casey K C Lee: Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Hong Kong, China.
Yat-Shing Yam: Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Hong Kong, China. ORCID
Wai-Chuen Mok: Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. ORCID
John L Zhou: Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. ORCID
Yuan Zhuang: School of Automotive and Transportation Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China.
Nic C Surawski: Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. ORCID
Bruce Organ: Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. ORCID
Edward F C Chan: Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
Vehicle emissions are the most important source of air pollution in the urban environment worldwide, and their detection and control are critical for protecting public health. Here, we report the use of on-road remote sensing (RS) technology for fast, accurate, and cost-effective identification of high-emitting vehicles as an enforcement program for improving urban air quality. Using large emission datasets from chassis dynamometer testing, RS, and air quality monitoring, we found that significant percentages of in-use petrol and LPG vehicles failed the emission standards, particularly the high-mileage fleets. The RS enforcement program greatly cleaned these fleets, in terms of high-emitter percentages, fleet average emissions, roadside and ambient pollutant concentrations, and emission inventory. The challenges of the current enforcement program are conservative setting of cut points, single-lane measurement sites, and lack of application experience in diesel vehicles. Developing more accurate and vertical RS systems will improve and extend their applications.
References
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