On-Road Chemical Transformation as an Important Mechanism of NO 2 Formation

Nitrogen dioxide (NO ) not only is linked to adverse effects on the respiratory system but also contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone (O ) and fine particulate matter (PM ). Our curbside monitoring data analysis in Detroit, MI, and Atlanta, GA, strongly suggests that a large fraction of NO is produced during the "tailpipe-to-road" stage. To substantiate this finding, we designed and carried out a field campaign to measure the same exhaust plumes at the tailpipe-level by a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) and at the on-road level by an electric vehicle-based mobile platform. Furthermore, we employed a turbulent reacting flow model, CTAG, to simulate the on-road chemistry behind a single vehicle. We found that a three-reaction (NO-NO -O ) system can largely capture the rapid NO to NO conversion (with time scale ≈ seconds) observed in the field studies. To distinguish the contributions from different mechanisms to near-road NO , we clearly defined a set of NO /NO ratios at different plume evolution stages, namely tailpipe, on-road, curbside, near-road, and ambient background. Our findings from curbside monitoring, on-road experiments, and simulations imply the on-road oxidation of NO by ambient O is a significant, but so far ignored, contributor to curbside and near-road NO .