Exhaust emissions of particulate matter from light-duty vehicles – an overview and the current situation

Abstract

Emissions of particulate matter associated with the use of light-duty vehicles are an increasingly important topic, with more and more political attention focused on this issue. Now that direct injection Diesel engines feature DPFs, particle emissions from other engine types operating on other fuels are also of great interest. This paper discusses the phenomenon in general, briefly reviews worldwide legislation and emissions limits and presents the results of a laboratory test programme measuring the particle emissions from a range of vehicles. The experimental programme showed that the engine/fuel type has a greater impact on particle emissions than the test conditions.