Effectiveness Evaluation of Bus Fleet Replacement Scenarios to Reduce Karaj Air Pollution

Subject Areas : Air Pollution

Niki Aghapour ¹ , Mazaher Moeinaddini ²

1 - Master of Environmental Science and Engineering - Pollution, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran.
2 - PhD in Environment, Associate Professor, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran. *(Corresponding Author)

Received: 2022-02-22 Accepted : 2023-05-23 Published : 2023-06-22

Keywords: Air pollution, Replacement of worn-out fleet, IVE Model, Karaj,

Abstract :

Background and Objective: Considering the worn-out public transport fleet in Karaj city, it needs to replace the fleet with up-to-date standards. Considering the economic and environmental dimensions, the effectiveness of the measures taken should be evaluated. Therefore, achieving the goal of evaluating the change in the emission of pollutants based on each alternative scenario can help the authorities to adopt air pollution reduction strategies. The purpose of designing scenarios in this research is to estimate the effectiveness of scenarios in the field of replacing the fleet of worn-out single buses in reducing the emission of air pollutants. Material and Methodology: First, the classification of buses and units based on parameters such as different systems, year of production, pollution standard, type of fuel consumed and vehicle class have been studied at 1398. Then, scenarios of reducing standard pollutants were designed in two plans, replacing the worn-out fleet with a hybrid fleet, dual-fuel and with fuel consumption, with Euro 4 pollution standard, and finally the scenarios were compared with the basic scenario. Pollution emission coefficients and scenario design were calculated using the International Model of Mobile Vehicle Emission (IVE) model for passages, 1st degree arteries, highways and freeways, with slopes of zero and 22%. Findings: The results of comparing the scenarios showed that by replacing the entire worn-out fleet in terms of age (to the new fleet, scenario four), the maximum reduction in emissions of standard pollutants was 40% (CO, 60% (VOC), 42% (NOX), 86% (Also, the results of the distribution of pollutants in the city of Karaj, with Arc Map software showed that the highest emission of pollutants is related to region 10, and the lowest emission is in region 1, Karaj city. Discussion and Conclusion: According to the findings, the effectiveness of replacement scenarios of the worn-out fleet (use of hybrid, dual-fuel vehicles with Euro 4 fuel) in reducing the emission of air pollutants has been 40 to 80%. Pollutant reduction scenarios and strategies to increase air quality are useful for policymakers and researchers to better understand the current state of air pollution in the region and are largely operational, requiring timely funding and well-planned planning.

References:

1. Tong, F. and Azevedo, I.M. (2020). What are the best combinations of fuel-vehicle technologies to mitigate climate change and air pollution effects across the United States. Environmental Research Letters, 15(7), p.074046.


2. Molina, M. J., & Molina, L. T. (2004). Megacities and atmospheric pollution. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 54(6), 644-680.


3. Pattinson, W., Longley, I, Kingham, S., 2014. Using mobile monitoring to visualise diurnal variation of traffic pollutants across two near-highway neighbourhoods. Atmospheric Environment. 94, 782-792.


4. Rakowska, A., Wong, K. C., Townsend, T., Chan, K. L., Westerdahl, D., Ng, S., & Ning, Z. (2014). Impact of traffic volume and composition on the air quality and pedestrian exposure in urban street canyon. Atmospheric Environment, 98, 260-270.


5. Shahbazi, H., Taghvaee, S., Hosseini, V., & Afshin, H. (2016). A GIS based emission inventory development for Tehran. Urban Climate, 17, 216-229.‏ Persian


6. Che, W., Zheng, J., Wang, S., Zhong, L., & Lau, A. (2011). Assessment of motor vehicle emission control policies using Model-3/CMAQ model for the Pearl River Delta region, China. Atmospheric Environment, 45(9), 1740-1751.


7. Wang, H., Chen, C., Huang, C., & Fu, L. (2008). On-road vehicle emission inventory and its uncertainty analysis for Shanghai, China. Science of the Total Environment, 398(1-3), 60-67.


8. Zhang, S., Wu, Y., Wu, X., Li, M., Ge, Y., Liang, B., & Hao, J. (2014). Historic and future trends of vehicle emissions in Beijing, 1998–2020: A policy assessment for the most stringent vehicle emission control program in China. Atmospheric Environment, 89, 216-229.


9. Joao, , W. J., Koutrakis, P., & Roig, H. L. (2015). Spatial distribution of vehicle emission inventories in the Federal District, Brazil. Atmospheric Environment, 112, 32-39.


10. Ghadiri, Z., Rashidi, Y., Boroumandi, p. (2018). Evaluation of the effectiveness of Euro 4 fuel transportation systems on air quality in Tehran, application of the .IVE pollution model, 3 (4), 639-653. (In Persian)


11. Alborz Province Management and Planning Organization. 2016. Alborz from the point of view of general population and housing census. Alborz Province Management and Planning Organization, Deputy of Statistics and Information, 102. (In Persian)


12. Tang, G., Chao, N., Wang, Y., Wang, H., Huang, J., & Chen, J. (2014). Vehicular emissions in China in 2006 and 2010. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 14(4), 4905-4956.


13. Hosseini Far, S., A., Shafi'pour Motlagh, M., Ashrafi, Kh. 2019. Sensitivity analysis of pollutant emission rates from passenger cars to geographical and environmental parameters using IVE model. 8th National Conference on Air and Noise Management Tehran - University of Tehran, p.7.


14. Wang, H., Fu, L., Zhou, Y., Du, X., & Ge, W. (2010). Trends in vehicular emissions in China's mega cities from 1995 to 2005. Environmental Pollution, 158(2), 394-400.


15. Marino, C., Monterosso, C., Nucara, A., Panzera, M. F., & Pietrafesa, M. (2020). Analysis of the Reduction of Pollutant Emissions by the Vehicle Fleet of the City of Reggio Calabria Due to the Introduction of Ecological Vehicles. Sustainability, 12(7), 2877.


16. Gabriel, N.R., Martin, K.K., Haslam, S.J., Faile, J.C., Kamens, R.M. and Gheewala, S.H., 2021. A comparative life cycle assessment of electric, compressed natural gas, and diesel buses in Thailand. Journal of Cleaner Production, 314, p.128013.