Characterization of non-exhaust coarse and fine particles from on-road driving and laboratory measurements

• We investigate the characterization of non-exhaust fine and coarse particles.
• The particles were measured under on-road driving and laboratory measurements.
• The dependence of particle mass & number on vehicle speeds and braking was observed.
• Chemical analysis can identify the main source of non-exhaust particles.

We investigated the physical and chemical properties of non-exhaust coarse and fine particles generated by on-road driving and in a laboratory setting using a mobile sampling system. The on-road driving and laboratory measurements performed under constant speed driving revealed that particles produced by tire wear had a size distribution in the range of 2–3 μm, while roadway particles (RWPs) measured behind the front tire during on-road driving largely comprised crustal materials such as road surface wear particles and road dust as well as tire wear particles (TWPs). The mode diameters of particles obtained from on-road driving under cornering conditions were similar to those obtained under constant speed conditions, but with higher concentrations of crustal elements. Under braking conditions, the particulate matter (PM) concentrations of brake wear particles (BWPs) sampled near the brake pad increased significantly and were much higher than the concentration of RWPs during deceleration, indicating that BWPs are one of the main sources of non-exhaust emissions. In addition, BWPs observed from on-road and laboratory measurements had a broader PM size range (1–10 μm) than RWPs. Size-segregated chemical analysis of PM samples indicated that the concentrations of Fe and Ca were highest in the coarse fraction emitted under constant speed and cornering conditions, while Fe, Ba, and Ti were most abundant in the fine fraction emitted during braking events.

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