When applied research put the basis for the (near) future regulation for the vehicle emissions

(c) Stefan Redel

The joint publication in the Special Issue on Vehicular Ultrafine Particulate Matter (PM) of the Journal of Aerosol Science, under title “Perspectives for regulating 10 nm particle number emissions based on novel measurement methodologies” is a remarkable example on how European Commission capitalizes funded research to shape future legislation. In particular, the EC Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (RTD) and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) along with three completed Horizon 2020 projects from Green Vehicle Initiative - i.e. SUREAL23 (coordinated by CERTH), DownToTen (coordinated by AUTh) & PEMS4Nano (coordinated by HORIBA Europe) - put together their most important research outcomes about ultrafine PM vehicle emissions and make recommendations as a potential basis for implementing new regulations for PM and air quality: “sub-23 nm particles are mainly generated at the engine start and during acceleration phases. The innovations show that the technology is mature and robust enough to serve as a basis for regulating sub-23 nm particles”.

The European H2020 project “SUREAL-23: Understanding Measuring and Regulating Sub-23 nm Particle Emissions from Direct Injection Engines Including Real Driving Conditions” (GA 724136), coordinated by CERTH/CPERI had significant role on this achievement. The project was successfully completed a year ago with notable early recognition among the scientific community and the relevant EC authorities. It studied ultrafine particulate pollutants below the legislative limit of 23 nm emitted by vehicles with direct injection engines. In this context, innovative sampling techniques and innovative instruments for measuring the number, size distribution and particle composition have been developed. An important innovation of the technologies developed is their ability to operate at temperatures corresponding to the hot stream of exhaust, thereby prohibiting the formation of volatile artefact particles. The project managed to simplify and significantly improve the process for sampling and measuring particulate pollutants so that future legislation can include emission limits also for ultrafine particulates.

Find here the publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2022.105957

The SUREAL-23 project was funded by the European research and innovation program, Horizon 2020, under contract no. 724136