Switzerland's PM10 and PM2.5 environmental increments show the importance of non-exhaust emissions

• Published in: Atmospheric Environment: X Vol. 12; p. 100145
• Main Authors: Grange, Stuart K., Fischer, Andrea, Zellweger, Claudia, Alastuey, Andrés, Querol, Xavier, Jaffrezo, Jean-Luc, Weber, Samuël, Uzu, Gaëlle, Hueglin, Christoph
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Particulate matter; PMF; Road traffic; Source apportionment; Urban increment; PMF; Road traffic; Source apportionment; Particulate matter; Urban increment; Particulate matter Road traffic Source apportionment PMF Urban increment
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aeaoa.2021.100145
• ISSN: 2590-1621

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is a priority pollutant for urban air pollution management because of its negative effects on human health and visibility. Emissions from road traffic have been a major focus of management over the past few decades, but non-exhaust emissions i.e., emissions from brake, tyre, road wear, and the resuspension of dust have emerged to become a major source of unregulated PM in many locations. Here, a filter-based sampling campaign was conducted between 2018 and 2019 where a large number of PM constituents were quantified for five sites in Switzerland for both PM10 and PM2.5. This had the objective of investigating urban and urban-traffic PM increments in Switzerland. The results show that PM concentrations increased as the sampling locations moved along a rural to urban-traffic gradient. However, source apportionment analysis showed that sulfate-rich, nitrate-rich, and biogenic sources were not enhanced in urban environments, but road traffic and mineral dust sources were. The total mass enhancement for PM10 and PM2.5 were 2.4 μg m−3 and 2.0 μg m−3 for the urban environment while the corresponding urban-traffic enhancements were 5.7 μg m−3 and 2.8 μg m−3. Emissions from road traffic were estimated to contribute more than 75% to the urban increments and non-exhaust emissions contributed 48% (PM10) and 25% (PM2.5) to the total road traffic related increment at an urban background site and 62% (PM10) and 49% (PM2.5) at an urban-traffic site. Analysis of the composition of Switzerland's PM showed that elements associated with non-exhaust emissions, specifically the brake wear tracers of antimony, barium, copper, and iron were the metals with the greatest urban and urban-traffic enhancements. Critically, the urban increment of these elements was enhanced for both PM10 and PM2.5 by about the same magnitude as the urban-traffic increment (by 2–3 times), demonstrating non-exhaust emissions are encountered across urban areas, not just the urban-traffic environment. Therefore, non-exhaust emissions were an important contributor to the urban and urban-traffic PM10 and PM2.5 increments in Switzerland's urban areas. The relative contributions of non-exhaust emissions to the urban and urban-traffic increments could be expected to increase due to the introduction of further exhaust after-treatment technologies (such as gasoline particulate filters; GPFs) and the transition to a more electrified vehicle fleet. A management pivot will be required to control these non-exhaust emission pathways and although this work exclusively uses data from Switzerland, the conclusions are likely relevant to many other European urban areas. •Non-exhaust road traffic emissions significantly contaminate urban environments.•Non-exhaust emissions were a large contributor to Switzerland's urban increments.•Secondary and biogenic sources were not enhanced in Switzerland's urban areas.•Brake wear tracers were the most enhanced urban and urban-traffic PM components.•Characteristic elements from abrasion processes were enhanced in PM10 and PM2.5