Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Automotive Systems
Summary
Vehicle exhaust and evaporative losses from fuel systems are major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in urban and roadside environments. Tailpipe emissions arise from incomplete combustion of petrol or diesel, while evaporative emissions occur through processes such as diurnal breathing of the fuel tank, hot-soak losses after engine shut-off, running losses under elevated tank temperatures and vapour release during refuelling. VOCs contribute to ground-level ozone formation, secondary organic aerosol production and global warming. Emission control technologies include three-way catalysts, carbon canisters, onboard refuelling vapour recovery and advanced engine-management systems. Recent advances in real-world measurement techniques, thermodynamic modelling and catalyst durability testing have improved the characterisation of VOC fluxes and informed revisions of regulatory test procedures. Continued collaboration among vehicle manufacturers, regulators and researchers is essential to align laboratory standards with actual driving and refuelling conditions, and to develop next-generation low-emission powertrains.
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Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Automotive Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in volatile organic compound emissions from automotive systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Organic chemicals that vapourise at ambient temperatures and participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions.
Evaporative emissions: VOCs released from fuel systems via diurnal breathing, hot-soak, running losses and refuelling events.
Three-way catalyst: A catalytic converter that simultaneously oxidises hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide while reducing nitrogen oxides in exhaust gas.
Ozone formation potential (OFP): A metric quantifying the relative ability of individual VOC species to generate ground-level ozone through photochemical reactions.
Puff loss: A transient release of fuel vapours during removal of the filler-cap immediately after refuelling.
Onboard refuelling vapour recovery (ORVR): A vehicle-mounted system that captures fuel vapours during refuelling to prevent atmospheric release.
References
- On-Road Emission Characteristics of Volatile Organic Compounds from Light-Duty Diesel Trucks Meeting Different Emission Standards. Johnson Matthey Technology Review (2021).
- Tailpipe VOC Emissions from Late Model Gasoline Passenger Vehicles in the Japanese Market. Atmosphere (2019).
- Evaluation of Gasoline Evaporative Emissions from Fuel-Cap Removal after a Real-World Driving Event. Atmosphere (2020).
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