Potential air quality effects of using ethanol-gasoline fuel blends: A field study in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Abstract

The use of alternate fuels has been proposed as a method of improving urban air quality by reducing combustion-related pollution. One such program mandates the use of oxygenates in the wintertime to reduce CO emissions in cities such as Albuquerque, NM. A field study was conducted in Albuquerque to determine the atmospheric impacts of the use of ethanol fuels. Atmospheric concentrations of ozone, oxides of nitrogen, CO, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), aldehydes, and organic acids were measured in the summer of 1993, before the use of ethanol fuels, and in the winters of 1994 and 1995, during the use of 10% ethanol fuel (>99%). Data showed increased levels of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and aldehydes in winter. The formaldehyde/acetaldehyde ratio was 1.4, indicating an anthropogenic source, and PAN and acetaldehyde levels were anti-correlated over short time periods, indicating primary acetaldehyde emissions. A comparison of data taken at rural sites south of the city indicates that although there is a significant anthropogenic component to the aldehyde concentrations during the winter, there are also contributions from the photochemical oxidation of natural hydrocarbons.