Estimation of the Vehicle Emission Factor in Different Areas of Cartagena de Indias

Abstract

In most of the cities of the Colombian Caribbean, the emission factors associated to road traffic have not yet been estimated, due to the shortage of technical and economic resources. The authorities of some municipalities across Colombia have developed emission inventories adopting emission factors from other countries and, although these inventories are theoretically approximate, results indicate that road traffic is a source of emission of significant amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere. Studies conducted in 2013 by the Institute of Immunological Research (IIR), associated with the University of Cartagena, determined that the concentrations of CO and PM2.5 which were recorded throughout the city generally increased in the vicinity of the main roads. The present study aims to estimate the concentration of air pollutants generated by road traffic on the main roads of the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, taking into account the critical points of increased vehicular flow. The upper limits of the emission factors values applying the inverse modeling technique were estimated for CO and PM2.5 considering average concentrations obtained for 24 hours of the pollutants that represent a greater threat to public health, as well as effects of weather conditions and urban morphology. This study is a starting point to determine the magnitude of the emission associated with road traffic in Cartagena and also provides technical support to be able to identify approximately the impact of different vehicle sources in the city. Finally, this article aims to propitiate applicable tools for the authorities to develop effective mitigation and/or control strategies pointed at minimizing the impact of vehicle emissions on the Cartagena inhabitants’ health.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of PM2.5 Concentrations on the Incidence of Childhood Asthma in Developing Countries: Case Study of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

“…PM 2.5 sources in Cartagena de Indias have been established to have a mainly road traffic origin and to be distributed near the main roads. Higher values are concentrated in the northwestern and southeastern city areas [39]. This concentration distribution matches the estimations made in the present study through interpolation models in GIS, where northwestern and southern areas have higher PM 2.5 values.…”

“…To perform the Pearson Chi-square analysis (X 2 ), the variables that had a greater influence on the development of asthma were determined, taking into account a cohort of 262 children from Cartagena, to verify the weight of traffic emissions in the diagnosis and evolution of the disease. Traffic emissions should be considered an important source of PM 2.5 in Cartagena [39]. The statistical association between the dependent variable and the positive diagnosis of asthma due to the presentation of symptoms in the child, with each one of the independent or predictive variables of the disease, were analysed.…”

Analysis of PM2.5 and Meteorological Variables Using Enhanced Geospatial Techniques in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Cartagena de Indias City (Colombia)

“…The characterization of PM 2.5 emissions throughout Cartagena has been measured in various studies [100], corroborating the linkage of PM 2.5 with human activities and placing the highest concentrations in the industrial areas or near the main communication routes. Some technical reports of the environmental public body EPA-Cartagena [28] analyzed the spatial distributions of PM 2.5 in the city, obtaining a general circular pattern of decreases in PM values near the Cardique station (in the west of the city), whereas to the south of the city, the highest concentrations were found.…”

“…The negative influences of meteorological factors on PM 2.5 can reduce the spatial correlation and consequently cause a decrease in R 2 . The negative influences of the meteorological variables on PM 2.5 can be higher temperature episodes that lead to greater turbulence and atmospheric convection [94,95], precipitation of PM 2.5 aggregates during increases in relative humidity above 70% [22,96], diffusion of PM 2.5 due to higher wind speed [97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111] and higher evaporation-derived strong winds [98].…”

Environmental and Health Benefits Assessment of Reducing PM2.5 Concentrations in Urban Areas in Developing Countries: Case Study Cartagena de Indias

“…In Cartagena, road traffic represents the main source of PM 2.5 [39] due to the absence of other important combustion processes that can generate this pollutant. The average annual concentration of PM 2.5 registered exceeded the threshold established by Colombian and international air quality standards (5 µg/m 3 ).…”