Article

On-road measurements of volatile organic compounds in the Mexico City metropolitan area using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717-3400, United States; Aerodyne Research Inc., 45 Manning Road, Billerica, MA 01821-3976, United States; Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2910, United States; Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, United States
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry DOI:10.1016/j.ijms.2006.01.027 pp.26-37

ABSTRACT A proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) was redesigned and deployed to monitor selected hydrocarbon emissions from in-use vehicles as part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) 2003 field campaign. This modified PTR-MS instrument provides the necessary time response (<2 s total cycle time) and sensitivity to monitor the rapidly changing hydrocarbon concentrations, within intercepted dilute exhaust emission plumes. Selected hydrocarbons including methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), benzene and toluene were among the vehicle exhaust emission components monitored. A comparison with samples collected in canisters and analyzed by gas chromatography provides validation to the interpretation of the ion assignments and the concentrations derived using the PTR-MS. The simultaneous detection of multiple hydrocarbons in dilute vehicle exhaust plumes provides a valuable tool to study the impact of driving behavior on the exhaust gas emissions.

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Keywords

<2 s total cycle time
 
changing hydrocarbon concentrations
 
exhaust emission plumes
 
exhaust gas emissions
 
gas chromatography
 
hydrocarbon emissions
 
hydrocarbons
 
in-use vehicles
 
ion assignments
 
methanol
 
methyl tertiary butyl ether
 
Mexico City Metropolitan Area
 
modified PTR-MS instrument
 
MTBE
 
multiple hydrocarbons
 
proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer
 
samples
 
simultaneous detection
 
vehicle exhaust emission components
 
vehicle exhaust plumes