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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Research Needs Associated with Particulate Emissions at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14160.
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Page 1
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Research Needs Associated with Particulate Emissions at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14160.
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Page 2
Page 3
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Research Needs Associated with Particulate Emissions at Airports. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14160.
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Page 3

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1Particulate matter (PM) emissions from aircraft engines and other emission sources at airports are a concern because of the lack of information on their quantity and their impacts on health and the environment. The level and nature of these emissions are growing in importance as demand for air travel grows. Data on PM emissions from aircraft have not been well defined or quantified. Yet as airports expand to meet future capacity needs, they must be able to evaluate their impact on the community and the local environment. The Clean Air Act specifically requires states to demonstrate compliance with ambient PM standards. Residents adjacent to airports are voicing concern over exposure to potentially hazardous and toxic pollutants, which might be chemicals or small particles. In addition, citizens are reporting that material is being deposited on their property from airport activity. Airports do not have an authoritative source to reference research findings concerning this material or to acknowledge that additional research is needed. Without better information about PM emissions, airports potentially will face increasing barriers to airport improvement and expansion projects. Sources of airport-related PM emissions include aircraft en- gines, auxiliary power units (APU), ground support equipment (GSE), construction vehicles and related activity, ground access vehicles (e.g., passenger cars, delivery and freight trucks, and rental car vans), and stationary equipment. Particulate emis- sions from ground vehicles (including GSE and ground access vehicles), construction activity, and stationary sources are generally well characterized, at least for particle emission mass; emissions from aircraft main engines and APUs much less so. Also, data on the combined emissions from all airport sources have not been developed. Several studies in the past few years have begun to collect detailed data on aircraft engine PM emissions, since it is an important PM source at airports. More work is needed, how- ever, to relate aircraft and airport operations to PM emissions. The present understanding of particle properties is insuf- ficient to evaluate the health and environmental effects from exposure to various types and sizes of PM. Aircraft emissions are comprised primarily of ultrafine (< PM0.1) particles, and general understanding of their health effects is limited. Volatile PM may include toxic and hazardous compounds, and these need to be identified and quantified along with information on the degree to which airport workers and res- idents living close to airports are exposed. There are many sources of PM emissions associated with airport activity and from nearby sources in the community such as cars, trucks, and other commercial activity. As a result, monitored data include both the background (nonairport) emissions and the emission sources of interest (airport- related), and separating the contributing sources from the data ensemble is not currently feasible since particle size distribution and chemical composition are not adequately defined for all sources. Quantifying the individual sources is essential to developing reliable inventories and effective emis- sion mitigation strategies. Models and analytical tools used to evaluate airport emissions and their impacts do not yet have the required data to capture a complete and thorough PM picture, one that would include primary PM (both nonvolatile and volatile particles) directly emitted and secondary PM formed later in the atmosphere from NOx, SOx, and organics. Without a better understanding of PM emissions from airport sources, airport operators will be unable to address the regulatory and community demands for assurance that airports are not damaging the local environment or the health of their workers or nearby residents. Without these assur- ances, airports may not be allowed to expand to meet the growing demands for their services, which are only expected to increase over the coming years. Project Overview This report presents an overview of the needs of the airport and scientific communities for further information on PM C H A P T E R 1 Summary

emissions from airport sources. The following are key ac- complishments of the project: • Eighty (80) airports were surveyed to determine their views of the significance of airport PM emissions and to solicit their thoughts on what information they need to manage their concerns. • Detailed interviews were conducted with several airport operators and PM researchers to gain a more complete understanding of current need for information on airport PM emissions. • Scientific literature was reviewed to gather the latest data and information on PM emissions from airports and emis- sion characterization for airport sources. • The information collected in the previous steps was com- piled and summarized to present an overview of current knowledge of PM emissions from aircraft, APUs, GSE, ground access vehicles, construction equipment, and other emission sources at airports. This allowed us to identify cur- rent knowledge gaps, which were used to define a prioritized research agenda. • The research agenda and information about active PM research currently underway or planned for the near future led to the assessment of the need for three proposed projects. This report describes the project accomplishments, offers an assessment of research needs relative to PM emissions, and presents problem statements for future research to meet the most critical needs that would be of significant benefit to airport operators. Prioritized Research Agenda Based on research findings, the authors have identified five areas of investigation in which additional work can close the most significant knowledge gaps in understanding airport PM emissions. 1. Expand the current database of aircraft engine emissions to capture data on current advanced technology engines, which will become the most significant airport PM emis- sions sources within airport planning horizons. 2. Develop a deeper understanding of the evolution of PM, especially the volatile component, as it moves from the engine exit to the point of impact on airport workers, pas- sengers, and local communities. 3. Improve the characterization of PM emissions from APUs, GSE, and aircraft brakes and tires to enable source apportionment of airport PM inventories. 4. Develop measurement methods to improve the character- ization and understanding of PM from the various airport sources, especially the volatile components. 5. Expand current understanding of the health impacts of PM emissions, especially for the fine and ultrafine parti- cles, which are believed to have the most significant impacts on human health. The knowledge gained from pursuing these avenues of investigation will allow the aviation community to address its environmental impacts confidently and plan effectively for the future. To prioritize research projects for ACRP to pursue, the authors considered other research initiatives currently un- derway or planned. Existing aviation PM research initiatives funded by FAA, NASA, DOD, and other research organiza- tions are developing plans to expand the aircraft engine PM emissions database and include advanced technology engines in their research plans. EPA and public health researchers are investigating the effects of particles on human health and the focus of their efforts continues to move toward the smaller particles. With this in mind, the following priority projects are proposed for ACRP consideration to address the remain- ing priority knowledge gaps for understanding aviation PM emissions. Priority 1—Characterize PM emissions of APUs, GSE, tires, and brakes for source apportionment. Emissions from these sources remain either unknown or at best poorly characterized and represent a unique focal point for ACRP. Reliance on any existing estimates of such emis- sions to predict emissions inventories for future airport ac- tivities is likely to result in significant overestimations, which may impose unnecessary restrictions on needed expansion. Priority 2—Develop an understanding of the atmospheric evolution of aviation PM. One distinguishing feature of aviation emissions is the sig- nificant presence of volatile particle precursors that condense on preexisting particles or create new, very small particles as hot exhaust gases cool. Information regarding the evolution of these particles is required to assess airport impacts on em- ployees, passengers, and the local community. To address this lack of understanding, a study of the atmospheric evolution of PM emissions–coupling operational factors with source emissions within the airport fence line–is needed. Priority 3—Review airport emissions data for source chemical markers or fingerprints. Particulate matter emissions from various airport sources combine as they move off the airport and it is difficult to 2

isolate individual emission sources, for example, when evaluating the impact of airport operations on nearby com- munities. It would be a significant benefit to airports if char- acteristic markers or “fingerprints,” based on for example, particle size, mass, composition, or a combination of these, could be defined that were unique to individual sources. Some airport emission sources have been studied individu- ally and others are proposed in the top priority project. These data should be reviewed to identify the unique features or chemical compositions representative of individual sources. 3

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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 6: Research Needs Associated with Particulate Emissions at Airports examines the state of industry research on aviation-related particulate matter emissions and explores knowledge gaps that existing research has not yet bridged.

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