Primary NO2 emissions and their impact on air quality in traffic environments in Germany

Background

The decreasing NO_X concentrations at urban measurement stations in Germany are in agreement with the reduction of NO_X emissions from vehicular traffic. However, the measured NO₂ concentrations are stagnating nationwide. In 2010, at more than the half of the urban measurement stations in Germany, annual mean values for NO₂ exceeded the new Europe-wide limit value of 40 μg/m³ (20 ppbv) NO₂. Similar findings are reported from many other member states of the European Union.

Results

The observed trend of the airborne NO₂ concentrations has different reasons. Firstly, the NO₂/NO_x emission ratio has increased significantly during the last two decades. Furthermore, secondary NO₂, caused by the titration reactions of NO with ozone (O₃) and peroxy radicals (RO₂), is responsible for the major fraction (approximately 70%) of the measured NO₂. However, secondary NO₂ shows a highly nonlinear dependency on NO_x and thus, is decreasing much more slowly than expected from the decreasing NO_x levels. Based on the results from the present study, the increased NO₂/NO_X emission ratio can only explain a minor fraction of the observed high airborne NO₂ concentration in the city center.

Conclusions

A further reduction of primary NO₂ emissions, due to improved exhaust gas treatment, will not have a strong influence on urban NO₂ levels, and a further significant reduction of the NO_X emissions, in particular from vehicular traffic, is necessary in order to meet the annual mean limit value for NO₂ of about 20 ppb in the future.