Composition,Size and Control of Automotive Exhaust Particulates

This paper on automobile exhaust particulates describes total particulate composition, size of exhausted lead particulates, and the effects of traps on total lead emitted. This study was conducted using cars manufactured during 1966-1970. Work in suspended particulate emission from several vehicles operated on a chassis dynamometer under Federal 7-mode cycle conditions has shown: (1 ) cars vary widely in the amounts and composition of their particulate emissions; (2) cold-cycle operation gives 2-8 times more particulate than hot engine operation; (3) lead compounds represent less than one-third of total particulates, the remainder being carbon compounds along with ammonium and nitrate ions and unknown materials; (4) carbon emission for stabilized cars using leaded gasoline varies widely but averages about 35% of the total; (5) suspended particulate emissions are nearly equal with new cars whether or not lead is present; (6) exhausted lead varies with the condition of the exhaust system and ranges between 7 and 30% of the lead consumed by the engine; (7) fuel additives affect the amount of emitted particulates; (8) probe sampling techniques underestimate by a large factor the amount of particulates emitted by vehicles; and (9) trapping systems offer potential for greatly reducing the emission of suspended total particulates.     

Variations in speciated emissions from spark-ignition and compression-ignition motor vehicles in California's south coast air basin

The U.S. Department of Energy Gasoline/Diesel PM Split Study examined the sources of uncertainties in using an organic compound-based chemical mass balance receptor model to quantify the contributions of spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engine exhaust to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This paper presents the chemical composition profiles of SI and CI engine exhaust from the vehicle-testing portion of the study. Chemical analysis of source samples consisted of gravimetric mass, elements, ions, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) by the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) and Speciation Trends Network (STN) thermal/optical methods, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hopanes, steranes, alkanes, and polar organic compounds. More than half of the mass of carbonaceous particles emitted by heavy-duty diesel trucks was EC (IMPROVE) and emissions from SI vehicles contained predominantly OC. Although total carbon (TC) by the IMPROVE and STN protocols agreed well for all of the samples, the STN/IMPROVE ratios for EC from SI exhaust decreased with decreasing sample loading. SI vehicles, whether low or high emitters, emitted greater amounts of high-molecular-weight particulate PAHs (benzo[ghi]perylene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and coronene) than did CI vehicles. Diesel emissions contained higher abundances of two- to four-ring semivolatile PAHs. Diacids were emitted by CI vehicles but are also prevalent in secondary organic aerosols, so they cannot be considered unique tracers. Hopanes and steranes were present in lubricating oil with similar composition for both gasoline and diesel vehicles and were negligible in gasoline or diesel fuels. CI vehicles emitted greater total amounts of hopanes and steranes on a mass per mile basis, but abundances were comparable to SI exhaust normalized to TC emissions within measurement uncertainty. The combustion-produced high-molecular-weight PAHs were found in used gasoline motor oil but not in fresh oil and are negligible in used diesel engine oil. The contributions of lubrication oils to abundances of these PAHs in the exhaust were large in some cases and were variable with the age and consumption rate of the oil. These factors contributed to the observed variations in their abundances to total carbon or PM2.5 among the SI composition profiles.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exhaust emissions from different reformulated diesel fuels and engine operating conditions

The study of light-duty diesel engine exhaust emissions is important due to their impact on atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. In this study, both the gas and the particulate phase of fuel exhaust were analyzed to investigate the effects of diesel reformulation and engine operating parameters. The research was focused on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds on particulate phase due to their high toxicity. These were analyzed using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) methodology.Although PAH profiles changed for diesel fuels with low-sulfur content and different percentages of aromatic hydrocarbons (5–25%), no significant differences for total PAH concentrations were detected. However, rape oil methyl ester biodiesel showed a greater number of PAH compounds, but in lower concentrations (close to 50%) than the reformulated diesel fuels. In addition, four engine operating conditions were evaluated, and the results showed that, during cold start, higher concentrations were observed for high molecular weight PAHs than during idling cycle and that the acceleration cycles provided higher concentrations than the steady-state conditions. Correlations between particulate PAHs and gas phase products were also observed.The emission of PAH compounds from the incomplete combustion of diesel fuel depended greatly on the source of the fuel and the driving patterns.     

Gas- and particle-phase distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two-stroke, 50-cm3 moped emissions

Gas- and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations evaluated in the exhaust of 10 two-stroke, 50-cm³ mopeds belonging to three different levels of emission legislation (EURO-0, EURO-1 and EURO-2) were used to assess the prevalent mechanism driving the gas/particle partitioning of PAHs in moped exhaust. Sampling was performed on a dynamometer bench both during the “cold-start” and the “hot” phases of the ECE-47 driving cycle. Gas and particulate phase PAHs were collected on polyurethane foam (PUF) plugs and 47-mm Pallflex T60A20 filters, respectively, under isokinetic conditions by using sampling probes inserted into the dilution tunnel of a Constant Volume Sampling – Critical Flow Venturi (CVS–CFV) system.The results show that semi-volatile PAHs were predominantly partitioned to the particle phase. The soluble organic fraction (SOF) of the collected particulates ranged between 72 and 98%. Measured total suspended particulate matter normalized partition coefficients (K_p) were predicted within a factor of 3–5 by assuming absorption into the organic fraction according to a model developed by Harner and Bidleman [Harner, T., Bidleman, T.F., 1998. Octanol–air partition coefficient for describing particle/gas partitioning of aromatic compounds in urban air. Environmental Science & Technology 32, 1494–1502.]. This suggests that the gas/particle partitioning in moped exhaust is mainly driven by the high fraction of organic matter of the emitted particles and that absorption could be the main partitioning mechanism of PAHs.     

Oxygenates in Exhaust from Simple Hydrocarbon Fuels

Photochemical air pollution is known to be caused largely by automotive emissions such as hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbon derivatives. Unlike the hydrocarbons, the contribution of the oxygenates has been virtually unexplored, mainly because of lack of appropriate analytical methods. The objective of this study was to identify and estimate the levels of oxygenated hydrocarbon derivatives in exhaust from simple hydrocarbon fuels. This information is expected to yield ultimately estimates of the relative levels of various classes of oxygenates in exhaust from full-boiling-range gasolines. Identification and measurement of oxygenates in exhaust from the simplified fuels were accomplished using gas chromatography in conjunction with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The analytical procedure involved concentration of the exhaust organics, followed by a two-stage chromatographic separation of the resultant mixture of oxygenates and hydrocarbons. Identified oxygenates in exhaust from nine test fuels included saturated and unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols, as well as ethers, esters, and nitroalkanes; analytical data on organic acids were inconclusive. Of the identified noncarbonyl oxygenates, phenols, cyclic ethers and nitromethane appear to be relatively the most abundant.     

A study of extractive and remote-sensing sampling and measurement of emissions from military aircraft engines

Aircraft emissions contribute to the increased atmospheric burden of particulate matter (PM) that plays an important role in air quality, human health, visibility, contrail formation and climate change. Sampling and measurement of modern aircraft emissions at the engine exhaust plane (EEP) for engine and fuel certification remains challenging, as no agency-certified method is available. In this paper we summarize the results of three recent field studies devoted to investigate the consistency and applicability of “extractive” and “optical remote-sensing” (ORS) technologies in the sampling and measurement of gaseous and PM emitted by a number of military aircraft engines. Three classes of military engines were investigated; these include T56, TF33, and T700 & T701C types of engines, which consume 70–80% of the military aviation fuel each year. JP-8 and Fischer–Tropsch (FT)-derived paraffinic fuels were used to study the effect of fuels. It was found that non-volatile particles in the engine emissions were in the 20 nm range for the low power condition of new helicopter engines to 80 nm for the high power condition of legacy engines. Elemental analysis indicated little metals were present on particles, while most of the materials on the exhaust particles were carbon and sulfate based. Alkanes, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, ethylene, acetylene and propylene were detected. The last five species were most noticeable only under low engine power. The emission indices calculated based on the ORS data deviate significantly from those based on the extractive data. Nevertheless, the ORS techniques were useful in the sense that it provided non-intrusive real-time detection of species in the exhaust plume, which warrants further development. The results obtained in this program help validate sampling methodology and measurement techniques used for non-volatile PM aircraft emissions as described in the SAE AIR6037 (2009).     

Effect of Fuel Properties on Mutagenic Activity in Extracts of Heavy-duty Diesel Exhaust Particulate

The effect of varying fuel properties on the emission of mutagenic materials was studied in diesel exhaust particles from a heavy duty engine run under transient speed and load conditions while using nine fuels varying in aromatics, sulfur and boiling point. Mutagenic activity of the soluble organic fraction (SOF) of the particulate was determined using the Ames Salmonella test system with strain TA98 with and without S9 activation. Increasing mutagenic activity relative to fuel consumed (mutants/lb fuel) or to engine work output (mutants/hp-h) was correlated with increasing fuel aromatics (p < 0.05), but not with fuel sulfur. Increased fuel sulfur levels were correlated with increased amounts of SOF but with decreasing mutagenic activity of the SOF (mutants/microgram SOF) (p < 0.05). As a result, mutants/hp-h were essentially the same for high- and low-sulfur fuels with high aromatics. No association was found between the fuels’ boiling points and the mutagenic activity of the SOF. Mutagenic activity with S9 was generally lower than without, but the correlations were not changed.     

PCDDs and PCDFs in vehicle exhaust particles in Japan.

Vehicle exhaust particles from gasoline and diesel engine cars were analyzed for PCDDs and PCDFs. The congener patterns of PCDDs and PCDFs in exhaust particles were different between gasoline and diesel engine cars. Suspended particulate matter from electrostatic precipitator connected to a highway tunnel was also analyzed for PCDDs and PCDFs. The congener pattern of suspended particular matter was different from both of gasoline and diesel engine cars. Total amounts of PCDDs/PCDFs sum concentrations in gasoline, diesel and suspended particulate matter were 0.21, 0.87 and 26.0 ng/g, respectively. The I-TEQs levels in gasoline, diesel and suspended particulate matter were 4.2, 11 and 242 pg/g, respectively.     

An assessment of air emissions from liquefied natural gas ships using different power systems and different fuels

The shipping industry has been an unrecognized source of criteria pollutants: nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds, coarse particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has traditionally been transported via steam turbine (ST) ships. Recently, LNG shippers have begun using dual-fuel diesel engines (DFDEs) to propel and offload their cargoes. Both the conventional ST boilers and DFDE are capable of burning a range of fuels, from heavy fuel oil to boil-off-gas (BOG) from the LNG load. In this paper a method for estimating the emissions from ST boilers and DFDEs during LNG offloading operations at berth is presented, along with typical emissions from LNG ships during offloading operations under different scenarios ranging from worst-case fuel oil combustion to the use of shore power. The impact on air quality in nonattainment areas where LNG ships call is discussed. Current and future air pollution control regulations for ocean-going vessels (OGVs) such as LNG ships are also discussed. The objective of this study was to estimate and compare emissions of criteria pollutants from conventional ST and DFDE ships using different fuels. The results of this study suggest that newer DFDE ships have lower SO2 and PM2.5/PM10 emissions, conventional ST ships have lower NOx, volatile organic compound, and CO emissions; and DFDE ships utilizing shore power at berth produce no localized emissions because they draw their required power from the local electric grid.     

Effect of fuel properties on mutagenic activity in extracts of heavy-duty diesel exhaust particulate.

The effect of varying fuel properties on the emission of mutagenic materials was studied in diesel exhaust particles from a heavy duty engine run under transient speed and load conditions while using nine fuels varying in aromatics, sulfur and boiling point. Mutagenic activity of the soluble organic fraction (SOF) of the particulate was determined using the Ames Salmonella test system with strain TA98 with and without S9 activation. Increasing mutagenic activity relative to fuel consumed (mutants/lb fuel) or to engine work output (mutants/hp-h) was correlated with increasing fuel aromatics (p less than 0.05), but not with fuel sulfur. Increased fuel sulfur levels were correlated with increased amounts of SOF but with decreasing mutagenic activity of the SOF (mutants/microgram SOF) (p less than 0.05). As a result, mutants/hp-h were essentially the same for high- and low-sulfur fuels with high aromatics. No association was found between the fuels' boiling points and the mutagenic activity of the SOF. Mutagenic activity with S9 was generally lower than without, but the correlations were not changed.     

Impacts of biodiesel on pollutant emissions of a JP-8-fueled turbine engine

The impacts of biodiesel on gaseous and particulate matter (PM) emissions of a JP-8-fueled T63 engine were investigated. Jet fuel was blended with the soybean oil-derived methyl ester biofuel at various concentrations and combusted in the turbine engine. The engine was operated at three power settings, namely ground idle, cruise, and takeoff power, to study the impact of the biodiesel at significantly different pressure and temperature conditions. Particulate emissions were characterized by measuring the particle number density (PND; particulate concentration), the particle size distribution, and the total particulate mass. PM samples were collected for offline analysis to obtain information about the effect of the biodiesel on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content. In addition, temperature-programmed oxidation was performed on the collected soot samples to obtain information about the carbonaceous content (elemental or organic). Major and minor gaseous emissions were quantified using a total hydrocarbon analyzer, an oxygen analyzer, and a Fourier Transform IR analyzer. Test results showed the potential of biodiesel to reduce soot emissions in the jet-fueled turbine engine without negatively impacting the engine performance. These reductions, however, were observed only at the higher power settings with relatively high concentrations of biodiesel. Specifically, reductions of approximately 15% in the PND were observed at cruise and takeoff conditions with 20% biodiesel in the jet fuel. At the idle condition, slight increases in PND were observed; however, evidence shows this increase to be the result of condensed uncombusted biodiesel. Most of the gaseous emissions were unaffected under all of the conditions. The biodiesel was observed to have minimal effect on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during this study. In addition to the combustion results, discussion of the physical and chemical characteristics of the blended fuels obtained using standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) fuel specifications methods are presented.     

The effect of diesel fuel sulfur content on particulate matter emissions for a nonroad diesel generator

The effect of sulfur content on diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions was studied using a diesel generator (Generac Model SD080, rated at 80 kW) as the emission source to simulate nonroad diesel emissions. A load simulator was used to apply loads to the generator at 0, 25, 50, and 75 kW, respectively. Three diesel fuels containing 500, 2100, and 3700 ppm sulfur by weight were selected as generator fuels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampling Method 5 "Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions from Stationary Sources" together with Method 1A "Sample and Velocity Traverses for Stationary Sources with Small Stacks or Ducts" was adopted as a reference method for measurement of the exhaust gas flow rate and DPM mass concentration. The effects of various parameters on DPM concentration have been studied, such as fuel sulfur contents, engine loads, and fuel usage rates. The increase of average DPM concentrations from 3.9 mg/Nm3 (n cubic meter) at 0 kW to 36.8 mg/Nm3 at 75 kW is strongly correlated with the increase of applied loads and sulfur content in the diesel fuel, whereas the fuel consumption rates are only a function of applied loads. An empirical correlation for estimating DPM concentration is obtained when fuel sulfur content and engine loads are known for these types of generators: Y = Zm(alphaX + beta), where Y is the DPM concentration, mg/m3, Z is the fuel sulfur content, ppm(w) (limited to 500-3700 ppm(w)), X is the applied load, kW, m is the constant, 0.407, alpha and beta are the numerical coefficients, 0.0118 +/- 0.0028 (95% confidence interval) and 0.4535 +/- 0.1288 (95% confidence interval), respectively.     

Impacts of Biodiesel on Pollutant Emissions of a JP-8–Fueled Turbine Engine

Abstract

The impacts of biodiesel on gaseous and particulate matter (PM) emissions of a JP-8–fueled T63 engine were investigated. Jet fuel was blended with the soybean oil-derived methyl ester biofuel at various concentrations and combusted in the turbine engine. The engine was operated at three power settings, namely ground idle, cruise, and takeoff power, to study the impact of the biodiesel at significantly different pressure and temperature conditions. Particulate emissions were characterized by measuring the particle number density (PND; particulate concentration), the particle size distribution, and the total particulate mass. PM samples were collected for off-line analysis to obtain information about the effect of the biodiesel on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content. In addition, temperature-programmed oxidation was performed on the collected soot samples to obtain information about the carbonaceous content (elemental or organic). Major and minor gaseous emissions were quantified using a total hydrocarbon analyzer, an oxygen analyzer, and a Fourier Transform IR analyzer. Test results showed the potential of biodiesel to reduce soot emissions in the jet-fueled turbine engine without negatively impacting the engine performance. These reductions, however, were observed only at the higher power settings with relatively high concentrations of biodiesel. Specifically, reductions of ～15% in the PND were observed at cruise and takeoff conditions with 20% biodiesel in the jet fuel. At the idle condition, slight increases in PND were observed; however, evidence shows this increase to be the result of condensed uncombusted biodiesel. Most of the gaseous emissions were unaffected under all of the conditions. The biodiesel was observed to have minimal effect on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during this study. In addition to the combustion results, discussion of the physical and chemical characteristics of the blended fuels obtained using standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) fuel specifications methods are presented.     

Particulate organic compounds emitted from motor vehicle exhaust and in the urban atmosphere

The emission rate of particle-phase petroleum biomarkers in vehicular exhaust compared to the concentrations of these biomarkers in ambient air is used to determine the particulate organic compound concentration due to primary particle emissions from motor vehicles in the southern California atmosphere. A material balance on the organic particulate matter emitted from motor vehicle traffic in a Los Angeles highway tunnel first is constructed to show the proportion which is solvent-extractable and which will elute from a GC column, the ratio of resolved to unresolved compound mass, the portion of the resolved material that can be identified as single organic compounds, and the contribution of different classes of organic compounds to the overall identified fraction. It is shown that the outdoor ambient concentrations of the petroleum biomarkers track primary emissions measured in the highway tunnel, confirming that direct emissions of these compounds from vehicles govern the observed ambient petroleum biomarker concentrations. Using organic chemical tracer techniques, the portion of fine organic particulate matter in the Los Angeles atmosphere which is attributable to direct particle emissions from vehicle exhaust is calculated to vary from 7.5 to 18.3% at different sites throughout the air basin during a summertime severe photochemical smog episode. A similar level of variation in the contribution of primary motor vehicle exhaust to fine particulate organic matter concentrations during different times of day is seen. While peak atmospheric concentrations of fine particulate organic carbon are observed during the 1200–1600 PDT afternoon sampling period, only 6.3% of that material is apportioned to the directly emitted particles from vehicle exhaust. During the morning traffic peak between 0600–1000 PDT, 19.1% of the fine particulate organic material is traced to primary emissions from motor vehicles.     

Composition of Exhaust from a Regenerative Turbine System

Particulate and hydrocarbon content of gases in a regenerative gas turbine was analyzed at several points. Particle samples were measured with a condensation nuclei counter, a light scattering single particle counter and an impactor. Hydrocarbon analyses were made using gas chromatography. The effects of operation with JP-4 and No. 2 fuel oil were noted. It was concluded that a regenerative gas turbine will not add appreciably to the burden of air pollution. In fact, particulate contamination levels in the exhaust less than those in the inlet air indicates that the high rotation rate may result in some air cleaning. Low hyd rocarbon contents in the exhaust gas were ascribed to efficient combustion under the operating conditions used in this work. In general, it was concluded that hydrocarbon levels significantly lower than those seen from gasoline or diesel engines could be expected from a well maintained and operated regenerative gas turbine.     

Characteristics of particulate matter emissions from toy cars with electric motors

Aerosol emissions from toy cars with electric motors were characterized. Particle emission rates from the toy cars, as high as 7.47 × 10⁷ particles/s, were measured. This emission rate is lower than other indoor sources such as smoking and cooking. The particles emitted from toy cars are generated from spark discharges inside the electric motors that power the toy cars. Size distribution measurements indicated that most particles were below 100 nm in diameter. Copper was the dominant inorganic species in these particles. By deploying aerosol mass spectrometers, high concentrations of particulate organic matter were also detected and characterized in detail. Several organic compounds were identified using a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography. The mass size distribution of particulate organic matter was bimodal. The formation mechanism of particulate organic matter from toy cars was elucidated.

Implications:?A possible new source of indoor air pollution, particles from electric motors in toy cars, was identified. This study characterized aerosol emissions from toy cars in detail. Most of these particles have a diameter less than 100 nm. Copper and some organics are the major components of these particles. Conditions that minimize these emissions were determined.     

柴油车尾气碳烟颗粒物催化燃烧催化剂的最新研究进展

柴油车尾气排放的碳烟颗粒已经引起了严重的环境污染问题,必须加以净化处理.柴油车碳烟颗粒的低温燃烧离不开高活性的催化剂.针对柴油车排放的碳烟颗粒物后处理方法中的催化氧化技术,总结了近年来几种主要类型的碳烟燃烧催化剂(贵金属催化剂、碱金属催化剂、单组分过渡金属氧化物催化剂、多组分混合氧化物催化剂和固定结构复合氧化物催化剂)的最新研究进展,并对该研究方向存在的主要问题和应用前景进行了探讨.     

Total diesel exhaust particulate length measurements using a modified household smoke alarm ionization chamber

To evaluate the effectiveness of various means to combat the negative health effects of ultrafine particles emitted by internal combustion engines, a reliable, low-cost instrument for dynamic measurements of the exhaust emissions of ultrafine particulate matter (PM) is needed. In this study, an ordinary ionization-type building smoke detector was modified to serve as a measuring ionization chamber and utilized for dynamic measurements of PM emissions from diesel engines. When used with diluted exhaust, the readings show an excellent correlation with total particulate length. The instrument worked well with raw and diluted exhaust and with varying emission levels and is well suitable for on-board use.     

Dilution-based emissions sampling from stationary sources: Part 2--Gas-fired combustors compared with other fuel-fired systems

With the recent focus on fine particle matter (PM2.5), new, self-consistent data are needed to characterize emissions from combustion sources. Such data are necessary for health assessment and air quality modeling. To address this need, emissions data for gas-fired combustors are presented here, using dilution sampling as the reference. The dilution method allows for collection of emitted particles under conditions simulating cooling and dilution during entry from the stack into the air. The sampling and analysis of the collected particles in the presence of precursor gases, SO2 nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compound, and NH3 is discussed; the results include data from eight gas fired units, including a dual-fuel institutional boiler and a diesel engine powered electricity generator. These data are compared with results in the literature for heavy-duty diesel vehicles and stationary sources using coal or wood as fuels. The results show that the gas-fired combustors have very low PM2.5 mass emission rates in the range of approximately 10(-4) lb/million Btu (MMBTU) compared with the diesel backup generator with particle filter, with approximately 5 x 10(-3) lb/MMBTU. Even higher mass emission rates are found in coal-fired systems, with rates of approximately 0.07 lb/MMBTU for a bag-filter-controlled pilot unit burning eastern bituminous coal. The characterization of PM2.5 chemical composition from the gas-fired units indicates that much of the measured primary particle mass in PM2.5 samples is organic or elemental carbon and, to a much less extent, sulfate. Metal emissions are quite low compared with the diesel engines and the coal- or wood-fueled combustors. The metals found in the gas-fired combustor particles are low in concentration, similar in concentration to ambient particles. The interpretation of the particulate carbon emissions is complicated by the fact that an approximately equal amount of particulate carbon (mainly organic carbon) is found on the particle collector and a backup filter. It is likely that measurement artifacts, mostly adsorption of volatile organic compounds on quartz filters, are positively biasing "true" particulate carbon emission results.     

Source contributions to the mutagenicity of urban particulate air pollution

Using organic compounds as tracers, a chemical mass balance model was employed to investigate the relationship between the mutagenicity of the urban organic aerosol sources and the mutagenicity of the atmospheric samples. The fine particle organic mass concentration present in the 1993 annual average Los Angeles-area composite sample was apportioned among eight emission source types. The largest source contributions to fine particulate organic compound mass concentration were identified as smoke from meat cooking, diesel-powered vehicle exhaust, wood smoke, and paved road dust. However, the largest source contributions to the mutagenicity of the atmospheric sample were natural gas combustion and diesel-powered vehicles. In both the human cell and bacterial assay systems, the combined mutagenicity of the composite of primary source effluents predicted to be present in the atmosphere was statistically indistinguishable from the mutagenicity of the actual atmospheric sample composite. Known primary emissions sources appear to be capable of emitting mutagenic organic matter to the urban atmosphere in amounts sufficient to account for the observed mutagenicity of the ambient samples. The error bounds on this analysis, however, are wide enough to admit to the possible importance of additional mutagenic organics that are formed by atmospheric reaction (e.g., 2-nitrofluoranthene has been identified as an important human cell mutagen in the atmospheric composite studied here, accounting for approximately 1% of the total sample mutagenic potency).