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Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Vehicles

  • Chapter
Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases: Scientific Understanding, Control and Implementation

Abstract

N2O is an important greenhouse gas and accurate emission data are required to assess its impact on global climate. It is well established that automobiles, particularly those equipped with 3-way catalysts, emit N2O. However, the vehicle contribution to the global N2O budget is uncertain. We report results of N2O emission measurements performed in a road tunnel in Germany and using a chassis dynamometer system in the USA. We estimate that the global vehicle fleet emits (0.12±0.06) Tg yr−1 of N2O. From the emission factor (g N2O/g CO2) determined an annual N2O emission of (0.12±0.06) Tg yr−1 of N2O (0.08±0.04 Tg N yr−1) for the global vehicle fleet has been estimated which represents 1–4% of the atmospheric growth rate of this species.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalische Chemie — FB9, Bergische Universität — GH Wuppertal, Gaußstr. 20, D-42097, Wuppertal, Germany

    K. H. Becker, R. Kurtenbach, J. C. Lörzer & P. Wiesen

  2. Ford Motor Company, 20000 Rotunda Drive, Mail Drop SRL-3083, Dearborn, Michigan, 48121-2053, USA

    T. Jensen & T. J. Wallington

Authors
  1. K. H. Becker
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  2. T. Jensen
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  3. R. Kurtenbach
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  4. J. C. Lörzer
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  5. T. J. Wallington
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  6. P. Wiesen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Energy Research and Process Innovation, TNO Institute of Environmental Sciences, Delft, The Netherlands

    J. van Ham

  2. Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, The Netherlands

    A. P. M. Baede

  3. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, The Hague, The Netherlands

    L. A. Meyer

  4. ECN Netherlands Energy Research Foundation, Petten, The Netherlands

    R. Ybema

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© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Becker, K.H., Jensen, T., Kurtenbach, R., Lörzer, J.C., Wallington, T.J., Wiesen, P. (2000). Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Vehicles. In: van Ham, J., Baede, A.P.M., Meyer, L.A., Ybema, R. (eds) Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases: Scientific Understanding, Control and Implementation. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9343-4_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9343-4_29

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5409-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9343-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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