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Potential Impacts of Energy and Vehicle Transformation through 2050 on the Atmospheric Environment of Japan: focus on PM2.5 Metals and Aerosol Acidity inducing Respiratory Inflammation
  • Satoko Kayaba,
  • Mizuo Kajino
Satoko Kayaba
University of Tsukuba

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Mizuo Kajino
Meteorological Research Institute
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Abstract

The impacts of renewable energy shifting, passenger car electrification, and lightweighting through 2050 on the atmospheric concentrations of PM2.5 total mass, Fe, Cu, and Zn, and aerosol acidity in Japan were evaluated using a regional meteorology–chemistry model. We focus on the changes in on-road exhaust/non-exhaust and upstream emissions. The domestic primary emissions of PM2.5, Fe, Cu, and Zn were reduced by 9%, 19%, 18%, and 10%, and their surface concentrations in the urban area decreased by 8%, 13%, 18%, and 5%, respectively. On a PM2.5 mass basis, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been considered to have no advantage in non-exhaust PM emissions because the increased tire and road wear and resuspension due to their heavy weight offset the benefit of brake wear reduction by regenerative brake. Indeed, passenger car electrification without lightweighting also did not significantly reduce PM2.5 concentration in urban area in this study (-2%) but was highly effective in reducing Fe and Cu concentrations owing to their high brake wear dependence (-8% and -13%, respectively). Furthermore, the lightweigting of the drive battery and the body frame of BEVs reduced even tire and road wear and resuspension. Therefore, vehicle electrification and lightweighting could effectively reduce the risks of respiratory inflammation. The reduction of SOx, NOx, and NH3 emissions changed aerosol acidity in urban area (maximum pH ±0.2). However, changes in aerosol acidity only slightly changed water-soluble metal concentrations (maximum +2% for Fe and +0.5% for Cu and Zn); therefore, it is important to focus on reducing primary metal emissions.
28 Jan 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
09 Feb 2023Published in ESS Open Archive