Estimating Air Pollutant Emissions for Nonroad Equipment Using MOVES: Case Study of a Building Project

摘要

Total emissions from the U.S. contribute 15% to the global emissions. The construction industry is a major source of the exhaust emissions produced. Use of light duty vehicles and heavy-duty trucks for various construction activities contributes 83% to the total greenhouse gases produced. Construction equipment comprises of on-road and non-road equipment. Non-road equipment is extensively used on buildings construction. Among the numerous pollutants identified on the construction site, this paper will focus on CO, CO_2, NO_x, SO_x, and PM because of their ill effects on human health and because they are produced in large amounts compared to the other pollutants. This paper summarizes the results of a research that used field data to estimate pollutant emissions from non-road equipment. The methodology for obtaining emissions using MOVES is presented. Basic information such as hours of operation per day, fuel used, and specifications of the engine are collected from a building construction site and are used for calculating total emissions. The output consists of emission rates for selected pollutants, model year, SCC number, and fuel type. The findings of this research are presented for excavators, mobile crane, and a forklift. Results indicate that CO_2 is produced in fairly large quantities when compared to other selected pollutants. The results from this study could be used by contractors and owners in the selection of the construction equipment in terms of reducing emissions.