ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the adverse environmental effects resulting from atmospheric emissions arising from the operation of road vehicles, primarily cars. It considers a much wider range of pollutants than may traditionally be associated with acid rain. In the discussion of pollutants arising from road vehicle operations and their control technologies it includes carbon dioxide and particulate emissions from diesel vehicles. The proportion of evaporative emissions can increase significantly during the summer months. In modern vehicles crankcase emissions have largely been eliminated by the use of positive crankcase ventilation values which allow the crankcase gases to be recycled to the air intake. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and emissions of carbon monoxide therefore contribute indirectly to the greenhouse effect. A number of studies have considered the greenhouse effects of emissions from both conventional and alternative transport fuels, including those of methane and nitrous oxide as well as carbon dioxide, to reflect the total direct effect.
