TRAFFIC POLLUTION IN URBAN JORDAN | ||||
| JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences | ||||
| Article 15, Volume 34, No 1, January and February 2006, Page 237-250 PDF (264.18 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Research Paper | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jesaun.2006.110260 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Ali F. Al-Shawabkeh  ; Mohd R. Suliman*
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| Faculty of Engineering Technology, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Amman, Jordan | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Gasoline and diesel are the only vehicular fuel used in Jordan. Gasoline operates about 60% of the total vehicles, light-to-medium diesel trucks are about 15% and heavy vehicles including transit buses total 25%. The local gasoline is produced by the only oil refinery in Jordan and is located in Al-Zarka area. This gasoline is leaded gas contains 1% Lead. The production of unleaded gasoline has just begun in Jordan where very few gas stations sell the product to less than 1% of total vehicles. Diesel fuel produced at the Jordan Refinery contains up to 1.5% sulfur. Field study on vehicle emission and factors affecting the type and quantity of emissions is conducted. Traffic congestion, type and age of vehicles, and topography are considered. A sample of 724 vehicles has been tested in a joint project carried out by The Ministry of Environment (MOE) and The Public Security Directorate (PSD). The data obtained from this project was studied and analyzed by the two researchers at the Faculty of Engineering Technology/Al- Balqa’ Applied University. Three hundred and eighty-five vehicles using leaded gasoline were tested. Thirty-six of which ran on unleaded fuel. The rest of the sample vehicles used diesel fuel. The ratio of vehicles using gasoline to diesel fuel, approximately, represents the total number of vehicles using gasoline and diesel fuel on Jordanian roads. Other data on vehicle maintenance was collected at a gas station in the suburbs of the capital. It is found that 60% of the tested gasoline vehicles exceeded the allowable Jordanian standards of one or more pollutants. On the other hand, more than 57% of the tested diesel vehicles were in violation of the emission standard in the Kingdom. These local standards tolerate more limits and are less restricted than US. EPA and European Standards. The analysis of results showed different degrees of violation depending on the age group of the vehicles. A higher rate of violation (64%) was detected in the subgroup representing the age from 10 to 15 years. The age group of five years or less showed the highest rate of success. Records of maintenance were collected for some vehicles at a local service station. A basic questionnaire of 350 car owners was made. High rate of vehicular emission is due in parts to old vehicle and lack of maintenance. More than 53% of tested vehicles are older than 10 years of age. The study stresses on the health risks associated with each pollutant. Further more, it suggests alternative solution to mitigate the pollution problem. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Traffic pollution; tailpipe emission; vehicular emission | ||||
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