Influence of climatic conditions on particulate emissions in mixed traffic conditions across various pavement types

Non-exhaust emissions containing particulate matter (PM), as indicated by PM2.5 and PM10, poses significant health, environmental, and climatic risks. This study investigates the impact of temperature and humidity on PM concentrations across different pavement types (asphalt and cement concrete) under mixed traffic conditions. Utilizing a sensor based portable air quality monitor, air quality data were collected over multiple seasons, encompassing winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon periods from March 2023 to February 2024 at Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, India. The results reveal a strong correlation between PM levels and meteorological conditions, with higher temperatures and lower humidity contributing to elevated PM concentrations. Asphalt pavements consistently showed higher PM10 concentrations than cement concrete, with a difference of 6.50 to 8.67 µg/m3, indicating asphalt contributes more to coarse particulate pollution. The study also highlights the variations in the PM2.5/PM10 ratio between pavement types, with cement concrete showing a consistently higher ratio (0.63 to 0.70), indicating a greater prevalence of fine particulates, whereas asphalt pavements had ratios of 0.51 to 0.58, indicating less fine particulate generation. These findings underscore the necessity of season-specific air quality management strategies, considering the influence of both pavement type and environmental factors on PM emissions.