Isotopomeric characterization of N2O produced, consumed, and emitted by automobiles

Fossil fuel combustion is the second largest anthropogenic source of nitrous oxide (N2O) after agriculture. The estimated global N2O flux from combustion sources, as well as from other sources, still has a large uncertainty. Herein, we characterize automobile sources using N2O isotopomer ratios (nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios and intramolecular site preference of 15N, SP) to assess their contributions to total global sources and to deconvolute complex production/consumption processes during combustion and subsequent catalytic treatments of exhaust. Car exhaust gases were sampled under running and idling state, and N2O isotopomer ratios were measured by mass spectrometry. The N2O directly emitted from an engine of a vehicle running at constant velocity had almost constant isotopomer ratios (delta15Nbulk = -28.7 +/- 1.2 per thousand, delta18O = 28.6 +/- 3.3 per thousand, and SP = 4.2 +/- 0.8 per thousand) irrespective of the velocity. After passing through catalytic converters, the isotopomer ratios showed an increase which varied with the temperature and the aging of the catalysts. The increase suggests that both production and consumption of N2O occur on the catalyst and that their rates can be comparable. It was noticed that in the idling state, the N2O emitted from a brand new car has higher isotopomer ratios than that from used cars, which indicate that technical improvements in catalytic converters can reduce the N2O from mobile combustion sources. On average, the isotopomeric signatures of N2O finally emitted from automobiles are not sensitive to running/idling states or to aging of the catalysts. Characteristic average isotopomer ratios of N2O from automobile sources are estimated at -4.9 +/- 8.2 per thousand, 43.5 +/- 13.9 per thousand, and 12.2 +/- 9.1 per thousand for delta15Nbulk, delta18O, and SP, respectively.