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Passenger comfort and ozone pollution exposure in an air-conditioned bus microenvironment

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Abstract

Ground-level ozone is the primary source of air pollution in China, particularly during the warmer months. In this study, we investigated the exposure status of ozone pollution and the temperature distribution in an air-conditioned bus in Jinan during the evening peak period based on field measurements obtained with a handheld portable particle counter and indigo disulfonate spectrophotometry. Statistical analysis showed that the passengers experienced poor air quality within the confines of the bus due to the poor air quality outside. Furthermore, the level of passenger comfort was dissatisfactory because of the high temperature, thereby highlighting the urgent need to improve the current situation. Numerical simulations were conducted using FLUENT software to explore the impacts of the air supply angle, the opening and closing of the bus door, and the chemical reaction between ozone and its precursors on the diffusion and distribution of ozone, the temperature, and the airflow field. The results indicated that high concentrations of ozone were present in the middle and front regions of the bus. Pollution can be reduced by keeping the bus door open for no longer than 20 s when waiting for other passengers, and the best optimization effect in relation to the temperature and passenger comfort was determined as an air supply angle of 30°. In addition, the average individual daily intake of ozone was combined with other relevant parameters to assess the exposure level. It is recommended that the elderly and children should avoid peak time travel to reduce their exposure to ozone (inhalation dose values > 60 μg/m3 and > 56 μg/m3 according to simulations, respectively). These findings are expected to effectively improve the air quality and passenger comfort levels in busses, thereby protecting the health of passengers and reducing carbon usage.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 11372166), the International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41761144067), and the Key Research Project of Shandong Yingcai University (project number: 18YCZDZR02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Power and Energy Engineering, Shandong University, P.O. Box 250061, Jinan, China

    Xiaoxuan Zhu, Li Lei, Jitian Han & Fushun Liang

  2. School of Automotive Engineering, Shandong Yingcai University, P.O. Box 250104, Jinan, China

    Xiaoxuan Zhu

  3. Design institute of Shandong Guoshun Group Co., Ltd., P.O. Box 250000, Jinan, China

    Peng Wang

  4. School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, P.O. Box 100044, Beijing, China

    Xingshen Wang

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  1. Xiaoxuan Zhu
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  2. Li Lei
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  3. Jitian Han
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  4. Peng Wang
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  5. Fushun Liang
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  6. Xingshen Wang
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Correspondence to Li Lei.

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Zhu, X., Lei, L., Han, J. et al. Passenger comfort and ozone pollution exposure in an air-conditioned bus microenvironment. Environ Monit Assess 192, 496 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08471-3

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