In-Cylinder Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Sampled during Diesel Engine Combustion.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potentially carcinogenic pollutants emitted by diesel engines, both in the gas phase and adsorbed onto the surface of particulate matter (PM). There remains limited understanding of the complex and dynamic competing mechanisms of PAH formation, growth and oxidation in the gas phase, and their adsorption onto soot and how these processes impact on the abundance and composition of exhaust PAH. Therefore, this paper presents analysis of gas and particulate samples taken from the cylinder and exhaust of a diesel engine during combustion of fossil diesel with the 16 US-EPA priority PAH species identified and quantified.