Air Quality: Capturing Fine Particulate Matter Emissions and Improving Traffic Conditions in the City

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By Célia Foulon, consultant

Although air quality has generally improved in France over the past ten years ^[1], Fine particulate matter remains a major concern for human health. These tiny particles enter the respiratory tract and are believed to be the cause of 48,000 premature deaths each year in France ^[2]. But do you know where fine particulate matter comes from? According to Airparif, In Île-de-France, these emissions are thought to come mainly from transportation, heating (particularly wood-burning), and industry^[3]. In the transportation sector, diesel vehicles account for more than half of fine particulate matter emissions, but the brakes on all our vehicles also contribute to these emissions.

In fact, Tire wear from cars, subways, bicycles, and other vehicles during braking accounts for a significant portion of fine particulate matter emissions from road traffic. To address this issue, The engineering firm Tallano Technologie has developed a system for capturing brake-related particles called “Tamic,” which is reportedly capable of capturing 90% of emissions. This measure is expected to be tested this year on the RER C line ^[4], in order to address the issue of extremely high levels of air pollution in underground stations, and then it should to be rolled out soon in cars since the company says it is in talks with three manufacturers.

Alongside technological solutions such as the one described above, More and more cities are tightening traffic regulations, with the goal of reducing traffic from the most polluting vehicles. The most recent example is the city of London, which has established an ultra-low-emission zone^[5] (literal translation of ULEZ, Ultra Low Emission Zone). To enter this zone, drivers will have to pay a deliberately high fee: This applies to drivers of diesel cars manufactured before 2015 and gasoline cars manufactured before 2006, who will have to pay approximately €14.50 per day, as well as trucks and buses, for which the fee will be approximately €116 per day. This zone is set to expand to cover the entire city starting in October 2021. In Paris, too, there is such an area where traffic is restricted for vehicles deemed to be the most polluting. The requirements for driving in this low-emission zone will also be modified starting July 1 ^[6], the date from which it must be incorporated into a broader area covering the Greater Paris region. This expansion is currently subject to public consultation ^[7].

Sources: ^[1]Central Laboratory for Air Quality Monitoring^[2]Public Health France^[3]Airparif^[4]Caradisiac^[5]Auto News^[6]Paris City Hall^[7]Greater Paris Metropolitan Area Low-Emission Zone (ZFE) Website