Reducing emissions of carbon particles, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide for occupational health – Applications to diesel engine emissions in confined spaces

In France, nearly 800,000 employees are potentially exposed to diesel fumes, which have been identified as the primary source of exposure to a carcinogenic. Prevention of exposure to this pollutant in testing centres for testing vehicle safety, roadworthiness, and emissions is thus one of the priority actions of the Objectives and Management Agreement (Convention d’Objectifs et de Gestion) of the French National Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers (CNAM-TS). The aim of this long-term study ties in with this issue, and is to study the feasibility and the viability of treating diesel engine exhaust gases at the workplace, in rather confined spaces, such as garages, or testing centres for cars and other light vehicles, when the centralised extractor system is inappropriate. Depending on the results, it will then be possible to propose solutions to other sectors of activities. In practical terms, the aim is to reduce emissions of soot particles containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and of gases such as NOx and CO, using a filter of the granular bed filter type filled with zeolites. The NOx will be adsorbed physically within the pores of the zeolites and chemically with the formation of Nitro-PAHs on the soot particles. The apparatus should be lightweight, self-contained, usable over one day, and placed at the outlet of the exhaust pipe while the vehicle is being used. It will be regenerated while the engine is not operating, and possibly outside working hours.
This study will make it possible to validate a diesel fume purifier concept that will then need to be adapted to suit the various specificities of the vehicles.

Planned dissemination: patent applications could be filed, and the results will be presented and published nationally and internationally. In addition, a PhD thesis is being written in conjunction with this study.