Estimativa de poluentes atmosféricos emitidos pela frota de veículos da cidade de Uberlândia/MG, no período de 2022-2023

Abstract

This study aimed to gather information on all vehicles registered in the municipality of Uberlândia-MG and to estimate the emissions of atmospheric pollutants, namely particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), generated by vehicular traffic within the urban road network for the years 2022 and 2023. A bottom-up methodology was employed for all pollutants, except for CO2, which was estimated using a top-down approach. The selection of pollutants was based on data availability from the vehicular emissions reports published by CETESB (2022 and 2023). The estimated annual average emissions were: 43.97 tons of PM, 2,246.18 tons of CO, 4,339.34 tons of NOx, 365.78 tons of HC, 1,486.44 tons of CO2, 311.67 tons of CH4, 196.14 tons of N2O, and 1,552,683.99 tons of CO2e, considering all the Uberlandia vehicle fleet. The results highlight high emissions of PM and NOx, primarily due to the heavy-duty vehicle fleet, and significant emissions of CO and HC, mainly from light-duty vehicles. These findings suggest the need for investments and incentives toward public transportation and the adoption of alternative fuels to diesel. The results are crucial for the atmospheric emissions inventory of Uberlândia, which, in turn, plays an important role in strategic decision-making aimed at improving urban air quality.