DETERMINATION OF HYDROCARBONS IN THE GASES FROM VEHICLE EXHAUSTS BY FT-IR SPECTROSCOPY

The infrared technique for measuring trace gases in the air has been e volving for many years, with rapid progress in the last ten years. The aim of our work was to determine the components of the emissions of v ehicles. The gases from vehicle exhaust contains not only CO, CO2, NO, HNO3, NH3, but also different hydrocarbons. Some authors suggest that ethene (C2H4) constitutes an important risk factor causing human canc er in urban areas. The gas samples have been taken from the exhausts o f different cars. The FT-IR spectra of these gas samples were recorded in the range 4000-500 cm(-1), with a variable path-length cell. The d ata collected suggest that FT-IR spectroscopy is a valuable tool for d etection of air pollutants evolved from the exhausts of cars.