Estimation of motor vehicle fuel consumption and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions in a developing country city
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Date
2004
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
Urban road transport is a major consumer of fuel and a major source of both carcinogenic and polluting greenhouse gases. As a result, developed countries have and continue carrying out studies to control vehicular fuel consumption and the corresponding emissions. Having the largest population of motor vehicles in Tanzania, the Dar es Salaam road network was studied to formulate a model for estimating the city’s vehicular fuel requirements and establish the corresponding gas emission factors by collecting and analysing the 1980 - 1999 historical data and year 2000 field data. The resulting model and findings on the contribution of traffic conditions, mode of transport and behaviour of drivers are presented and discussed. Three conclusions are made. First, a city’s vehicular fuel requirements can be obtained from accurate data on the number of motor vehicles and length and type of roads with a margin of error of ±6%. Second, in Dar es Salaam city, traffic conditions, mode of transport and behaviour of drivers considerably increase vehicular fuel consumption and emissions. Third, vehicular greenhouse gas emission factors in Dar es Salaam city are higher than those specified by WHO (WHO, Geneva, 2000) especially for CO and NOx whose factors are higher by more than 500 and 100 times respectively. Adoption of the formulated model and changing the mode of public transport are recommended to enable city authorities to put in place appropriate measures for controlling and reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The use of improved data collection methods and/or relating the vehicle-kilometre-travelled per day with the physical length of the city’s road network can improve accuracy of the model.
Description
Available in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF ECSE TD886.5.T34B8)
Keywords
Vehicle, Fuel, Greenhouse gas
Citation
Bundara, M.M.P (2004) Estimation of motor vehicle fuel consumption and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions in a developing country city, Doctoral dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam.