NEX-EL

The NEX-EL project (Non-exhaust emissions in electrifying mining and urban environment) examines the sources and properties of non-exhaust particles in mining and street environments as well as develops methods for measuring particles.

Particle emissions from traffic exhaust gases are decreasing because vehicle emission standards have become stricter and the electrification of the car fleet continues. With the reduction in exhaust gases, the role of non-exhaust particles, in other words street dust, will be emphasised in the air quality of cities in the future. New methods are needed to measure non-exhaust particles, to identify sources more accurately as well as to reduce emissions and exposure.

The goal of the NEX-EL project is to examine the emission sources and properties of non-exhaust particles in mines and street environments (for example brake and tyre dust) as well as in laboratory tests. The project looks into how non-exhaust particle emissions from vehicles and machinery could be measured and monitored more accurately. The aim is also to investigate adverse health effects as well as ways to reduce emissions and exposure.

The latest research data can be used in air pollution control work related to street dust, such as assessing the air quality impacts of the increasingly electrified vehicle fleet and, in particular, evaluating the role of brake and tyre dust.

The research partners of the project are VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (coordinator), the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Tampere University and the University of Oulu. The companies and municipal operators involved in the project are Sandvik Mining and Construction Corp., Airmodus Ltd, Dekati, Oy Forcit Ab, Helsinki Region Environmental Services (HSY), Outokumpu Chrome Oy, Pegasor Ltd, Ramboll Finland Ltd, Satel Oy and Tapojärvi Oy. The project receives funding from Business Finland.

The project started in March 2023 and it will continue until February 2026.

More information about the project

More detailed information and results are available on the project’s own website: www.nexel.fi