Recently, the research group led by Xuan Zheng from the College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, in collaboration with Professor Jingkun Jiang's team from Tsinghua University, published a research article entitled “Emissions of Amines and Their Derivatives from Heavy-duty Diesel Vehicles: the Reverse Side of NOx Control” in Environmental Science & Technology, a prestigious journal listed in the Nature Index and recognized as one of the leading publications in the field of environmental engineering. Assistant Professor Lewei Zeng, and Zhaojin An, Associate Researcher at Tsinghua University, are the co-first authors of the paper. Associate Professor Xuan Zheng and Professor Jingkun Jiang are the co-corresponding authors, and Shenzhen University is the first affiliation of the paper.

Amines, as a key class of trace alkaline gases in the atmosphere, can promote the formation of secondary particles through acid-base reactions, thereby affecting air quality and human health. The organic amine nucleation process, exemplified by dimethylaminesulfuric acid (DMAH₂SO₄), is now recognized as the dominant mechanism for new particle formation of secondary particles in urban polluted atmospheres. Previous studies have observed relatively high concentrations of organic amines in urban air, but their sources remained unclear. This paper reveals for the first time that organic amine emissions from diesel vehicles originate from reactions between ammonia (NH₃) and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) within exhaust aftertreatment devices, representing a secondary environmental problem arising from efforts to control nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from vehicles. In particular, as countries continue to tighten NOx emission controls on diesel vehicles, amine emissions could be further exacerbated, with broader implications for air quality and climate.

The Zheng group is affiliated with the Center for Complex Atmospheric Pollution Control at Shenzhen University, where Academician Jiming Hao of Tsinghua University serves as Honorary Director. The Center maintains close collaborations with leading universities and institutions such as Tsinghua University, Sun Yat-sen University, Tongji University, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, as well as Shenzhen Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau and the Shenzhen Academy of Environmental Sciences. The group focuses on high-level research and talent development in areas including regional and national emission characteristics and inventories of air pollutants, vehicular emission characterization and modeling, transport-related air pollution control planning, and advanced vehicle and alternative fuel technologies. These efforts contribute scientific insights and technical support to Shenzhen’s air quality management and pollution control strategies.