An assessment of urban VOC emissions and concentrations by comparing model results and measurements

Abstract

From September 1994 to June 1996, the city of Antwerp carried out a volatile organic compound (VOC) measurement campaign in the urban agglomeration of Antwerp. The results were used to further validate a traffic emission model for the city of Antwerp and to evaluate the performance of three different street canyon models that were applied to calculate benzene concentrations at ten different locations in the city. Results show that traffic-related compounds like toluene, m,p-xylene and benzene are the dominant VOC components. The modelled benzene concentrations in the streets show very reasonable agreement with measured concentrations, provided that observed vehicle numbers are used, and the correct background concentrations and meteorological conditions are taken into account by the model.