Emission and speciation of non-methane volatile organic compounds from anthropogenic sources in China

Abstract

An emission inventory of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) from anthropogenic sources in China was compiled for the year 2005. The NMVOC emissions were 20.1 Tg, of which industrial and domestic solvent use, road transportation, and bio-fuel combustion contributed 28.6%, 23.4%, and 18.0%, respectively. Emissions were speciated into 40 species according to their atmospheric photochemical reactivity, toxicity, and model applicability. Of the total emissions, alkanes account for 29.8%, followed by aromatics (21.9%), alkenes and alkynes (21.0%), and carbonyls (17.8%). Emissions at the provincial level were spatially allocated onto grids with a resolution of 36 km×36 km, according to population distribution. Furthermore, the provincial and sectoral emissions of nine toxic species, including n-hexane, 1,3-butadiene, styrene, benzene, toluene, xylene, methanol, formaldehyde, and acraldehyde, are also analyzed. Finally, the national total emissions were considered with an uncertainty of [−44%,+109%] in 95% confidence interval, by using the Monte Carlo method.