Emission Inventory of Atmospheric Pollutants and VOC Species from Crop Residue Burning in Guangdong Province

Abstract

An emission inventory of atmospheric pollutants from crop residue burning in Guangdong for the period 2008-2016 was developed, based on crop yield data. Emissions of species of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)and corresponding ozone formation potential (OFP) in 2016 were also estimated. Results showed that emissions of atmospheric pollutants from crop residue burning in 2013-2016 were lower than in 2008-2012. This was mainly due to the policy of prohibiting open burning of straw and to improvement of rural living standards, which reduced the proportion of straw burning. In 2016, emissions of SO2, NOx, NH3, CH4, EC, OC, NMVOC, CO, and PM2.5 were 2443.7, 16187.9, 6943.8, 29174.4, 3625.5, 14830.7, 65612.6, 591613.9, and 49463.0 t, respectively. Rice straw burning was the main source of pollutants, accounting for about 68.55% of total pollutant emissions. The five municipalities with highest atmospheric pollutant emissions were Zhanjiang, Maoming, Meizhou, Zhaoqing, and Shaoguan, together accounting for about 58.63% of total emissions. The top 10 VOC species for mass-based emissions consisted of ethylene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, benzene, ethyne, propylene, ethane, toluene, propane, and propionaldehyde, together contributing 67.91% to total emissions. The top ten OFP-based VOC species were ethylene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propylene, 1-butylene, propionaldehyde, toluene, acrolein, isoprene, and crotonaldehyde, accounting for 80.83% of total OFP.