Improved speciation profiles and estimation methodology for VOCs emissions: A case study in two chemical plants in eastern China

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) poses a serious health risk through not only their own toxicity but also their role as precursors of ozone and secondary organic aerosols. The chemical industry, as one of the pillar industries in eastern China, is a key source of VOCs emissions. In this study, speciated VOCs emissions were measured in two chemical plants in eastern China. Oxygenated VOCs and aromatics were found to be the dominant species categories in both plants. The ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) of VOCs from dedicated resin production were both higher than general resin production. Three process-based models were used for the estimation of VOCs emissions from the two tested plants as a case study. The comparison between the emission factor model and the model with best available estimation methods (e.g., the measurement-based method, the mass balance method, the empirical formula method, and the correlation equation method) implied possible overestimation of the widely used emission factor model for the chemical industry. The probabilistic model developed in this study incorporated probability distribution of key parameters and proved to be a promising tool for emission inventory development and uncertainty analysis. The overall uncertainties of VOCs emissions based on the model were (−48%, +147%) and (−48%, +139%) for the two tested plants. In this study, the speciation profiles and estimation methodology for VOCs emissions from the chemical industry in China were both improved, which could benefit the accurate evaluation of the impacts of VOCs emissions.