Source profiles and emission factors of VOCs from solvent-based architectural coatings and their contributions to ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation in China

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from solvent-based architectural coatings (SBACs) play an important role in photochemical air pollution with increasing consumption of architectural coatings in China. In this study, we collected 148 typical SBACs of 3 types in China. The TVOC emission factors and source profiles were established, the contributions of SBACs to ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation were investigated. The VOC emissions and O3 and SOA amounts formed in chemical reactions from SBACs in 2017 were estimated. Key organic groups and VOC species with high reactivity were identified. According to the results, the TVOC emission factors were 507.17 g L−1 for solvent-based anticorrosive coatings, 381.34 g L−1 for solvent-based floor coatings and 459.68 g L−1 for solvent-based fire-retardant coatings. The VOC emissions were 186,902.11 t, 88,225.41 t and 71,352.32 t; the O3 amounts formed were 742,001.39 t, 397,896.60 t and 244,738.46 t; the SOA amounts formed were 3934.29 t, 2488.04 t and 1104.61 t, respectively, from 3 types of SBACs in 2017. The O3 production factors were 1781.82 g O3 (kg paint)−1, 1457.50 g O3 (kg paint)−1 and 1176.63 g O3 (kg paint)−1, the SOA production factors were 9.45 g SOA (kg paint)−1, 9.11 g SOA (kg paint)−1 and 5.31 g SOA (kg paint)−1, for 3 types of SBACs. Priority should be given to organic group of aromatics and top 17 VOC species with high reactivity for O3 and SOA eliminating strategies, especially three xylenes (o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene), ethylbenzene, trimethyl benzenes (1,3,5-trimethyl benzene, 1,2,3-Trimethyl benzene) and toluene.