Sources Profiles of Anthropogenic Volatile Organic Compounds from Typical Solvent Used in Chengdu, China

Abstract

Volatile organic compound (VOC) source profiles of Chengdu were established based on stack and fugitive emission source samples by field measurements. A total of 54 VOC samples collected from the petrochemical industry, printing, wood-based panel manufacturing, wood furniture coating, and shoemaking industry were measured. A total of 80 VOC species were classified into five categories, including aromatic hydrocarbons, halocarbons, and oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs). Combined with the results of measurement and literature surveys, the sector-specific emission factors conducted from the solvent-using consumption varied range from 0.35 to 1.45 Kg VOCs per Kg of solvent-use consumption (Kg·Kg−1). Ethanol and m-xylene were predominant species of solvent used in the printing industries. Urea-formaldehyde resin was widely used as an adhesive in more than 80% of wood-based panels in Chengdu; a lot of formaldehyde and other harmful substances were directly discharged into the environment without any treatment. The evaluation of the source reactivity for various VOC emission sources were conducted. Aromatic hydrocarbon was found to be the most abundant component in the wood furniture coating and shoemaking industries. The ozone formation potential (OFP) for the unit mass of VOCs emissions was the highest for m/p-xylene (25.12%). The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation was also calculated, and the aromatic contributed 82.16% for almost all of the SOA formation. Furthermore, several proposals were made to reduce or regulate VOC emissions in Chengdu.