Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) measurements in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, China

Ying Liu,Min Shao,Jia-Lin Wang,Sihua Lu,Chih-chung Chang,Gao Chen

doi:10.5194/acp-8-1531-2008

Abstract

Abstract. We measured levels of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at seven sites in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China during the Air Quality Monitoring Campaign spanning 4 October to 3 November 2004. Two of the sites, Guangzhou (GZ) and Xinken (XK), were intensive sites at which we collected multiple daily canister samples. The observations reported here provide a look at the VOC distribution, speciation, and photochemical implications in the PRD region. Alkanes constituted the largest percentage (>40%) in mixing ratios of the quantified VOCs at six sites; the exception was one major industrial site that was dominated by aromatics (about 52%). Highly elevated VOC levels occurred at GZ during two pollution episodes; however, the chemical composition of VOCs did not exhibit noticeable changes during these episodes. We calculated the OH loss rate to estimate the chemical reactivity of all VOCs. Of the anthropogenic VOCs, alkenes played a predominant role in VOC reactivity at GZ, whereas the contributions of reactive aromatics were more important at XK. Our preliminary analysis of the VOC correlations suggests that the ambient VOCs at GZ came directly from local sources (i.e., automobiles); those at XK were influenced by both local emissions and transportation of air mass from upwind areas.

Highlights

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) is located in Southern China, extends from the Hong Kong metropolitan area to the northwest, and encompasses 9 cities in the Guangdong Province (Fig. 1)
The PRD region has an area of about 41 698 km2
The highest total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mixing ratio was measured at DG, followed by the major urban site GZ

Summary

Introduction

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) is located in Southern China, extends from the Hong Kong metropolitan area to the northwest, and encompasses 9 cities in the Guangdong Province (Fig. 1). The PRD region has an area of about 41 698 km. It has been the most economically dynamic region of mainland China over the last two decades, with a per capita GDP of US$ 6583 in 2004. The average annual rate of GDP growth in the PRD from 2000 to 2004 was 13.6%, which is well above the national GDP growth rate (8.6%) (China Yearbook of Statistics, 2004). Guangzhou (GZ), the capital of Guangdong Province, had the highest GDP value (US $ 496 billion) in the PRD region in 2004. Dongguan (DG) is the city with the fastest growth rate GDP (18.7% per year from 2002–2006); it is a major manufacturing base for a wide range of products, including electronics, communication, paper, garments and textiles, food, shoes, and plastic

Methods

Results

Conclusion