Abatement Of Volatile Organic Compounds Research Articles

The impact of multi-decadal changes in VOC speciation on urban ozone chemistry: a case study in Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract. Anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the United Kingdom have been substantially reduced since 1990, which is, in part, attributed to controls on evaporative and vehicle tailpipe emissions. Over time, other sources with a different speciation (for example, alcohols from solvent use and industry processes) have grown in both relative importance and, in some cases, in absolute terms. The impact of this change in speciation and the resulting photochemical reactivities of VOCs are evaluated using a photochemical box model constrained by observational data during a summertime ozone event (Birmingham, UK) and apportionment of sources based on the UK National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI) data over the period 1990–2019. Despite road transport sources representing only 3.3 % of UK VOC emissions in 2019, road transport continued being the sector with the largest influence on the local O3 production rate (P(O3)). Under case study conditions, the 96 % reduction in road transport VOC emissions that has been achieved between 1990 and 2019 has likely reduced daytime P(O3) by ∼ 1.67 ppbv h−1. Further abatement of fuel fugitive emissions was modeled to have had less impact on P(O3) reduction than abatement of VOCs from industrial processes and solvent use. The long-term trend of increased emissions of ethanol and methanol has somewhat weakened the benefits of reducing road transport emissions, increasing P(O3) by ∼ 0.19 ppbv h−1 in the case study. Abatement of VOC emissions from multiple sources has been a notable technical and policy success in the UK, but some future benefits (from an ozone perspective) of the phase-out of internal combustion engine passenger cars may be offset if domestic and commercial solvent use of VOCs continue to increase.

Effect of the component and the concentration ratio on the removal of volatile organic compound mixtures by non-thermal plasma

The feasibility and efficiency of the degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been extensive investigated and proved in laboratory experiments with single target component. In practical, multicomponent VOCs are emitted during industrial production. It is urgent need to study the abatement of multicomponent VOCs to evaluate the effectiveness of NTP technology in application, and explore the impact of interactions between VOCs components on degradation efficiency. This study focused on the degradation of VOCs mixtures composed of toluene (TOL), acetone (AC), and ethyl acetate (EA) by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in room temperature. Through changing the target gas in turn and the concentration ratio of additive gas in binary mixture, the influence of the composition and the concentration ratio of the additive gases on the target gas degradation have been investigated by comparing the decomposition of the single compound. The results showed that AC and EA had little or no inhibitory effect on degradation of TOL. When AC was added and degraded together with TOL, the degradation rate of TOL remained almost unchanged with slight fluctuations in the range of 75.3 ± 1.0% as the ratio of added AC increased. However, TOL significantly inhibited the degradation of EA and AC, and more seriously on AC. When the ratio of added TOL increased, the degradation rates of EA or AC changed from 41.1% or 34.5% to 29.8% or 12.2%, which were 11.3% or 22.3% reduced respectively. It is indicated that there was a mutual inhibitory effect between the AC and EA when they were degraded together, and a stronger inhibitory effect of EA on AC was observed. When the ratio of added AC to EA changed from 0:1 to 3:1, the degradation rate of EA decreased by 9.5%, from 49.8% to 40.3%. When the ratio of added EA to AC changed from 0:1 to 3:1, the degradation rate of AC decreased by 16.0%, from 37.9% to 21.9%.

3D monolithic composites TiO2/HKUST-1/RGO@melamine foam with improved surface mass transfer for efficient photocatalytic degradation of toluene gas

Currently, photocatalytic technology mostly uses powdered TiO2 catalysts, which are not conducive to recycling, limit the contact between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the photocatalyst, and result in lower mass transfer efficiency in gas-solid reactions. Meanwhile, TiO2 catalysts including the electrospun TiO2 nanofibers with hydrophilic surfaces are not favorable for the infiltration and adsorption of non-polar VOCs. To solve these problems, in this work, the monolithic composites TiO2/HKUST-1/RGO@melamine foam (named MRTH) with improved surface mass transfer composed of metal-organic framework (HKUST-1), graphene oxide (GO) and electrospun TiO2 nanofibers was designed. The metal-organic framework HKUST-1 plays a role in promoting the adsorption of toluene, while the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) facilitates the infiltration of non-polar molecules on the surface of the composite and has better electron transport capability. A type II heterojunction between the electrospun TiO2 nanofibers and HKUST-1 formed in the monolithic composites suppresses the recombination of electron-hole pairs and extends their lifespan. Comparing with the bare electrospun TiO2 nanofibers, the MRTH foam composites exhibit a wider light absorption range, hydrophilic and oleophobic properties and a higher separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. In 90 min of dark adsorption, the removal rate of toluene over MRTH-8 was 52.32 %, while under irradiation by xenon lamp for 150 min, the removal rate over MRTH-8 reached 90.15 %. The amount of monolithic foam composites can also be easily adjusted in the reactor to achieve the best possible removal of the contaminant. The prepared composite materials have been characterized in detail, and the possible mechanisms have also been discussed. The foam composites prepared in this work have high catalytic activity and gas-solid reaction mass transfer efficiency, so they have wide practical application prospects in the field of VOCs abatement.

Selective dissolution of micro-spherical Ca-Mn mixed oxides for efficient propane oxidation

The improvement of catalytic efficiency is of great significance to the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a class of key air pollutants leading to ground-level ozone pollution. Herein, a series of micro-spherical Ca-Mn mixed oxides (CaxMnyOz), namely CaMn3O6, Ca2Mn3O8 and CaMnO3, were prepared by a two-step precipitation method, and defects were constructed on which by selective dissolution to enhance the low-temperature catalytic performance in the oxidation of propane (C3H8) as a representative short-chain alkane VOCs. The synthesized CaxMnyOz oxides demonstrated drastically different response to the dissolution modification initiated by acid treatment. Specifically, after acid dissolution, while CaMn3O6 and Ca2Mn3O8 maintained largely their original structures, the perovskite-type CaMnO3 underwent lattice rearrangement and was transformed into γ-MnO2-like product with only a tiny amount of Ca. In C3H8 oxidation, the catalytic performance of CaMnO3 was significantly improved after selective dissolution, as indicated by a significant decrease of T90, i.e. the temperature to achieve 90% C3H8 conversion, from 455 °C to 240 °C. Mechanistic investigation by in-depth X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies revealed that selective dissolution led to higher Mn4+ concentrations and more oxygen vacancies on the oxide surfaces, thus facilitated electron transfer and O2 activation in C3H8 oxidation reactions. This study paves a new path for the design of cost-effective oxide catalysts toward the abatement of short-chain alkane VOCs.

Dynamic Model Validation and Simulation of Acetone-Toluene and Benzene-Toluene Systems for Industrial Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Abatement.

Environmental impact mitigation is one of the grand challenges for industries globally. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are solvents whose emissions are potentially toxic to human health and ecosystems yet indispensable for the manufacturing of life-saving medicine. Adsorption with activated carbon columns is an established countermeasure for end-of-pipe emission control, whose efficiency, however, is impeded by irregular bed saturation due to the complex nature of its inputs. This work presents the application of a validated nonisothermal adsorption model to examine multicomponent trace mixtures of acetone-toluene and benzene-toluene on activated carbon. Our results indicate preferential adsorption of toluene over both acetone and benzene for all concentrations examined, which is in agreement with experimental data. Moreover, moderate temperature variations and pressure drops are revealed. Finally, Glueckauf's hodograph theory is employed for maximum outlet concentration prediction and compared with simulation results and experimental data, thus providing valuable insights into nonisothermal VOC abatement, which paves the way for industrial operation optimization.

Pt on Atomic-Layered WO3 Islands: Electronic Tuning of Platinum-Tungsten Heterostructures for Highly Efficient Low-Temperature VOC Combustion.

Adjusting the electronic state of noble metal catalysts on a nanoscale is crucial for optimizing the performance of nanocatalysts in many important environmental catalytic reactions, particularly in volatile organic compound (VOC) combustion. This study reports a novel strategy for optimizing Pt catalysts by modifying their electronic structure to enhance the electron density of Pt. The research illustrates the optimal 0.2Pt-0.3W/Fe2O3 heterostructure with atomic-thick WO3 layers as a bulking block to electronically modify supported Pt nanoparticles. Methods such as electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm Pt's electron-enriched state resulting from electron transfer from atomic-thick WO3. Testing for benzene oxidation revealed enhanced low-temperature activity with moderate tungsten incorporation. Kinetic and mechanistic analyses provide insights into how the enriched electron density benefits the activation of oxygen and the adsorption of benzene on Pt sites, thereby facilitating the oxidation reaction. This pioneering work on modifying the electronic structure of supported Pt nanocatalysts establishes an innovative catalyst design approach. The electronic structure-performance-dependent relationships presented in this study assist in the rational design of efficient VOC abatement catalysts, contributing to clean energy and environmental solutions.

Abatement of Volatile Organic Compounds Employing a Thermoplastic Nano‐Photocatalyst Layered on a Glass Reactor

AbstractIndustrial development and urbanization have increased the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, causing environmental and health risks. Several approaches are used for their abatement, including chemical, thermo‐ and photo‐catalytic oxidations, but they are not fully satisfactory. In this work, a thermoplastic TiO2‐based photo‐catalyst was used as a coating layer of a glass‐reactor. Solar‐triggered photocatalytic degradation of ethanol, toluene, and acetone (used as model VOCs) highlights the better performance of the coated photoreactor than that of TiO2 nanopowder. The influence of the pollutant flow rate on the photodegradation performance of the system was also investigated, revealing an inverse relationship between degradation and flow rates. The experimental data suggest that our approach provides a cost‐effective and efficient way to boost the abatement of VOCs, useful for further industrial‐scale applications. The morphology and the compositional homogeneity of the nanocomposite coating were addressed through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X‐ray Analysis.

A radial‐flow device for the biopurification of a model VOC‐ and wood‐smoke‐ contaminated confined space

AbstractBACKGROUNDIndoor air pollution is a growing problem worldwide that causes a series of health issues in the population. Effective devices for abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are currently restricted to adsorption systems based on active carbon. The objective of this study was to evaluate the operation of a new design of radial‐flow biopurifier using a model mixture of toluene, benzo(α)pyrene (BaP) and formaldehyde, initially inoculated with the filamentous fungus Fusarium solani and the bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis.RESULTSThe results show that, under the range of inlet load tested and under continuous operation, the biopurification system achieved removal efficiencies above 90%, translating into a purifier air refreshment capacity of 0.62, 2.5 and 0.8 h−1 for BaP, formaldehyde and toluene, respectively.CONCLUSIONThe system was operated for 8 months, without a decrease in the single‐pass removal efficiency, and withstood up to 15 days starvation periods with a marginal effect on its air refreshment capacity once the feeding of pollutants was restarted. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Comparative Analysis of Volatile Organic Compound Purification Techniques in Complex Cooking Emissions: Adsorption, Photocatalysis and Combined Systems.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are molecules present in our everyday life, and they can be positive, such as in the formation of odour and food flavour, or harmful to the environment and humans, and research is focusing on limiting their emissions. Various methods have been used to achieve this purpose. Firstly, we review three main degradation methods: activated carbon, photocatalysis and a synergetic system. We provide a general overview of the operative conditions and report the possibility of VOC abatement during cooking. Within the literature, none of these systems has ever been tested in the presence of complex matrices, such as during cooking processes. The aim of this study is to compare the three methods in order to understand the behaviour of filter systems in the case of realistically complex gas mixtures. Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) has been used in the real-time monitoring of volatilome. Due to the fact that VOC emissions are highly dependent on the composition of the food cooked, we evaluated the degradation capacity of the three systems for different burger types (meat, greens, and fish). We demonstrate the pros and cons of photocatalysis and adsorption and how a combined approach can mitigate the drawbacks of photocatalysis.

Constructing Active Cu2+-O-Fe3+ Sites at the CuO-Fe3O4 Interface to Promote Activation of Surface Lattice Oxygen.

Activating surface lattice oxygen (Olatt) through the modulation of metal-oxygen bond strength has proven to be an effective route for facilitating the catalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although this strategy has been implemented via the construction of the TM1-O-TM2 (TM represents a transition metal) structure in various reactions, the underlying principle requires exploration when using different TMs. Herein, the Cu2+-O-Fe3+ structure was created by developing CuO-Fe3O4 composites with enhanced interfacial effect, which exhibited superior catalytic activity to their counterparts, with T90 (the temperature of toluene conversion reaching 90%) decreasing by approximately 50 °C. Structural analyses and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the active Cu2+-O-Fe3+ sites at the CuO-Fe3O4 interface improved low-temperature reducibility and oxygen species activity. Particularly, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy revealed the contraction and expansion of Cu-O and Fe-O bonds, respectively, which were responsible for the activation of the surface Olatt. A mechanistic study revealed that toluene can be oxidized by rapid dehydrogenation of methyl assisted by the highly active surface Olatt and subsequently undergo ring-opening and deep mineralization into CO2 following the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. This study provided a novel strategy to explore interface-enhanced TM catalysts for efficient surface Olatt activation and VOCs abatement.

Design of bimetallic catalyst with dual-functional Cu-Ce sites for synergistic NOX and toluene abatement

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) coexist in the flue gases from coal-fired power plants and iron/steel smelting industry. In this study, a dual-site catalyst, composed of Cu-Ce-Ti mixed oxide, was screened for the synergistic elimination of NOx and VOCs. The catalyst showed a synergistic removal efficiency above 95% for both C7H8 and NO at 250 °C, and sustain the NOx and VOCs removal efficiencies above 90% even in the presence of 5 vol% H2O and 500 ppm SO2 at 300 °C. Mechanistic studies revealed that the Cu and Ce sites play individual roles in toluene oxidation and NOx reduction, respectively. The primarily occurred SCR reaction facilitated electron exchange through the redox cycling between Ce4+/Ce3+ and Cu2+/Cu+ pairs, resulting in a high abundance of Cu2+ sites being highly active in toluene oxidation. This study could provide new strategy for high-performance catalysts toward synergistic NOx and VOCs abatement.

Ozone containment through selective mitigation measures on precursors of volatile organic compounds

Abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) ozone reduction is usually carried out by reducing the total amount of VOCs without considering reactivity between different species. This study incorporates the concept of maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) and speciation profiles into the industrial emission inventory of Taiwan to target organic species from industrial sources with the greatest ozone formation potentials (OFPs). These high OFP sources/species are then mitigated to assess the O3 reduction amount (ΔO3) with Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling under VOC-limited conditions. The objective is to minimize the number of target sources/species and their tonnage while achieving maximum O3 reduction. This approach is referred to as the Selective Precursor Mitigation (SPM).A case study of a high ozone episode (September 4–10, 2020) was chosen for illustration, during which a relatively stagnant atmospheric condition with minimal transboundary ozone occurred. A series of scenarios to target the highest OFP chemicals/industries for mitigation are compared for the achievable max. ΔO3, areas affected (area coverage), and reduction efficiency. For instance, by reducing the ten leading industry classes with the island's highest OFPs (OFPind), up to 19 % of max. 1-h ΔO3 can be expected. If, however, the same tonnage of VOCs as that of OFPind is distributed to all industries without considering the reactivity, called the overall mitigation (OM), comparable results to those of OFPind were found, but the number of sources needed to be managed with OM would increase by nearly three times (29,662 for OM vs. 11,981 for OFPind). Further reducing the management scale by only zooming in the ten highest OFP chemicals within the ten leading OFP industries (OFPsp) would result in relatively limited area coverage. Still, major ozone hot spots could be alleviated.Although the domain is set on the island of Taiwan, the SPM approach is universally applicable to other regions worldwide to gain the maximum ozone reduction effect at a minimized societal cost.

Ultrathin MnO2 with strong lattice disorder for catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds

Catalytic oxidation proves the most promising technology for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) abatement. Lattice disorder plays a crucial role in the catalytic activity of catalysts due to the exposure of more active sites. Inspired by this, we successfully prepared a series of ε-MnO2 with different lattice disorder defects via several simple methods and applied them to the catalytic oxidation of two typical VOCs (toluene and acetone). Various characterizations and performance tests confirm that the ultrathin (1.4–1.8 nm) structure and strong lattice disorder can enhance the low temperature reduction and reactive oxygen species, so that MnO2-R exhibits excellent toluene and acetone oxidation activities. In-situ DRIFTS tests were carried out to detect reaction intermediates in the toluene and acetone oxidation process on the catalyst surface. Moreover, we propose a possible synergistic mechanism for toluene and acetone mixtures catalytic oxidation. This work reveals the important role of lattice disorder defects in the catalytic oxidation of VOCs on Mn-based catalysts, and deepens the insights of the reaction path in toluene and acetone catalytic oxidation.

TiN nanoparticles/OMS-2 nanorods/carbonized wood composites for simultaneous solar water evaporation and abatement of volatile organic compound from undrinkable water

Severe air pollution, water pollution, and climate change have led to an increasing shortage of clean water. Solar interface water evaporation is becoming important to obtain distilled water from undrinkable water such as seawater and contaminated water. However, the as-obtained distilled water usually contains excessive volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are serious harmful to human health. In this article, a novel bi-functional material is prepared by depositing manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve (OMS-2) nanorods on carbonized wood (CW), which can simultaneously realize solar water evaporation and VOCs abatement. OMS-2 nanorods synthesized at lower hydrothermal temperature possess higher oxygen vacancy defects, which can improve not only the solar absorption and solar water evaporation rate but also solar driven photothermo-catalytic activity for the oxidation of VOCs. Doping TiN nanoparticles into CW/OMS-2 can further enhance the solar water evaporation performances and VOCs removal efficiencies because of its excellent solar absorption ability, which can further increase the temperature of OMS-2 catalyst and accelerate the solar water evaporation and the toluene degradation. The as-designed bifunctional composites possess an outstanding water evaporation rate over 1.436 kg m−2 h−1 and a toluene removal efficiency of 92.96% under 2.5 sun irradiation, indicating exciting prospects for efficiently producing clean water from undrinkable water with VOCs.

Technological solutions for NOx, SOx, and VOC abatement: recent breakthroughs and future directions.

NOx, SOx, and carbonaceous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are extremely harmful to the environment, and their concentrations must be within the limits prescribed by the region-specific pollution control boards. Thus, NOx, SOx, and VOC abatement is essential to safeguard the environment. Considering the importance of NOx, SOx, and VOC abatement, the discussion on selective catalytic reduction, oxidation, redox methods, and adsorption using noble metal and non-noble metal-based catalytic approaches were elaborated. This article covers different thermal treatment techniques, category of materials as catalysts, and its structure-property insights along with the advanced oxidation processes and adsorption. The defect engineered catalysts with lattice oxygen vacancies, bi- and tri-metallic noble metal catalysts and non-noble metal catalysts, modified metal organic frameworks, mixed-metal oxide supports, and their mechanisms have been thoroughly reviewed. The main hurdles and potential achievements in developing novel simultaneous NOx, SOx, and VOC removal technologies are critically discussed to envisage the future directions. This review highlights the removal of NOx, SOx, and VOC through material selection, properties, and mechanisms to further improve the existing abatement methods in an efficient way.

Redox-Induced In Situ Growth of MnO2 with Rich Oxygen Vacancies over Monolithic Copper Foam for Boosting Toluene Combustion.

Catalytic combustion has been known to be an effective technique in volatile organic compound (VOC) abatement. Developing monolithic catalysts with high activity at low temperatures is vital yet challenging in industrial applications. Herein, monolithic MnO2-Ov/CF catalysts were fabricated via the in situ growth of K2CuFe(CN)6 (CuFePBA, a family of metal-organic frames) over copper foam (CF) followed by a redox-etching route. The as-synthesized monolith MnO2-Ov-0.04/CF catalyst displays a superior low-temperature activity (T90% = 215 °C) and robust durability for toluene elimination even in the presence of 5 vol % water. Experimental results reveal that the CuFePBA template not only guides the in situ growth of δ-MnO2 with high loading over CF but also acts as a source of dopant to create more oxygen vacancies and weaken the strength of the Mn-O bond, which considerably improves the oxygen activation ability of δ-MnO2 and consequently boosts the low-temperature catalytic activity of the monolith MnO2-Ov-0.04/CF toward toluene oxidation. In addition, the reaction intermediate and proposed mechanism in the MnO2-Ov-0.04/CF mediated catalytic oxidation process were investigated. This study provides new insights into the development of highly active monolithic catalysts for the low-temperature oxidation of VOCs.

Effective technology for processing industrial volatile organic compounds by the atmospheric pressure microwave plasma torch

In this study, we investigated the abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by the atmospheric pressure microwave plasma torch (AMPT). To study the treatment efficiency of AMPT, we used the toluene and water-based varnish to simulate VOCs, respectively. By measuring the compounds and contents of the mixture gas before/after the microwave plasma process, we have calculated the treatment efficiency of AMPT. The experiment results show that the treatment efficiency of AMPT for toluene with a concentration of 17.32×104 ​ppm is up to 60 ​g/kWh with the removal rate of 86%. For the volatile compounds of water-based varnish, the removal efficiency is up to 97.99%. We have demonstrated the higher potential for VOCs removal of the AMPT process.

Contributions of Surface Oxygen Species and Photoinduced Holes on Photothermocatalytic Toluene Oxidation over CeO2–MgO

To reveal the activity enhancement mechanism of volatile organic compounds (VOC) oxidation reaction, is vital for developing high-efficiency and cost-effective photothermocatalytic materials. Herein, porous and low-cost CeO2–MgO composite oxides were simply constructed via the solution combustion method and applied for toluene photothermocatalytic oxidation. The conversion rate for 1500 ppm of toluene over the optimized sample could reach 90% under the photothermocatalytic process at 330 °C and a gas hourly space velocity of 60,000 mL·g–1·h–1. Both gas phase oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) played the dominant role in the photothermocatalytic activity while the total contribution rate of photoinduced holes and surface lattice oxygen was 25% to the activity. In situ Fourier transform infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance results revealed that the synergistic photothermo activation of molecular oxygen accelerated the low-temperature ROS formation. Under irradiation, photoinduced electrons could benefit the efficient transfer from superoxide radicals to peroxide radicals on material. Hence, it provides not only a comprehensive understanding on the activity enhancement mechanism at the molecular level but also a theoretical reference for designing objective catalysts for VOC abatement.

Characteristics of catalytic destruction of dichloromethane and ethyl acetate mixture over HxPO4-RuOx/CeO2 catalyst

Catalytic destruction is an ascendant technology for the abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originating from solvent-based industrial processes. The varied composition tends to influence each VOC's catalytic behavior in the reaction mixture. We investigated the catalytic destruction of multi-component VOCs including dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EA), as representatives from pharmaceutical waste gases, over co-supported HxPO4-RuOx/CeO2 catalyst. A mutual inhibitory effect relating to concentrations because of competitive adsorption was verified in the binary VOCs oxidation and EA posed a more negative effect on DCM oxidation owing to EA's superior adsorption capacity. Preferential adsorption of EA on acidic sites (HxPO4/CeO2) promoted DCM activation on basic sites (O2−) and the dominating EA oxidation blocked DCM's access to oxidation centers (RuOx/CeO2), resulting in boosted monochloromethane yield and increased chlorine deposition for DCM oxidation. The impaired redox ability of Ru species owing to chlorine deposition in turn jeopardized deep oxidation of EA and its by-products, leading to increased gaseous by-products such as acetic acid originating from EA pyrolysis. Notably, DCM at low concentration slightly promoted EA conversion at low temperatures with or without water, consistent with the enhanced EA adsorption in co-adsorption analyses. This was mainly due to that DCM impeded the shielding effect of hydrolysate deposition from rapid EA hydrolysis depending on the decreased acidity. Moreover, water benefited EA hydrolysis but decreased CO2 selectivity while the generated water derived from EA was likely to affect DCM transformation. This work may provide theoretical guidance for the promotion of applied catalysts toward industrial applications.

Atmospheric VOCs in an industrial coking facility and the surrounding area: Characteristics, spatial distribution and source apportionment

Industrial coking facilities are an important emission source for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study analyzed the atmospheric VOC characteristics within an industrial coking facility and its surrounding environment. Average concentrations of total VOCs (TVOCs) in the surrounding residential activity areas (R1 and R2), the coking facility (CF) and the control area (CA) were determined to be 138.5, 47.8, 550.0, and 15.0 µg/m3, respectively. The cold drum process and coking and quenching areas within the coking facility were identified as the main polluting processes. The spatial variation in VOCs composition was analyzed, showing that VOCs in the coking facility and surrounding areas were mainly dominated by aromatic compounds such as BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylenes) and naphthalene, with concentrations being negatively correlated with the distance from the coking facility (p < 0.01). The sources of VOCs in different functional areas across the monitoring area were analyzed, finding that coking emissions accounted for 73.5%, 33.3% and 27.7% of TVOCs in CF, R1 and R2, respectively. These results demonstrated that coking emissions had a significant impact on VOC concentrations in the areas surrounding coking facility. This study evaluates the spatial variation in exposure to VOCs, providing important information for the influence of VOCs concentration posed by coking facility to surrounding residents and the development of strategies for VOC abatement.