VOC Sources Research Articles

Study on Petroleum Wharf and Reservoir VOCs Emissions and Photochemical Reaction

Focusing on the environmental problems caused by VOCs emission and photochemical reactions in petroleum wharf and reservoir areas, a field experiment was conducted in Zhanjiang port. The VOCs emission and photochemical reaction, VOCs source model and the photochemical reaction mechanism were discussed. Through analyzing and comparing the measured and simulated results, firstly, a simplified mechanism model with the chain reaction balance coefficient is developed; secondly, VOCs emission amount during the temperature rising period (3h daily) is corrected as doubling the normal dose; thirdly, VOCs consumption amount during the photochemical reaction period (6h daily) is estimated as being 71.8% of VOCs emission amount; finally, the derived photochemical reaction equilibrium coefficient of O3 and PM were 0.084 and 0.79. Seven kinds of emission source models (including pipeline and valve leakage, fixed tank big breath with oiling, floating roof tank oiling and pumping loss, fixed tank small breath with temperature rising, oil storage still loss of internal and external floating roof tanks, ship and tank loading emissions) were applied to analyze the operation scenario and emission inventory in typical petroleum wharf and reservoir areas, of which the annual throughput is 3000 ´ 104 tons, and the annual average temperature is 22 °C. The calculated annual VOCs emission with modification is 1555.88 t. Using the VOCs emission and photochemical reaction models for different regions of the port, VOCs and PM emission inventories of major Chinese ports were calculated. The total emission amounts of VOCs and PM in 2012 were approximately 43296 t and 6140 t, mainly distributed in the port group located areas in Yangtze River Delta, Bohai rim and Pearl River Delta, as well as Beibu Gulf, Strait West. As the emission sources located more densely and the emission more intense, there will be more adverse cumulative effect on the regional air quality. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt more active and effective air pollution prevention and control measures in petroleum wharf and reservoir areas.

Behavior of VOCs and carbonyl compounds emission from different types of wallpapers and flooring materials in Korea

Behavior of VOCs and carbonyl compounds emission from different types of wallpapers and flooring materials in Korea Jung-Yun Lim, Sue-Jin Kim, Woo-Seok Lee, Jin-Seok Han, Jun-Seok Cha* Indoor Environment & Noise Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research(NIER), Environmental Research Complex, 42 Hwankyeong-Ro, Seo-Gu, Incheon, 404-708, Republic of Korea * E-mail : js11cha@korea.kr ABSTRACT Building materials are important sources of VOCs and carbonyl compounds in the indoor environment. Understanding the emission behavior of VOCs and carbonyl compounds from them is important to manage indoor air quality. This study evaluates VOCs and carbonyl compounds emission behaviors, using a 20 L small emission test chamber, for various kinds of solid phase building materials such as wallpapers and flooring materials. The materials used in the emission test were totally 575 pieces(wallpapers:332, flooring:243). Test samples were prepared according to ISO 160000-11 and standard test method for indoor air of Korea. TVOC and formaldehyde emission rates were higher for flooring materials than wallpapers. In the case of wallpapers, TVOC emission rate was in the order of PVC(foam-expanded) > natural paper > general paper and formaldehyde emission rate was in the order of natural paper > PVC(foam-expanded) > general paper. TVOC emission rate was about 8 times higher for PVC(foam-expanded) paper than non-PVC paper and the main detected substances were n-Dodecane and n-Tridecane. For the flooring materials, TVOC emission rate was in the order of carpet tile > PVC > wood-based panels and formaldehyde emission rate was in the order of wood-based panels > carpet tile > PVC. Especially, formaldehyde emission rate for wood-based panels was estimated as 0.047 mg/m2?h, which is much higher than carpet tile and PVC. Formaldehyde was detected at 50 products among 55, which showed more than 90% detection.

Assessment of impacts produced by anthropogenic sources in a little city near an important industrial area (Modugno, Southern Italy).

An annual monitoring campaign of VOCs, consisting of twelve sampling periods, was carried out from June 2008 to June 2009 in Modugno, a city located in the Apulia region (Southern Italy), in order to assess the urban air quality, identify the main emission sources, and quantify the cancer and no-cancer risk attributable to inhalation exposures. Monitoring, carried out by using the Radiello diffusive samplers, was conducted in eleven sampling sites throughout the city taking into account the traffic density and the architecture of the city. From the study of the data, it was found that, among all considered VOCs, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) are the pollutants at higher concentration. The analysis of VOC concentrations, the study of the topography of the city, and the use of different diagnostic ratios between the BTEX species showed that the vehicular traffic emissions were the predominant source of VOCs in the urban area of Modugno. Despite that the annual concentration of benzene is lower than the regulatory limit, the estimation of cancer risk showed that the global lifetime cancer risk attributed to the investigated VOC exposure was not negligible and therefore should be taken into account in future regulatory approaches.

Spatial distribution of ground-level urban background O3 concentrations in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, Argentina

In this work, a recently developed urban-scale atmospheric dispersion model (DAUMOD-GRS) is applied to evaluate the ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations resulting from anthropogenic area sources of NOx and VOC in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (MABA). The statistical comparison of model results with observations (including new available data from seventeen sites) shows a good model performance. Estimated summer highest diurnal O3 1-h concentrations in the MABA vary between 15 ppb in the most urbanised area and 53 ppb in the suburbs. All values are below the air quality standard. Several runs are performed to evaluate the impact of possible future emission reductions on O3 concentrations. Under all hypothetical scenarios, the maximum diurnal O3 1-h concentration obtained for the area is slightly reduced (up to 4%). However, maximum diurnal O3 concentrations could increase at some less urbanised areas of MABA depending on the relative reductions of the emissions of NOx and VOC.

Modelling secondary organic aerosol in the United Kingdom

The Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model, NAME, has been used to model the formation and transport of anthropogenic and biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) over North-West Europe in 2008. The model has been tested against daily organic carbon measurements at Harwell, a rural site in southern UK, where it was able to represent adequately the observed values in summer, with some under-prediction in winter. The model has been used to look at the contribution of SOA to total measured PM10 at four selected UK sites. The site with the greatest contribution (32%) of SOA to PM10 was Auchencorth, a rural site in Scotland and least (9%) at London Bloomsbury. The biogenic SOA (BSOA) dominated over the anthropogenic SOA (ASOA) in the UK and showed a strong seasonal cycle peaking in the summer. There was also a slight summer increase in ASOA. The model has been employed to provide source attribution between UK sources and sources in the rest of Europe. The contribution from Europe was generally small but varied considerably due to meteorology. The UK component showed a seasonal cycle, peaking in the summer months. On an annual basis, considering the four measurement sites, the percentage of SOA arriving from outside the UK was least at Auchencorth (9.8%) and most at London (28.4%). Total modelled SOA had a maximum contribution of 2–3 μg m−3 as a monthly average. (It should be noted that in addition there will be a small contribution from background SOA to these figures.) Emission sensitivity studies revealed that the response of ASOA was highly non-linear, showing both positive and negative responses to a 30% reduction in all man-made NOx sources and the response was greater than 1:1 to a 30% reduction in all man-made VOC sources. BSOA showed only a small negative response to a 30% NOx reduction and no change to a 30% VOC reduction.

APPLICATION OF CHEMICAL MASS BALANCE METHODOLOGY TO IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT SOURCES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OLFACTORY ANNOYANCE AT A RECEPTOR-SITE

The olfactory annoyance perceived at a receptor site of an industrial area is often the result of a combination of different smells, emitted by several industrial sources. The major issue in the case of complaints is to identify the main responsible of such pollution. For this purpose, tools able to determine the contribution of each source directly where the annoyance is perceived would simplify this identification. In this work, we use the source-receptor model CMB (Chemical Mass Balance) generally used for air pollution studies, by applying it for the first time to odour signatures. The contributions of VOC sources, coming from a waste treatment plant containing 3 potential sources of olfactory annoyance (waste storage, production of biogas, and compost piles of green wastes), and perceived at a village located downwind, are studied by chemical analyses and finally compared to olfactometric methods.

Evaluation of accuracy in measurements of VOC emissions with dynamic chamber system

We determined the accuracy of the dynamic chamber system for measuring VOC emissions of trees and soil in the field at SMEAR II station, Hyytiälä, Southern Finland. The study was based on creating a known source of different VOCs inside the chamber and measuring the concentration dynamics in the chamber by a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) connected to the chamber. The chamber system underestimated the artificially generated VOC emission rates at varying degree. In isoprene, monoterpene and many oxygenated VOCs the underestimation was 5–30% but in some compounds with protonated mass >100 amu the signal was almost completely lost. The underestimation mainly originated in the chamber but the length of the sample tubing also affected the observed magnitude of the standard gas emission. The systematic error was higher at high relative humidity than in drier conditions, which suggests that the thickness of the water film adsorbed on the chamber inner surfaces contributes to the VOC loss rate in the chamber. Increasing the length of the chamber closure time slightly reduced the systematic underestimation of emission in most of the studied compounds although the underestimation persisted for at least 10 min. A dynamic chamber setup enables measurement of VOC emissions with good accuracy and precision while minimising the disturbance of the chamber to the object being measured.

Model-based approach to account for the variation of primary VOC emissions over time in the identification of indoor VOC sources

The study objectives were to improve the understanding of the long-term variation of VOC emission chromatograms of building materials and to develop a method to account for this variation in the identification of individual sources of VOC emissions. This is of importance for the application of the source identification method since materials age over time in real indoor environments. The method is based on the mixed air sample measurements containing pollutants from multiple aged materials and the emission signatures of individual new materials determined by PTR-MS. Three emission decay source models were employed and evaluated for their ability to track the change of individual material emission signatures by PTR-MS over a nine-month period. Nine building material specimens were studied in a ventilated 50-L small-size chamber for their emissions individually for nine months, and also in combination later. Chamber exhaust air was sampled by PTR-MS to construct a temporal profile of emission signature unique to individual product type. The similar process was taken to measure mixture emissions from multiple materials, which is for applying and validating the developed method for source identification enhancement, considering the variation in long-term emission rates of individual VOCs. Results showed that the proposed approach could predict the emission signatures of individual building materials at a later time (9-month) with less than 6% difference variance, and hence indicated the potential of the source identification method for aged materials in real indoor environments.

Comparative Evaluation of VOC Source Profiles Developed by PMF and UNMIX Models

Comparative Evaluation of VOC Source Profiles Developed by PMF and UNMIX Models

Seasonal Characteristics of VOC Compositions and Source Apportionment in the Kansai Area, Japan

Seasonal Characteristics of VOC Compositions and Source Apportionment in the Kansai Area, Japan

Volatile Organic Compounds in Small- and Medium-Sized Commercial Buildings in California

While small- and medium-sized commercial buildings (SMCBs) make up 96% of the commercial buildings in the U.S., serving a large variety of uses, little information is available on indoor air quality (IAQ) in SMCBs. This study investigated 37 SMCBs distributed across different sizes, ages, uses, and regions of California. We report indoor concentrations and whole building emission rates of a suite of 30 VOCs and aldehydes in these buildings. There was a considerable range in the concentrations for each of the contaminants, especially for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, d-limonene, 2-butoxyethanol, toluene, 2,2,4-trimethylpentanediol diisobutyrate, and diethylphthalate. The cause of higher concentrations in some building categories generally corresponded to expected sources, for example, chloroform was higher in restaurants and grocery stores, and formaldehyde was higher in retail stores and offices. Factor analysis suggests sources in SMCBs include automobile/traffic, cleaning products, occupant sources, wood products/coating, and plasticizers. The comparison to health guidelines showed that formaldehyde concentrations were above the chronic RELs required by the OEHHA (9 μg/m³) in 86% of the buildings. Data collected in this study begins to fill the knowledge gap for IAQ in SMCBs and helps us understand the indoor sources of VOCs to further improve indoor air quality in SMCBs.

Release of contaminants from a heterogeneously fractured low permeability unit underlying a DNAPL source zone

The invasion of DNAPL into fractured low permeability deposits results in the formation of secondary source zones that represent a long-term source of VOCs to adjacent aquifers. We present data from a site underlain by a fractured mudstone contaminated with TCE DNAPL that was poised for release following remediation of the overlying aquifer. Observations of contaminant distributions and fracture networks from the site and a nearby mudstone exposure respectively, enabled prediction of the imminent aquifer recontamination. The fractures, likely formed by gypsum dissolution, were characterised by fracture apertures and spacings that ranged from 0.01 to 49 mm and 0.047 to 3.37 m (10th and 90th percentile values) respectively. Numerical model results show that prediction of outward mass flux in the first year was highly variable (8 to 32 g/m²/d for an initial constant concentration with depth profile) and dependent on both the fracture spacing and aperture and the contaminant distribution. However after 1 year, assuming a heterogeneous distribution of fractures, mass flux was predictable within a narrow range of values (at 20 years; 0.04-0.08 g/m²/d). Similar results were obtained from more typical fracture networks with spacings of 0.1 to 0.5 m and apertures of 10 to 100 μm. These results suggest that when considering potential recontamination in a bounding aquifer, fracture characterisation may not be necessary and instead the focus should be on determining the surface area contributing contaminant mass to an aquifer, the contaminant concentration depth profiles, the hydraulic properties of the receiving aquifer and the elapsed time since aquifer remediation.

Contribution of long range transport to local fine particulate matter concerns

Abstract We have utilized the Particulate Matter Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) in PMCAMx (a regional chemical transport model) to quantify the contributions from local emissions and short range (under 100 km), mid range (100–550 km) and long range (over 550 km) pollutant transport to both primary and secondary particulate matter concentrations using the Eastern United States as a test case. We have studied these contributions for two urban (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia) and one rural area (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) during all seasons. The local emissions impacts to elemental carbon (EC) in major urban areas were found to be substantial with approximately 50% of the EC coming from local sources and 80% emitted within 200 km of the receptor. The local sources are even more important during the night contributing around 60% of the EC and then dropping to around 40% during the early afternoon. The EC in the rural Great Smoky Mountains was mainly the result of sources 100–550 km away. The seasonal variation of the EC source area contributions is small. There was also little difference between high and low EC concentration days. The contributions to secondary aerosol species were found to be more regional with more than 50% of the sulfate and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) originating from SO2 and VOC sources that were more than 200 km away from the receptor. The importance of sources further away increased during the winter because of the lower photochemical activity. While mid range transport dominated in the summer the sulfate and SOA levels in all areas, long range transport became the most important sulfate and SOA source during the winter in the colder Northeastern US and of sulfate in the warmer South.

Atmospheric Emission Inventory for Natural and Anthropogenic Sources and Spatial Emission Mapping for the Greater Athens Area

A spatially, temporally and chemically resolved emission inventory for particulate matter and gaseous species from anthropogenic and natural sources was created for the Greater Athens Area (GAA; base year, 2007). Anthropogenic sources considered in this study include combustion (industrial, non-industrial, commercial and residential), industrial production, transportation, agriculture, waste treatment and solvent use. The annual gaseous pollutants (ΝΟx, SOx, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), CO and ΝΗ3) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM2.5–10) emissions were derived from the UNECE/EMEP database for most source sectors (SNAP 1–9; 50 × 50 km2) and their spatial resolution was increased using surrogate spatial datasets (land cover, population density, location and emissions of large point sources, emission weighting factors for the GAA; 1 × 1 km2). The emissions were then temporally disaggregated in order to provide hourly emissions for atmospheric pollution modelling using monthly, daily and hourly disintegration coefficients, and additionally the chemical speciation of size-segregated particles and NMVOCs emissions was performed. Emissions from agriculture (SNAP 10) and natural emissions of particulate matter from the soil (by wind erosion) and the sea surface and of biogenic gaseous pollutants from vegetation were also estimated. During 2007 the anthropogenic emissions of CO, SOx, NOx, NMVOCs, NH3, PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 from the GAA were 151,150, 57,086, 68,008, 38,270, 2,219, 9,026 and 3,896 Mg, respectively. It was found that road transport was the major source for CO (73.3%), NMVOCs (31.6%) and NOx (35.3%) emissions in the area. Another important source for NOx emissions was other mobile sources and machinery (23.1%). Combustion for energy production and transformation industries was the major source for SOx (38.5%), industrial combustion for anthropogenic PM2.5–10 emissions (59.5%), whereas non-industrial combustion was the major source of PM2.5 emissions (49.6%). Agriculture was the primary NH3 source in the area (72.1%). Natural vegetation was found to be an important source of VOCs in the area which accounted for approximately the 5% of total VOCs emitted from GAA on a typical winter day. The contribution of sea-salt particles to the emissions of PM2.5 was rather small, whereas the emissions of resuspended dust particles exceeded by far the emissions of PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 from all anthropogenic sources.

Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in 40 Small and Medium Sized Commercial Buildings in California: Indoor Air Quality Methods and Findings

PP-30-137 Background/Aims: As buildings become increasingly conscientious about energy use related to heating and cooling, it become more important to raise awareness of potential sources of indoor sources of both VOCs and particulate matter. A survey of forty of California's (CA) small and medium sized commercial buildings (SMCBs, 1000–50,000 sq ft, 90–4600 m2) was conducted to characterize their ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ). Methods: The study was designed to include a wide variety of building types, such as offices, retail, restaurants, grocery stores, beauty salons, gas stations, and other building types. A suite of VOCs, aldehydes, and particulate matter were measured inside and outside the buildings over several hours. Results: Based on the results from the first 21 buildings, mean indoor concentrations for some of the traditionally measured compounds include 0.8 μg/m3 for benzene, 9.5 μg/m3 for toluene, 22 μg/m3 for formaldehyde, and 13 μg/m3 for acetaldehyde. The study also included compounds only more recently measured in indoor spaces, reported as median values, such as 2-butoxy ethanol (3.9 μg/m3), d-limonene (6.4 μg/m3), TXIB (1.0 μg/m3), and D5-Siloxane (24 μg/m3). There was a considerable range in the actual concentrations for each of the contaminants. The majority of the buildings had indoor/outdoor ratios less than 1.0 for both ultrafine and PM2.5. However, some of the buildings had clear indications of indoor PM sources with higher indoor levels than outdoor levels. Results on all 40 buildings will be presented at the conference. Conclusion: There is considerable variability in the levels of indoor air pollutants across the wide range of building types found in the small and medium commercial building stock. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the funding agencies, California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission.

Evaluation of Vapor Attenuation at Petroleum Hydrocarbon Sites: Considerations for Site Screening and Investigation

Vapor intrusion is associated with subsurface sources of both chlorinated VOCs and petroleum VOCs; however, petroleum vapor intrusion has been reported to occur under a narrower range of hydrogeologic settings. Research conducted over the last several years including field studies, evaluation of large datasets, and modeling studies, has provided an improved understanding of the differences in vapor intrusion associated with chlorinated VOCs and petroleum VOCs. When oxygen is present in the vadose zone, aerobic biodegradation typically results in rapid attenuation of petroleum VOCs diffusing upwards from deeper sources. At many building sites, wind-driven advection and/or building pressure fluctuations provide sufficient oxygen transport below the foundation to support this aerobic biodegradation. In such cases, there is limited potential for vapor intrusion from dissolved sources of petroleum VOCs unless preferential migration pathways are present. These findings support a framework for the evaluation of vapor intrusion at petroleum hydrocarbon sites that involves simple screening for preferential pathways at sites with sufficient vertical separation between the building and a dissolved source (e.g., 3 m) or a LNAPL source (e.g., 10 m), but a more intensive investigation at sites with petroleum sources in closer proximity to the building.

Chemical evolution of secondary organic aerosol from OH-initiated heterogeneous oxidation

Abstract. The heterogeneous oxidation of laboratory Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) particles by OH radicals was investigated. SOA particles, produced by reaction of α-pinene and O3, were exposed to OH radicals in a flow tube, and particle chemical composition, size, and hygroscopicity were measured to assess modifications due to oxidative aging. Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) mass spectra indicated that the degree of oxidation of 200 nm diameter SOA particles was significantly enhanced due to OH-initiated oxidation, as evidenced by the increase in the fraction of m/z 44 fragment of total organic mass concentration (F44). F44 values of the SOA particles, initially in the range F44=0.04–0.07, increased by up to ΔF44~0.01 under equivalent atmospheric aging timescales of 2 weeks, assuming a 24-h average OH concentration of 106 cm−3. Particle O/C ratios calculated from F44 values, initially in the range O/C=0.25–0.35, rose by a maximum of ΔO/C~0.04 units for 2 weeks of aging. Particle densities also increased with heterogeneous oxidation, consistent with the observed increase in the degree of oxidation. Minor reductions in particle size, with volume losses of up to 10%, were observed due to volatilization of oxidation products. The SOA particles activated more readily to form cloud droplets with an increase in the κ hygroscopicity parameter of up to a factor of two for the equivalent of 2 weeks of OH atmospheric exposure. These results indicate that OH heterogeneous oxidation of typical SOA needs to be considered as an atmospheric organic aerosol aging mechanism, most likely of higher relative importance away from VOC source regions, where other aging mechanisms are less dominant.

Emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons from cars in China

This study investigated the exhaust emission of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) from cars in China at the Beijing driving cycle on the chassis dynamometer. The emission factor average of NMHCs was 0.9 g/km, which was over twice that from the Australian car fleet and 2–4 times that of the American car emission in the 1990s–2000s. The emission profile of Beijing cars showed higher fractions of aromatics and C4–C7 HCs, and lower percentages of C2–C3 HCs, compared with those of the US car fleet. The average ratio of benzene/toluene for cars tested was 0.5, the average benzene/toluene/ethyl benzene/xylenes (BTEX) ratios were 1/2.2/0.1/1.8, which were consistent with those of the Tanyugou tunnel located in the suburb of Beijing. α-pinene and β-pinene were detected from the exhaust gas on dynamometer for the first time, and had likely similar exhaust emission characteristics with C2–C3 HCs and styrene, giving an evidence that air pinenes may be related to human activities. Isoprene was also detected directly. These observations suggest that the procedure regarding pinenes and isoprene as coming from biologic sources of VOCs in the atmosphere should be applied with great care, especially in the core of the big city like Beijing. The specific reactivity of NMHCs was higher than that of cars of US, and the specific reactivity of volatile aromatic compounds was higher than that of the US SPECIATE database.

Rapid formation of isoprene photo-oxidation products observed in Amazonia

Abstract. Isoprene represents the single most important reactive hydrocarbon for atmospheric chemistry in the tropical atmosphere. It plays a central role in global and regional atmospheric chemistry and possible climate feedbacks. Photo-oxidation of primary hydrocarbons (e.g. isoprene) leads to the formation of oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs). The evolution of these intermediates affects the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere (by reacting with OH) and can contribute to secondary aerosol formation, a poorly understood process. An accurate and quantitative understanding of VOC oxidation processes is needed for model simulations of regional air quality and global climate. Based on field measurements conducted during the Amazonian Aerosol Characterization Experiment (AMAZE-08) we show that the production of certain OVOCs (e.g. hydroxyacetone) from isoprene photo-oxidation in the lower atmosphere is significantly underpredicted by standard chemistry schemes. Recently reported fast secondary production could explain 50% of the observed discrepancy with the remaining part possibly produced via a novel primary production channel, which has been proposed theoretically. The observations of OVOCs are also used to test a recently proposed HOx recycling mechanism via degradation of isoprene peroxy radicals. If generalized our observations suggest that prompt photochemical formation of OVOCs and other uncertainties in VOC oxidation schemes could result in uncertainties of modelled OH reactivity, potentially explaining a fraction of the missing OH sink over forests which has previously been largely attributed to a missing source of primary biogenic VOCs.

Optimization of FLEC ®-SPME for field passive sampling of VOCs emitted from solid building materials

The FLEC ®-SPME sampler, described in a previous paper, consists of an emission cell coupled with solid phase microextraction (SPME) for passive sampling of VOCs emitted from building materials. It represents an interesting alternative to standard dynamic sampling protocol as it is easier to implement. If standard dynamic sampling determines emission rates, passive FLEC ®-SPME aims to the determination of the concentration in air at the material surface. That could be assumed provided that material/air equilibrium is reached. Thus, VOCs emission kinetics were studied for 3 different materials (pine wood panel, carpet and PVC floor) to determine equilibrium times. Then, the relevance of the method has been assessed using new materials through a 3-day emission test. Qualitative results were compared to those obtained from the standard method to check the ability of FLEC ®-SPME to detect the most toxic compounds, named “VOCs of interest” and listed in the French regulation. Minor differences were observed, so this methodology seems promising, especially for field studies aiming in the identification of VOCs sources in buildings. Moreover, the concentration at the material surface combined to emission modeling could be used to predict indoor VOCs concentrations helping in indoor air quality diagnostic.