scholarly journals Characterization, sources and reactivity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Seoul and surrounding regions during KORUS-AQ

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel J. Simpson ◽  
Donald R. Blake ◽  
Nicola J. Blake ◽  
Simone Meinardi ◽  
Barbara Barletta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Carbonyl Sulfide ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Range Transport ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Research Aircraft

The Korea-United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ) took place in spring 2016 to better understand air pollution in Korea. In support of KORUS-AQ, 2554 whole air samples (WAS) were collected aboard the NASA DC-8 research aircraft and analyzed for 82 C1–C10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using multi-column gas chromatography. Together with fast-response measurements from other groups, the air samples were used to characterize the VOC composition in Seoul and surrounding regions, determine which VOCs are major ozone precursors in Seoul, and identify the sources of these reactive VOCs. (1) The WAS VOCs showed distinct signatures depending on their source origins. Air collected over Seoul had abundant ethane, propane, toluene and n-butane while plumes from the Daesan petrochemical complex were rich in ethene, C2–C6 alkanes and benzene. Carbonyl sulfide (COS), CFC-113, CFC-114, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and 1,2-dichloroethane were good tracers of air originating from China. CFC-11 was also elevated in air from China but was surprisingly more elevated in air over Seoul. (2) Methanol, isoprene, toluene, xylenes and ethene were strong individual contributors to OH reactivity in Seoul. However methanol contributed less to ozone formation based on photochemical box modeling, which better accounts for radical chemistry. (3) Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and other techniques indicated a mix of VOC source influences in Seoul, including solvents, traffic, biogenic, and long-range transport. The solvent and traffic sources were roughly equal using PMF, and the solvents source was stronger in the KORUS-AQ emission inventory. Based on PMF, ethene and propene were primarily associated with traffic, and toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes with solvents, especially non-paint solvents for toluene and paint solvents for ethylbenzene and xylenes. This suggests that VOC control strategies in Seoul could continue to target vehicle exhaust and paint solvents, with additional regulations to limit the VOC content in a variety of non-paint solvents.

scholarly journals Geographical Distribution and Risk Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds in Tributaries of the Han River Watershed

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 956
Author(s):  
Jong-Kwon Im ◽  
Yong-Chul Cho ◽  
Hye-Ran Noh ◽  
Soon-Ju Yu
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
River Watershed ◽  
Han River ◽  
Detection Frequency ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Mean Concentration

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystem, are increasingly released into the environment by anthropogenic activities. Water samples were collected from five areas of the Han River Watershed (HRW) tributaries, South Korea, to detect 11 VOCs, which were classified as halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) and aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs). Among the 11 VOCs, 1,1-dichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and vinyl chloride were undetected. The highest concentration compounds were chloroform (0.0596 ± 0.1312 µg/L), trichloroethylene (0.0253 ± 0.0781 µg/L), and toluene (0.0054 ± 0.0139 µg/L). The mean concentration (0.0234 µg/L) and detection frequency (37.0%) of HAHs were higher than those of AHs (0.0036 µg/L, 21.0%, respectively). The Imjin Hantan River area exhibited the highest mean concentration (0.2432 µg/L) and detection frequency (22.9%), because it is located near industrial complexes, thus, highlighting their role as important VOC sources. However, the detected VOCs had lower concentrations than those permitted by the EU, WHO, USA, and South Korea drinking water guidelines. Ecological risks associated with the VOCs were estimated by risk quotient (RQ); consequently, the predicted no-effect concentration was 0.0029 mg/L, and the toluene and styrene RQ values were >1 and >0.5, respectively. The findings may facilitate policymakers in designing pollution control strategies.

scholarly journals Comparison of primary aerosol emission and secondary aerosol formation from gasoline direct injection and port fuel injection vehicles

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 9011-9023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuofei Du ◽  
Min Hu ◽  
Jianfei Peng ◽  
Wenbin Zhang ◽  
Jing Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Fuel Injection ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
Gasoline Direct Injection ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust ◽  
Port Fuel Injection ◽  
Gasoline Vehicles ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Gasoline vehicles significantly contribute to urban particulate matter (PM) pollution. Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines, known for their higher fuel efficiency than that of port fuel injection (PFI) engines, have been increasingly employed in new gasoline vehicles. However, the impact of this trend on air quality is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated both primary emissions and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from a GDI and a PFI vehicle under an urban-like driving condition, using combined approaches involving chassis dynamometer measurements and an environmental chamber simulation. The PFI vehicle emits slightly more volatile organic compounds, e.g., benzene and toluene, whereas the GDI vehicle emits more particulate components, e.g., total PM, elemental carbon, primary organic aerosols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Strikingly, we found a much higher SOA production (by a factor of approximately 2.7) from the exhaust of the GDI vehicle than that of the PFI vehicle under the same conditions. More importantly, the higher SOA production found in the GDI vehicle exhaust occurs concurrently with lower concentrations of traditional SOA precursors, e.g., benzene and toluene, indicating a greater contribution of intermediate volatility organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds in the GDI vehicle exhaust to the SOA formation. Our results highlight the considerable potential contribution of GDI vehicles to urban air pollution in the future.

High sensitivity and fast response SnO2 and La-SnO2 catalytic pellet sensors in detecting volatile organic compounds

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaik Tin Ang ◽  
Geik Hoon Toh ◽  
Mohamad Zailani Abu Bakar ◽  
Ahmad Zuhairi Abdullah ◽  
Mohd Roslee Othman
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Volatile Organic

scholarly journals Hygienic assessment of chemical composition of pollutants generated in various ways of consumption nicotine-containing product

2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 638-644
Author(s):  
Ekaterina V. Zaritskaya ◽  
I. Sh. Yakubova ◽  
A. Yu. Mikheeva ◽  
L. A. Alikbaeva
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Delivery System ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Sampling ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Unknown Composition

Introduction. Lack of studies proving or denying passive smoker health risks caused by electronic cigarettes prevented from introducing restrictive measures and considering them to be tobacco products as early as in 2013. Indoor air pollution by consumed nicotine-containing products in extra-low concentrations which could be detected using high-tech lab mass-spectrometry techniques was the object of study. Material and methods. “Unknown composition” air sampling was carried out in the process of simulation tests. Three types of tobacco products were used in the tests: tobacco cigarettes, electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS), battery-powered heat-not-burn tobacco cigarettes (IQOS) with tobacco sticks. “Unknown composition” air samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds, medium volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (total and separately 16 priority PAHs, inorganic elements (Si, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni). Sampling was carried out three times a day on separate days for each type of product and control, a total of 12 “unknown composition” air samples being collected. The study of “unknown composition” air samples was carried out at the accredited chemical-analytical center “Arbitrazh” of the D.I. Mendeleev Institute of Metrology (accreditation certificate РОСС RU.0001.510650).Results. A total number of 115 chemicals were determined, and among them, substances significant concentrations of which are most likely related to tobacco or nicotine consumption, as compared to control, and depend on the type of nicotine-containing product, were identified. Statistically significant concentration excess (р≤ 0.05), as compared to control, was seen for 27 chemicals in indoor air polluted by-products of consumed tobacco cigarettes; when using electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) the excess (р≤ 0.05) was shown for 2 chemicals, i.e.: acenaphthylene and benz(a)perene, and when using heat-not-burn tobacco products (IQOS) the excess of studied chemical concentrations in comparison with control was not reported.Conclusion. Findings of comparative analysis of “unknown composition” air sampling give evidence that a much larger number of harmful chemicals at significantly exceeded concentrations (р≤ 0.05), including those causing human health risks, is released when smoking cigarettes, as compared to using ENDS or IQOS.

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