scholarly journals Air Quality Assessment in the Central Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea): Anthropic Impact and Miscellaneous Natural Sources, including Volcanic Contribution, on the Budget of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1609
Author(s):  
Francesca Vichi ◽  
Antonietta Ianniello ◽  
Massimiliano Frattoni ◽  
Andrea Imperiali ◽  
Giulio Esposito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Sulphur Dioxide ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Noticeable Effect ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Anthropic Impact ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The Impact

The results of air pollution assessment during a 2017 cruise of the research ship “Minerva Uno” in the Tyrrhenian Sea are reported. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs), and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, and sulphur dioxide were monitored throughout the cruise. The shallow waters at ten sites of the investigated area were also analyzed. Organic compounds such as n-alkanes showed a bimodal distribution with a maximum at C5–C6 and C10–C11 at sites the most affected by anthropic impact, whereas remote sites showed a unimodal distribution with maximum at C10–C11. The most abundant atmospheric OVOC was acetone (3.66 μg/m3), accounting for 38%; formaldehyde (1.23 μg/m3) and acetaldehyde (0.99 μg/m3) made up about 22–29% of the total. The influence of some natural sources as volcanoes, in the southern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Aeolian arc was studied. This source did not induce any noticeable effect on the total amount of hydrocarbons nor on the levels of trace gases such as CFCs, whereas the trends of sulphur dioxide seemed to confirm a possible contribution. The impact of underwater emissions was observed near the Panarea and Vulcano islands, where lower pHs, high levels of Fe and Mn, and diagnostic of vent activity, were measured.

scholarly journals Characteristics of marine shipping emissions at berth: profiles for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 9527-9545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Xiao ◽  
Mei Li ◽  
Huan Liu ◽  
Mingliang Fu ◽  
Fanyuan Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Elemental Carbon ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Diesel Oil ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Emissions from ships at berth play an important role regarding the exposure of high density human populations to atmospheric pollutants in port areas; however, these emissions are not well understood. In this study, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particle emissions from 20 container ships at berth were sampled and analyzed during the “fuel switch” period at Jingtang Port in Hebei Province, China. VOCs and particles were analyzed using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS), respectively. VOC analysis showed that alkanes and aromatics, especially benzene, toluene and heavier compounds e.g., n-heptane, n-octane and n-nonane, dominated the total identified species. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yields and ozone (O3) forming potential were 0.017 ± 0.007 g SOA g−1 VOCs and 2.63 ± 0.37 g O3 g−1 VOCs, respectively. Both positive and negative ion mass spectra from individual ships were derived and the intensity of specific ions were quantified. Results showed that elemental carbon (35.74 %), elemental carbon–organic carbon mixtures (33.95 %) and Na-rich particles (21.12 %) were major classes, comprising 90.7 % of the particles observed. Particles from ship auxiliary engines were in the 0.2 to 2.5 µm size range, with a peak occurring at around 0.4 µm. The issue of using vanadium (V) as tracer element was examined, and it was found that V was not a proper tracer of ship emissions when using low sulfur content diesel oil. The average percentage of sulfate particles observed in shipping emissions before and after switching to marine diesel oil remained unchanged at 24 %. Under certain wind conditions, when berths were upwind of emission sources, the ratios before and after 1 January were 35 and 27 % respectively. The impact of atmospheric stability was discussed based on PM2.5 and primary pollutant (carbon monoxide) concentration. With a background of frequent haze episodes and complex mechanisms of particulate accumulation and secondary formation, the impact of atmospheric stability is believed to have been weak on the sulfate contribution from shipping emissions. The results from this study provide robust support for port area air quality assessment and source apportionment.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of biogenic volatile organic compounds to land surface parameterizations and vegetation distributions in California

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1959-1976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Zhao ◽  
Maoyi Huang ◽  
Jerome D. Fast ◽  
Larry K. Berg ◽  
Yun Qian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Vegetation Map ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Current climate models still have large uncertainties in estimating biogenic trace gases, which can significantly affect atmospheric chemistry and secondary aerosol formation that ultimately influences air quality and aerosol radiative forcing. These uncertainties result from many factors, including uncertainties in land surface processes and specification of vegetation types, both of which can affect the simulated near-surface fluxes of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). In this study, the latest version of Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN v2.1) is coupled within the land surface scheme CLM4 (Community Land Model version 4.0) in the Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry (WRF-Chem). In this implementation, MEGAN v2.1 shares a consistent vegetation map with CLM4 for estimating BVOC emissions. This is unlike MEGAN v2.0 in the public version of WRF-Chem that uses a stand-alone vegetation map that differs from what is used by land surface schemes. This improved modeling framework is used to investigate the impact of two land surface schemes, CLM4 and Noah, on BVOCs and examine the sensitivity of BVOCs to vegetation distributions in California. The measurements collected during the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) and the California Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Experiment (CalNex) conducted in June of 2010 provided an opportunity to evaluate the simulated BVOCs. Sensitivity experiments show that land surface schemes do influence the simulated BVOCs, but the impact is much smaller than that of vegetation distributions. This study indicates that more effort is needed to obtain the most appropriate and accurate land cover data sets for climate and air quality models in terms of simulating BVOCs, oxidant chemistry and, consequently, secondary organic aerosol formation.

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.

scholarly journals Is forest management a significant source of monoterpenes into the boreal atmosphere?

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1291-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Haapanala ◽  
H. Hakola ◽  
H. Hellén ◽  
M. Vestenius ◽  
J. Levula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Emission Rate ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Scots Pine Forests ◽  
Logging Residue

Abstract. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including terpenoids are emitted into the atmosphere from various natural sources. Damaging the plant tissue is known to strongly increase their monoterpene release. We measured the terpenoid emissions caused by timber felling, i.e. those from stumps and logging residue. The emissions from stumps were studied using enclosures and those from the whole felling area using an ecosystem-scale micrometeorological method, disjunct eddy accumulation (DEA). The compounds analyzed were isoprene, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Strong emissions of monoterpenes were measured from both the stumps and from the whole felling area. The emission rate decreased rapidly within a few months after the logging. In addition to fresh logging residue, the results suggest also other strong monoterpene sources may be present in the felling area. These could include pre-existing litter, increased microbial activity and remaining undergrowth. In order to evaluate the possible importance of monoterpenes emitted annually from cut Scots pine forests in Finland, we conducted a rough upscaling calculation. The resulting monoterpene release was approximated to be on the order of 15 kilotonnes per year, which corresponds to about one tenth of the monoterpene release from intact forests in Finland.

scholarly journals Storage Stability of Volatile Organic Compounds from Petrochemical Plant of China in Different Sample Bags

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fenglei Han ◽  
Huangrong Zhong ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
Yongqiang Wang ◽  
Fang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Recovery Rate ◽  
Storage Stability ◽  
Petrochemical Plant ◽  
Pure Nitrogen ◽  
Molecular Weights ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Protective Gas ◽  
The Impact

According to the emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the petrochemical plants of China, the storage stability of VOCs for two different bags, polyester aluminum (PEA) and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), was investigated in this study by comparing the adsorption of gas samples. A series of experiments were carried out to study the impact of different factors of sampling in the petrochemical industry. The results showed that the C2∼C3 substances can be adsorbed by the Tedlar bag, and after being refilled with pure nitrogen, the VOCs adsorbed previously by the bag material can be released. The aromatic hydrocarbon VOCs with larger molecular weight had a relatively lower recovery rate than the smaller molecular weights. And the average recovery of PEA airbags was significantly better than that of PVF airbags for storing stationary VOCs in the refinery of China. More kinds of substances can be detected in the airbags that had been added with helium protective gas, and it had a higher recovery rate for both kinds of simple bags after 24 hours of storage time, which indicated that the airbags without protective gas had adsorbed these substances.

scholarly journals Assessment of the impact of the traffic situation in urban area on the amount of volatile organic compounds getting into the cabin of the car on the road

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 00073
Author(s):  
Maria Skrętowicz ◽  
Joanna Świeściak
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Traffic Situation ◽  
Traffic Intensity ◽  
The Road ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Time Of Travel ◽  
The Impact

In the paper the levels of concentrations of volatile organic compounds getting into car cabin during the driving have been measured. Three series of the tests have been performed. Each series has been carried out in different road situation in terms of traffic intensity. For the tests exploited passenger car, Subaru Impreza was used. Before every series the background measurements was carried out and directly after that, the correct the correct tests were performed. Inside the cabin 14 different organic compounds have been identified. To analyse the change of the concentrations levels between the correct and background test have been calculated. The results indicate that the longer time of travel caused that the driver and passengers are more exposed to highest concentrations of VOCs.

Volatile Organic Compounds in the atmosphere of the Great Athens area: The case of a port site close to Piraeus, Greece

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Liakakou ◽  
Anastasia Panopoulou ◽  
Georgios Grivas ◽  
Stéphane Sauvage ◽  
Theodora Kritikou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Pollution Monitoring ◽  
Low Wind Speed ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Transport Ship ◽  
The Impact

<p>VOCs are key atmospheric constituents for both health and climate issues and further knowledge is still needed about their sources and fate. The presence of volatile organic compounds in ambient air is strongly dependent on the site characteristics and a harbor area undergoes many source typologies such as road transport, ship emissions and contaminants of commercial activities, the shipbuilding zone and other operating facilities. The current work was implemented at the recently established Atmospheric Pollution Monitoring Station of the Municipality of Keratsini-Drapetsona located in the close vicinity of the Piraeus port. Since December 2018 an automatic gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector (FID) continuously monitors at a 30 minutes time resolution non methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) focusing on hazardous compounds (aromatics) and strong precursors (aromatics, monoterpenes) of secondary pollutants like ozone and secondary organic aerosols. High levels of benzene were observed, especially during the morning to noon period, and the mean concentration of both benzene and toluene were two-folded in summer (July and August 2019) compared to winter (January and February 2019). Ethylbenzene follows the same pattern, whereas xylenes presented comparable levels during the cold and warm periods. Preliminary results based on source apportionment techniques are presented. In general terms the NMHC levels present their maximum under the impact of low wind speed, addressing thus the role of local emission sources, which are further investigated by the ratios used as tracking tools of processes of different origin (e.g. the traffic related ratio of toluene/benzene).</p>

scholarly journals Evidence of the impact of deep convection on reactive Volatile Organic Compounds in the upper tropical troposphere during the AMMA experiment in West Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 10321-10334 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bechara ◽  
A. Borbon ◽  
C. Jambert ◽  
A. Colomb ◽  
P. E. Perros
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Convective Conditions ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Convective Systems ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. A large dataset of reactive trace gases was collected for the first time over West Africa during the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) field experiment in August 2006. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC from C5–C9) were measured onboard the two French aircrafts the ATR-42 and the Falcon-20 by a new instrument AMOVOC (Airborne Measurement Of Volatile Organic Compounds). The goal of this study is (i) to characterize VOC distribution in the tropical region of West Africa (ii) to determine the impact of deep convection on VOC distribution and chemistry in the tropical upper troposphere (UT) and (iii) to characterize its spatial and temporal extensions. Experimental strategy consisted in sampling at altitudes between 0 and 12 km downwind of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS) and at cloud base. Biogenic and anthropogenic VOC distribution in West Africa is clearly affected by North to South emission gradient. Isoprene, the most abundant VOC, is at maximum level over the forest (1.26 ppb) while benzene reaches its maximum over the urban areas (0.11 ppb). First, a multiple physical and chemical tracers approach using CO, O3 and relative humidity was implemented to distinguish between convective and non-convective air masses. Then, additional tools based on VOC observations (tracer ratios, proxy of emissions and photochemical clocks) were adapted to characterize deep convection on a chemical, spatial and temporal basis. VOC vertical profiles show a "C-shaped" trend indicating that VOC-rich air masses are transported from the surface to the UT by deep convective systems. VOC mixing ratios in convective outflow are up to two times higher than background levels even for reactive and short-lived VOC (e.g. isoprene up to 0.19 ppb at 12 km-altitude) and are dependent on surface emission type. As a consequence, UT air mass reactivity increases from 0.52 s−1 in non-convective conditions to 0.95 s−1 in convective conditions. Fractions of boundary layer air contained in convective outflow are estimated to be 40 ± 15%. Vertical transport timescale is calculated to be 25 ± 10 min between 0 to 12 km altitude. These results characterize deep convection occurring over West Africa and provide relevant information for tropical convection parameterization in regional/global models.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document