Occurrences and spatial distributions of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in chlorobenzene and chloroethylene manufacturing processes in China

Xiaoyun Liu; Lili Yang; Guorui Liu; Minxiang Wang; Qiuting Yang; Minghui Zheng

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122064

Occurrences and spatial distributions of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in chlorobenzene and chloroethylene manufacturing processes in China

Environ Pollut. 2023 Sep 15:333:122064. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122064. Epub 2023 Jun 15.

Authors

Xiaoyun Liu¹, Lili Yang², Guorui Liu³, Minxiang Wang¹, Qiuting Yang¹, Minghui Zheng⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, China; College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, China; College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, China; Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China. Electronic address: zhengmh@rcees.ac.cn.

PMID: 37330188
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122064

Abstract

As a group of pollutants listed in the Stockholm Convention, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) should be eliminated and their releases should be controlled. For this purpose, a complete PCB emission inventory is urgently required. Current unintentional releases of PCB were dominantly focused on waste incineration and non-ferrous metal production industries. The formation of PCB in chlorinated chemical manufacturing processes is poorly understood. In this study, occurrences and inventory of dioxin-like PCB (dl-PCB) in three typical chemical manufacturing processes, including chlorobenzene and chloroethylene production processes, were investigated. The bottom residues, which were high boiling point by-products after rectification tower, contained higher concentration of PCB than other stage samples in monochlorobenzene production and trichloroethylene production processes. The PCB concentrations were as high as 1.58 ng/mL and 152.87 ng/mL, respectively, which should be further concerned. The toxic equivalent quantities (TEQ) of dl-PCB in monochlorobenzene, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene products were 0.25 μg TEQ/t, 1.14 μg TEQ/t, and 5.23 μg TEQ/t, respectively. The mass concentration and TEQ of dl-PCB determined in this research can be used for the further development of dl-PCB emission inventory from these chemical manufacturing industries. In addition, temporal and spatial trends of PCB releases from typical chemical manufacturing processes from 1952 to 2018 in China were clarified. The releases increased rapidly in the latest two decades and presented an expansion tendency from the southeast coastal areas to northern and central areas. The continuing upward trend for the output and the high dl-PCB TEQ of chloroethylene indicated significant releases of PCB from chemical manufacturing processes and should receive more attention.

Keywords: Chemical production; Inventory development; Persistent organic pollutants; Polychlorinated biphenyl; Release factor.

MeSH terms

China
Chlorobenzenes
Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated
Dioxins*
Polychlorinated Biphenyls* / analysis
Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins*
Trichloroethylene*
Vinyl Chloride*

Substances

Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Dioxins
Vinyl Chloride
chlorobenzene
Trichloroethylene
Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins
Chlorobenzenes
Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated