Effects of VOC emissions from chemical industrial parks on regional O3-PM2.5 compound pollution in the Yangtze River Delta

Li He; Yusen Duan; Yan Zhang; Qi Yu; Juntao Huo; Jia Chen; Huxiong Cui; Yuewu Li; Weichun Ma

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167503

Effects of VOC emissions from chemical industrial parks on regional O₃-PM_2.5 compound pollution in the Yangtze River Delta

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 1:906:167503. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167503. Epub 2023 Oct 1.

Authors

Li He¹, Yusen Duan², Yan Zhang³, Qi Yu¹, Juntao Huo², Jia Chen², Huxiong Cui², Yuewu Li², Weichun Ma⁴

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
² Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, Shanghai 200235, China.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Shanghai Institute of Eco-Chongming (SIEC), Shanghai 200062, China.
⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Shanghai Institute of Eco-Chongming (SIEC), Shanghai 200062, China. Electronic address: wcma@fudan.edu.cn.

PMID: 37788769
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167503

Abstract

Ozone (O₃) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) compound pollution has emerged as a primary form of air pollution in Chinese urban. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as common precursors of O₃ and PM_2.5, play a significant role in air pollution control. Chemical industrial parks (CIPs) are crucial emission sources of VOCs and have garnered significant attention. This study focused on 142 CIPs located in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to investigate the characteristics of VOC emissions from CIPs and their impact on O₃-PM_2.5 compound pollution, considering the enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC). The Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) model was employed for this analysis. The results show that VOC emissions from CIPs contributed significantly to regional O₃ and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), accounting for 17.1 % and 18.18 % of the anthropogenic sources, respectively. Regions exhibiting the highest contributions were located along the Hangzhou Bay. Compared with 2014, an elevation in the contribution of VOC emissions from CIPs to the annual average concentrations of MDA8 O₃ and SOA in the YRD in 2017 by 0.069 μg/m³ and 0.007 μg/m³, respectively. During episodes of compound pollution, the concentration of atmospheric oxidant (HO_x + NO₃) was 28.65 % higher than during clean days, and significant positive correlations were observed between hydrogen oxygen radicals (HO_x) and maximum daily 8-h average (MDA8 O₃) as well as between HO_x and SOA, exhibiting correlation coefficients of 0.86 and 0.48, respectively. Effective control measures for VOC emissions, particularly from the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industry parks located along Hangzhou Bay, are essential in curtailing the production rate of HO_x and in regulating AOC levels in the YRD. Maintaining the daily average HO_x concentration below 10 ppt would be a valuable strategy in achieving coordinated control of O₃ and SOA, thus aiding in the alleviation of O₃-PM_2.5 compound pollution in the YRD.

Keywords: CAMx; Chemical industrial parks; Compound pollution; SOA; VOCs.