Composition Characteristics of VOCs in the Atmosphere of the Beibei Urban District of Chongqing: Insights from Long-Term Monitoring
Shixu Luo,
Qingju Hao,
Zhongjun Xu,
Guosheng Zhang,
Zhenghao Liang,
Yongxiang Gou,
Xunli Wang,
Fanghui Chen,
Yangjian He,
Changsheng Jiang
Affiliations
Shixu Luo
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Qingju Hao
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Zhongjun Xu
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
Guosheng Zhang
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Zhenghao Liang
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Yongxiang Gou
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Xunli Wang
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Fanghui Chen
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Yangjian He
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Changsheng Jiang
Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 401120, China
Reducing anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is the most effective way to mitigate O3 pollution, which has increased over the past decades in China. From 2012 to 2017, special stainless-steel cylinders were used to collect ambient air samples from the urban area of Beibei district, Chongqing. Three-step pre-concentration gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to detect the collected air samples. The composition, concentration, photochemical reactivity, and sources of VOCs in Beibei were analyzed. During the observation period, the annual average VOC concentration was 31.3 ppbv, which was at an intermediate range compared to other cities in China. Alkanes (36.8%) and aromatics (35.6%) were the most abundant VOC groups, followed by halo-hydrocarbons (14.4%) and alkenes (12.6%). The overall trend of seasonal distribution of VOC concentration was high in summer and autumn, and low in winter and spring, with a statistically significant difference between summer and winter concentrations. The ozone formation potential (OFP) showed that alkenes were the most active species, followed by aromatics and alkanes, and summer was the season with the highest OFP (131.6 ppbv). Three major emission sources were identified through principal component analysis (PCA), i.e., vehicle exhaust emissions (66.2%), fuel oil evaporation (24.8%), and industrial sources (9.0%). To ameliorate the air quality within the study area, concerted efforts should be directed towards curtailing traffic emissions and mitigating the release of alkenes, particularly emphasizing more stringent interventions during the summer season.
