Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta

To investigate the characteristics and sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as their impacts on secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) formation during high-incidence periods of PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution, a field measurement was conducted in December 2019 in Hefei, a typical...

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Main Authors: Dan Zhang, Xiaoqing Huang, Shaoxuan Xiao, Zhou Zhang, Yanli Zhang, Xinming Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Atmosphere
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/10/1162
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author Dan Zhang
Xiaoqing Huang
Shaoxuan Xiao
Zhou Zhang
Yanli Zhang
Xinming Wang
author_facet Dan Zhang
Xiaoqing Huang
Shaoxuan Xiao
Zhou Zhang
Yanli Zhang
Xinming Wang
author_sort Dan Zhang
collection DOAJ
description To investigate the characteristics and sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as their impacts on secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) formation during high-incidence periods of PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution, a field measurement was conducted in December 2019 in Hefei, a typical city of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). During the whole process, the mixing ratios of VOCs were averaged as 21.1 ± 15.9 ppb, with alkanes, alkenes, alkyne, and aromatics accounting for 59.9%, 15.3%, 15.0%, and 9.8% of the total VOCs, respectively. It is worth noting that the contributions of alkenes and alkyne increased significantly during PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution periods. Based on source apportionment via the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, vehicle emissions, liquefied petroleum gas/natural gas (LPG/NG), and biomass/coal burning were the main sources of VOCs during the research in Hefei. During pollution periods, however, the contribution of biomass/coal burning to VOCs increased significantly, reaching as much as 47.6%. The calculated SOA formation potential (SOAFP) of VOCs was 0.38 ± 1.04 µg m<sup>−3</sup> (range: 0.04–7.30 µg m<sup>−3</sup>), and aromatics were the dominant contributors, with a percentage of 96.8%. The source contributions showed that industrial emissions (49.1%) and vehicle emissions (28.3%) contributed the most to SOAFP during non-pollution periods, whereas the contribution of biomass/coal burning to SOA formation increased significantly (32.8%) during PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution periods. These findings suggest that reducing VOCs emissions from biomass/coal burning, vehicle, and industrial sources is a crucial approach for the effective control of SOA formation in Hefei, which provides a scientific basis for controlling PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution and improving air quality in the YRD region.
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spelling doaj-art-e9dcae4c06b741ba9eea5f2a8e13009b2025-08-20T02:11:09ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332024-09-011510116210.3390/atmos15101162Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River DeltaDan Zhang0Xiaoqing Huang1Shaoxuan Xiao2Zhou Zhang3Yanli Zhang4Xinming Wang5State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaTo investigate the characteristics and sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as their impacts on secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) formation during high-incidence periods of PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution, a field measurement was conducted in December 2019 in Hefei, a typical city of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). During the whole process, the mixing ratios of VOCs were averaged as 21.1 ± 15.9 ppb, with alkanes, alkenes, alkyne, and aromatics accounting for 59.9%, 15.3%, 15.0%, and 9.8% of the total VOCs, respectively. It is worth noting that the contributions of alkenes and alkyne increased significantly during PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution periods. Based on source apportionment via the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, vehicle emissions, liquefied petroleum gas/natural gas (LPG/NG), and biomass/coal burning were the main sources of VOCs during the research in Hefei. During pollution periods, however, the contribution of biomass/coal burning to VOCs increased significantly, reaching as much as 47.6%. The calculated SOA formation potential (SOAFP) of VOCs was 0.38 ± 1.04 µg m<sup>−3</sup> (range: 0.04–7.30 µg m<sup>−3</sup>), and aromatics were the dominant contributors, with a percentage of 96.8%. The source contributions showed that industrial emissions (49.1%) and vehicle emissions (28.3%) contributed the most to SOAFP during non-pollution periods, whereas the contribution of biomass/coal burning to SOA formation increased significantly (32.8%) during PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution periods. These findings suggest that reducing VOCs emissions from biomass/coal burning, vehicle, and industrial sources is a crucial approach for the effective control of SOA formation in Hefei, which provides a scientific basis for controlling PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution and improving air quality in the YRD region.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/10/1162Yangtze River Delta (YRD)Hefeivolatile organic compounds (VOCs)PM<sub>2.5</sub>secondary organic aerosols formation potential (SOAFP)source apportionment
spellingShingle Dan Zhang
Xiaoqing Huang
Shaoxuan Xiao
Zhou Zhang
Yanli Zhang
Xinming Wang
Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta
Atmosphere
Yangtze River Delta (YRD)
Hefei
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
PM<sub>2.5</sub>
secondary organic aerosols formation potential (SOAFP)
source apportionment
title Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta
title_full Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta
title_fullStr Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta
title_full_unstemmed Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta
title_short Characterization and Sources of VOCs during PM<sub>2.5</sub> Pollution Periods in a Typical City of the Yangtze River Delta
title_sort characterization and sources of vocs during pm sub 2 5 sub pollution periods in a typical city of the yangtze river delta
topic Yangtze River Delta (YRD)
Hefei
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
PM<sub>2.5</sub>
secondary organic aerosols formation potential (SOAFP)
source apportionment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/10/1162
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