Characterization, reactivity, source apportionment, and potential source areas of ambient volatile organic compounds in a typical tropical city

Based on one-year observation, the concentration, sources, and potential source areas of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were comprehensively analyzed to investigate the pollution characteristics of ambient VOCs in Haikou, China. The results showed that the annual average concentration of total VOCs (TVOCs) was 11.4 ppbV, and the composition was dominated by alkanes (8.2 ppbV, 71.4%) and alkenes (1.3 ppbV, 20.5%). The diurnal variation in the concentration of dominant VOC species showed a distinct bimodal distribution with peaks in the morning and evening. The greatest contribution to ozone formation potential (OFP) was made by alkenes (51.6%), followed by alkanes (27.2%). The concentrations of VOCs and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in spring and summer were low, and it was difficult to generate high ozone (O₃) concentrations through photochemical reactions. The significant increase in O₃ concentrations in autumn and winter was mainly related to the transmission of pollutants from the northeast. Traffic sources (40.1%), industrial sources (19.4%), combustion sources (18.6%), solvent usage sources (15.5%) and plant sources (6.4%) were identified as major sources of VOCs through the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The southeastern coastal areas of China were identified as major potential source areas of VOCs through the potential source contribution function (PSCF) and concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) models. Overall, the concentration of ambient VOCs in Haikou was strongly influenced by traffic sources and long-distance transport, and the control of VOCs emitted from vehicles should be strengthened to reduce the active species of ambient VOCs in Haikou, thereby reducing the generation of O₃.     

Characteristics of ozone pollution and the sensitivity to precursors during early summer in central plain, China

In this study, we conducted an observation experiment from May 1 to June 30, 2018 in Zhengzhou, a major city in central China, where ground ozone (O₃) pollution has become serious in recent years. The concentrations of O₃ and its precursors, as well as H₂O₂ and meteorological data were obtained from the urban site (Yanchang, YC), suburban (Zhengzhou University, ZZU) and background sites (Ganglishuiku, GLSK). Result showed that the rates of O₃ concentration exceeded Chinese National Air Quality Standard Grade II (93.3 ppbv) were 59.0%, 52.5%, and 55.7% at the above three sites with good consistency, respectively, indicating that O₃ pollution is a regional problem in Zhengzhou. The daily peak O₃ appeared at 15:00–16:00, which was opposite to VOCs, NO_x, and CO and consistent with H₂O₂. The exhaustive statistical analysis of meteorological factors and chemical effects on O₃ formation at YC was advanced. The high concentration of precursors, high temperature, low relative humidity, and moderately high wind speed together with the wind direction dominated by south and southeast wind contribute to urban O₃ episodes in Zhengzhou. O₃ formation analysis showed that reactive alkenes such as isoprene and cis-2-butene contributed most to O₃ formation. The VOCs/NO_x ratio and smog production model were used to determine O₃-VOC-NO_x sensitivity. The O₃ formation in Zhengzhou during early summer was mainly under VOC-limited and transition regions alternately, which implies that the simultaneous emission reduction of alkenes and NO_x is effective in reducing O₃ pollution in Zhengzhou.     

Disinfection byproduct formation from algal organic matters after ozonation or ozone combined with activated carbon treatment with subsequent chlorination

Algal organic matter (AOM), including extracellular organic matter (EOM) and intracellular organic matter (IOM) from algal blooms, is widely accepted as essential precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). This study evaluated the effect of ozonation or ozone combined with activated carbon (O₃-AC) treatment on characteristic alternation and DBP formation with subsequent chlorination of Chlorella sp.. The effects of pH and bromide concentration on DBP formation by ozonation or O₃-AC treatment were also investigated. Results showed that the potential formation of DBPs might be attributed to ozonation, but these DBP precursors could be further removed by activated carbon (AC) treatment. Moreover, the formation of target DBPs was controlled at acidic pH by alleviating the reactions between chlorine and AOM. Besides, the bromide substitution factor (BSF) value of trihalomethanes (THMs) from EOM and IOM remained constant after AC treatment. However, THM precursors could be significantly decreased by AC treatment. The above results indicated that O₃-AC was a feasible treatment method for algal-impacted water.     

An intercomparison of ozone taken from the Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service and the second Modern-Era retrospective analysis for research and applications over China during 2018 and 2019

Spatiotemporal variations of ozone (O₃) taken from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the second Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) were intercompared and evaluated with ground and ozone-sonde observations over China in 2018 and 2019. Intercomparison of the surface ozone from CAMS and MERRA-2 reanalysis showed significant negative bias (CAMS minus MERRA-2, same below) at Tibetan Plateau of up to 80 µg/m³, and the average R² was about 0.6 across China. Evaluated with the ground observations from China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC), we found that CAMS and MERRA-2 reanalysis were capable of capturing the key patterns of monthly and diurnal variations of surface ozone over China except for the western region, and MERRA-2 overestimated the observations compared to CAMS. Vertically, the CAMS profiles overestimated the ozone-sonde from the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Center (WOUDC) above 200 hPa with the magnitude reaching up to 150 µg/m³, while little bias was found between the reanalysis and observations below 200 hPa. Intercomparison drawn from the vertical distribution between CAMS and MERRA-2 reanalysis showed that the negative bias appeared throughout the troposphere over China, while the positive bias emerged in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) with high order of magnitude exceeding 100 µg/m³, indicating large uncertainties at higher altitudes. In summary, we concluded that CAMS reanalysis showed better agreement with the observations in contrast to MERRA-2, and the large discrepancy especially at higher altitudes between these two reanalysis datasets could not be ignored.     

Evaluation of offline sampling for atmospheric C3-C11 non-methane hydrocarbons

The concentration variation of C3-C11 non-methane hydrocarbons(NMHCs) collected in several types of commercial flexible bags and adsorption tubes was systematically investigated using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector(GC-FID) system. The percentage loss of each NMHC in the polyvinyl fluoride(PVF) bags was less than 5% during a 7-hr storage period; significant NMHCs loss was detected in aluminum foil composite film and fluorinated ethylene propylene bags. The thermal desorption effic...     

Characteristics of one-year observation of VOCs, NOx, and O3 at an urban site in Wuhan, China

A continuous online observation of ozone and its precursors(NOx, VOCs) was carried out in central urban Wuhan from September 2016 to August 2017. The concentration levels of ozone,NOx, VOCs and their variations in urban Wuhan were analyzed, as well as effects of VOCs on ozone photochemical generation and the main controlling factors for ozone production. During the observation period, the average concentrations of ozone and NOx in Wuhan was 22.63 and30.14 ppbv, respectively, and the average concentration of VOCs was 32.61 ppbv(42.3% alkanes,13.0% alkenes, 10.0% aromatics, 7.3% acetylene, 9.9% OVOCs, and 10.5% halohydrocarbons).Ozone concentration was higher in spring and summer as compared with autumn and winter,wheras VOCs and NOx concentratios were lower in spring and summer but higher in autumn and winter. Aromatics and alkenes, two of VOCs species, showed the highest contributions to ozone formation potential in Wuhan(35.7% alkenes, 35.4 aromatics, 17.5% alkanes, 8.6% OVOCs,1.6% halogenated hydrocarbons, and 1.4% acetylene). Among all VOCs species, those with the highest contribution were ethylene, m-xylene, toluene, propylene and o-xylene. The contribution of these five compounds to the total ozone formation potential concentration was 43.90%.Ozone-controlling factors in Wuhan changed within one day; during the early morning hours(6:00–9:00), VOCs/NOx was low, and ozone generation followed a VOCs-limited regime.However, during the peak time of ozone concentration(12:00–16:00), the ratio of VOCs/NOx was relatively high, suggesting that ozone generation followed a NOx-limited regime.     

南京市秋季细颗粒物及臭氧生成敏感性初探

为考察江苏省南部地区重点排放源对南京市秋季细颗粒物(PM_(2.5))的贡献率及O_3生成敏感性,采用强力法针对特定排放源及污染物设置不同的排放情景,利用化学传输模拟系统Models-3/Community Multi-scale Air Quality(CMAQ)分析模拟区域内不同情景下地表PM_(2.5)及O_3浓度变化。2012年10月,电厂、钢铁和水泥的污染物排放对南京市PM_(2.5)浓度的平均贡献率分别为6.0%、25.5%和15.9%,对国控站点的贡献率分别为7.2%、17.7%和16.2%。钢铁对下风向区域的地表PM_(2.5)浓度的影响显著高于电厂及水泥部门的排放。从不同情境下模拟O_3地表浓度变化结果看出,南京市城区及下风向区域的O_3浓度随VOC排放削减降低,随NO_x排放削减升高,因而判定南京市秋季O_3生成属于VOC控制区。     

臭氧技术在城市湖泊水环境修复中的应用——以深圳市荔枝湖治理工程为例

以深圳市荔枝湖为例,通过枯水期历时8个月的水质连续监测,分析臭氧技术在修复城市湖泊水质中的作用及效果。结果表明,监测期间湖水CODMn≤10mg/L,氨氮<0.6mg/L,总磷<0.08mg/L,透明度在60~120cm间,水质满足景观水体要求,表明应用该技术可以取得较好的修复效果。     

冬夏季广州城区碳气溶胶特征及其与O_3和气象条件的关联

2008年1月1日～31日和7月1日～31日在广州城区每天采集1个PM2.5样品,对样品进行碳成分分析,得到有机碳(OC)、元素碳(EC)浓度.同步观测了气象因子以及SO2、NO2、O3气态污染物浓度.结果发现,冬季和夏季PM2.5日均值质量浓度分别为(81.2±61.4)μg.m-3和(53.7±23.2)μg.m-3,OC质量浓度分别为(24.6±19.3)μg.m-3和(14.0±5.6)μg.m-3,EC质量浓度分别为(7.9±5.4)μg.m-3和(4.7±2.2)μg.m-3,OC/EC比值分别为2.9±0.6和3.2±1.0.冬夏季非降雨的稳定天气条件下二次有机碳气溶胶(SOC)浓度分别为(6.1±6.6)μg.m-3和(5.8±5.2)μg.m-3.冬夏季SOC和O3浓度显著相关(p0.01).东南风和西南风条件下,OC、EC浓度普遍较高,表明东莞、江门和佛山地区的工业污染源对广州地区污染物累积和霾天气的形成有一定的贡献.     

OPAQ系统两种模式对O 3预报准确率的探讨

以江苏省宿迁环境监测中心OPAQ系统为例,基于人工神经网络算法的OPAQ空气质量预报系统的2种模式对O 3预报准确率的进行了分析,结果表明,趋势最优模式(RMSE模式)对预报当天及未来3 d的预报值与监测值的相关性系数均>0.78,相对误差在25%以下,在预测当天及未来24、48及72 h优-良天的预测准确率较高,分别为88.8%、87.2%、86.3%及84.7%,在预测轻度污染-重度污染的准确率较低;极值最优模式(SI模式)对预报当天及未来3 d的预报值与监测值的相关性系数(R)均>0.76,相对误差<32%,预测未来24和48 h的轻度污染-中度污染的级别准确率>60%。OPAQ系统的极值最优模式(SI模式)更适合作为夏季ρ(O 3)较高时的预测工具。