Blowing Smoke in Yellowstone: Air Quality Impacts of Oversnow Motorized Recreation in the Park

Snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park has been shown to impact air quality, with implications for the safety and welfare of Park staff and other Park resource values. Localized impacts have been documented at several high-use sites in the Park, but the broader spatial variability of snowmobile emissions and air quality was not understood. Measurements of 87 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were made for ambient air sampled across the Park and West Yellowstone, Montana, during 2 days of the 2002–2003 winter use season, 1 year before the implementation of a new snowmobile policy. The data were compared with similar data from pristine West Coast sites at similar latitudes. Backward trajectories of local air masses, alkyl nitrate-parent alkane ratios, and atmospheric soundings were used to identify the VOC sources and assess their impact. Different oversnow vehicle types used in the Park were sampled to determine their relative influence on air mass pollutant composition. VOCs were of local origin and demonstrated strong spatiotemporal variability that is primarily influenced by levels of snowmobile traffic on given road segments at different times of day. High levels of snowmobile traffic in and around West Yellowstone produced consistently high levels of benzene, toluene, and carbon monoxide.     

Characteristics of atmospheric carbonyls and VOCs in Forest Park in South China

The diurnal variation of atmospheric carbonyls and VOCs in a forest in south China were studied in summer 2004. Twenty kinds of carbonyls and eight kinds of VOCs were identified and quantified. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the two most abundant carbonyls, while the most abundant VOCs were isoprene, followed by o-xylene. Most C₃-C₁₀ carbonyls had higher concentrations from 09:00 to 15:00, and their levels were lower during night-time and often reached the lowest in early morning. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, however, showed two high levels in their diurnal patterns partly due to their different sources and sinks. The VOCs had different diurnal patterns compared to most carbonyls. The highest concentrations were observed from 03:00 to 06:00 for 1-butene, from 06:00 to 12:00 for isoprene, and from 12:00 to 15:00 for α-pinene. The highest levels for aromatic hydrocarbons occurred during midnight and the lowest in late afternoon. According to the study, emissions from vegetation and photo-oxidation of gas-phase hydrocarbons were the main sources for some carbonyls and VOCs in this region. Other compounds, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and BTEX, showed anthropogenic sources.     

Volatile Organic Compounds: Sampling Methods and Their Worldwide Profile in Ambient Air

The atmosphere is a particularly difficult analytical system because of the very low levels of substances to be analysed, sharp variations in pollutant levels with time and location, differences in wind, temperature and humidity. This makes the selection of an efficient sampling technique for air analysis a key step to reliable results. Generally, methods for volatile organic compounds sampling include collection of the whole air or preconcentration of samples on adsorbents. All the methods vary from each other according to the sampling technique, type of sorbent, method of extraction and identification technique. In this review paper we discuss various important aspects for sampling of volatile organic compounds by the widely used and advanced sampling methods. Characteristics of various adsorbents used for VOCs sampling are also described. Furthermore, this paper makes an effort to comprehensively review the concentration levels of volatile organic compounds along with the methodology used for analysis, in major cities of the world.     

Potential applications of porous organic polymers as adsorbent for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with high toxicity and carcinogenicity are emitted from kinds of industries, which endanger human health and the environment. Adsorption is a promising method for the treatment of VOCs due to its low cost and high efficiency. In recent years, activated carbons, zeolites, and mesoporous materials are widely used to remove VOCs because of their high specific surface area and abundant porosity. However, the hydrophilic nature and low desorption rate of those materials limit their commercial application. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of VOCs still need to be improved. Porous organic polymers (POPs) with extremely high porosity, structural diversity, and hydrophobic have been considered as one of the most promising candidates for VOCs adsorption. This review generalized the superiority of POPs for VOCs adsorption compared to other porous materials and summarized the studies of VOCs adsorption on different types of POPs. Moreover, the mechanism of competitive adsorption between water and VOCs on the POPs was discussed. Finally, a concise outlook for utilizing POPs for VOCs adsorption was discussed, noting areas in which further work is needed to develop the next-generation POPs for practical applications.     

Precursors and potential sources of ground-level ozone in suburban Shanghai

• Air masses from Zhejiang Province is the major source of O₃ in suburban Shanghai. • O₃ formation was in VOC-sensitive regime in rural Shanghai. • O₃ formation was most sensitive to propylene in rural Shanghai. A high level of ozone (O₃) is frequently observed in the suburbs of Shanghai, the reason for this high level remains unclear. To obtain a detailed insight on the high level of O₃ during summer in Shanghai, O₃ and its precursors were measured at a suburban site in Shanghai from July 1, 2016 to July 31, 2016. Using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model and concentration weighted trajectories (CWT), we found that Zhejiang province was the main potential source of O₃ in suburban Shanghai. When the sampling site was controlled by south-western winds exceeding 2 m/s, the O₃-rich air masses from upwind regions (such as Zhejiang province) could be transported to the suburban Shanghai. The propylene-equivalent concentration (PEC) and ozone formation potential (OFP) were further calculated for each VOC species, and the results suggested that propylene, (m+p)-xylene, and toluene played dominant roles in O₃ formation. The Ozone Isopleth Plotting Research (OZIPR) model was used to reveal the impact of O₃ precursors on O₃ formation, and 4 base-cases were selected to adjust the model simulation. An average disparity of 18.20% was achieved between the simulated and observed O₃ concentrations. The O₃ isopleth diagram illustrated that O₃ formation in July 2016 was in VOC-sensitive regime, although the VOC/NO_x ratio was greater than 20. By introducing sensitivity (S), a sensitivity analysis was performed for O₃ formation. We found that O₃ formation was sensitive to propylene, (m+p)-xylene, o-xylene and toluene. The results provide theoretical support for O₃ pollution treatment in Shanghai.     

VOC emission caps constrained by air quality targets based on response surface model: A case study in the Pearl River Delta Region, China

Because of the recent growth in ground-level ozone and increased emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), VOC emission control has become a major concern in China. In response, emission caps to control VOC have been stipulated in recent policies, but few of them were constrained by the co-control target of PM_2.5 and ozone, and discussed the factor that influence the emission cap formulation. Herein, we proposed a framework for quantification of VOC emission caps constrained by targets for PM_2.5 and ozone via a new response surface modeling (RSM) technique, achieving 50% computational cost savings of the quantification. In the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the VOC emission caps constrained by air quality targets varied greatly with the NO_x emission reduction level. If control measures in the surrounding areas of the PRD region were not considered, there could be two feasible strategies for VOC emission caps to meet air quality targets (160 µg/m³ for the maximum 8-hr-average 90th-percentile (MDA8-90%) ozone and 25 µg/m³ for the annual average of PM_2.5): a moderate VOC emission cap with <20% NOx emission reductions or a notable VOC emission cap with >60% NO_x emission reductions. If the ozone concentration target were reduced to 155 µg/m³, deep NO_x emission reductions is the only feasible ozone control measure in PRD. Optimization of seasonal VOC emission caps based on the Monte Carlo simulation could allow us to gain higher ozone benefits or greater VOC emission reductions. If VOC emissions were further reduced in autumn, MDA8-90% ozone could be lowered by 0.3-1.5 µg/m³, equaling the ozone benefits of 10% VOC emission reduction measures. The method for VOC emission cap quantification and optimization proposed in this study could provide scientific guidance for coordinated control of regional PM_2.5 and O₃ pollution in China.     

Investigating missing sources of glyoxal over China using a regional air quality model (RAMS-CMAQ)

Currently, modeling studies tend to significantly underestimate observed space-based glyoxal(CHOCHO) vertical column densities(VCDs), implying the existence of missing sources of glyoxal. Several recent studies suggest that the emissions of aromatic compounds and molar yields of glyoxal in the chemical mechanisms may both be underestimated, which can affect the simulated glyoxal concentrations. In this study, the influences of these two factors on glyoxal amounts over China were investigated using the RAMS-CMAQ modeling system for January and July 2014. Four sensitivity simulations were performed, and the results were compared to satellite observations. These results demonstrated significant impacts on glyoxal concentrations from these two factors.In case 1, where the emissions of aromatic compounds were increased three-fold,improvements to glyoxal VCDs were seen in high anthropogenic emissions regions. In case 2, where molar yields of glyoxal from isoprene were increased five-fold, the resulted concentrations in July were 3–5-fold higher, achieving closer agreement between the modeled and measured glyoxal VCDs. The combined changes from both cases 1 and 2 were applied in case 3, and the model succeeded in further reducing the underestimations of glyoxal VCDs. However, the results over most of the regions with pronounced anthropogenic emissions were still underestimated. So the molar yields of glyoxal from anthropogenic precursors were considered in case 4. With these additional mole yield changes(a two-fold increase), the improved concentrations agreed better with the measurements in regions of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Yellow River in January but not in July.     

便携式GC/MS热脱附法直接测定环境空气中挥发性有机物

采用便携式气相色谱/质谱联用热脱附法直接测定环境空气中的挥发性有机物,优化了试验条件。方法在5×10-9~100×10-9范围内线性良好,39种化合物的检出限为1.1μg/m3~19μg/m3,标准气体平行测定的RSD≤11.0%,回收率在80%~120%之间。     

上海市城区春节和“五一”节期间大气挥发性有机物的组成特征

挥发性有机物(VOCs)是对流层臭氧和二次有机气溶胶等二次污染生成过程的关键前体物.研究VOCs的浓度水平、组成特征和反应活性对揭示复合型大气污染的形成机制具有重要意义.本研究利用在线气相-氢离子火焰法测量了2009年春节和"五一"节期间上海市城区大气中56种VOCs.结果表明,上海市城区大气受机动车尾气排放源影响明显,VOCs浓度日变化特征呈双峰状,与上下班交通高峰基本吻合.大气中VOCs平均体积分数为(28.39±18.35)×10-9;各组分百分含量依次为:烷烃46.6%,芳香烃27.0%,烯烃15.1%,乙炔11.2%.用OH消耗速率和臭氧生成潜势(OFP)评估了VOCs大气化学反应活性,结果表明,上海市城区大气VOCs化学反应活性与VOCs体积浓度相关性良好;VOCs活性与乙烯相当,平均化学反应活性较强;OH消耗速率贡献最大的物种是烯烃51.2%和芳香烃31.8%;OFP贡献最大的物种是芳香烃53.4%和烯烃30.2%;对臭氧生成贡献最大的关键活性物种为丙烯、乙烯、甲苯、二甲苯以及丁烯类物质.     

上海化学工业区污水处理厂废气中挥发性有机物主要成分的测定

建立了使用活性炭管采集臭气中的挥发性有机物,经二硫化碳解吸,用GC-MS仪Scan扫描方式确定挥发性有机物的组分后优化GC-MS条件定性定量分析上海化学工业区污水处理厂臭气中主要挥发性有机物的方法。结果表明,从臭气中检测出11种VOCs,线性相关系数R2均大于0.99,相对标准偏差为3.0%～4.7%,除了苯乙烯、α-甲基苯乙烯和4-甲基苯乙烯的解吸效率依次分别为72%、74%和66%,其他挥发性有机物的解吸效率均为91%～100%。本方法操作简便,能够有效分离和准确测定臭气中挥发性有机物,具有较低的检出限和较好的精确度,适合臭气中挥发性有机物的检测分析,可为臭气控制提供可靠的数据。