Significant contributions of the petroleum industry to volatile organic compounds and ozone pollution: Insights from year-long observations in the Yellow River Delta

Abstract

The petroleum industry is a significant source of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but up to now, its exact impact on urban VOCs and ozone (O₃) remains unclear. This study conducted year-long VOC observations in Dongying, China, a petroleum industrial region. The VOCs from the petroleum industry (oil and gas volatilization and petrochemical production) were identified by employing the positive matrix factorization model, and their contribution to O₃ formation was quantitatively evaluated using an observation-based chemical box model. The observed annual average concentration of VOCs was 68.6 ± 63.5 ppbv, with a maximum daily average of 335.3 ppbv. The petroleum industry accounted for 66.5% of total VOCs, contributing 54.9% from oil and gas evaporation and 11.6% from petrochemical production. Model results indicated that VOCs from the petroleum industry contributed to 31% of net O₃ production, with 21.3% and 34.2% contributions to HO₂+NO and RO₂+NO pathways, respectively. The larger impact on the RO₂ pathway is primarily due to the fact that OH+VOCs account for 86.9% of the primary source of RO₂. This study highlights the critical role of controlling VOCs from the petroleum industry in urban O₃ pollution, especially those from previously overlooked low-reactivity alkanes.

摘要

通过在黄河三角洲典型城市东营市一年的挥发性有机物 (VOCs) 观测, 使用正交矩阵因子分解模型和化学盒子模型定量了石油工业对VOCs和臭氧污染的贡献. 研究发现石油工业VOCs对总VOCs的贡献达66.5%, 其中油气挥发贡献54.9%, 石油化工生产贡献11.6%. 石油工业VOCs对O3净生成速率的贡献达31%. 这些结果揭示了石油工业在VOCs和臭氧污染等方面对城市空气质量的重要影响.