# Organized and Fugitive VOC Emissions from Typical Industrial Parks and Their Impact on Secondary Pollution

## TL;DR

This study examines VOC emissions from industrial parks in China and their impact on air pollution, emphasizing the need for better control of reactive compounds.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the reactivity and sources of VOCs in industrial parks, focusing on their role in secondary pollution.

## Key findings

- Furniture manufacturing had the highest VOC concentrations, while pharmaceutical manufacturing had the lowest.
- Aromatics and alkanes were the most prevalent VOCs, with alkenes and aromatics being the main contributors to ozone formation.
- Aromatics dominated the potential for secondary organic aerosol formation, especially xylene and ethylbenzene in furniture manufacturing.

## Abstract

Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from industrial parks are a crucial source of urban air pollution. This study assessed VOC emissions and their impact on secondary pollution from three key industries—packaging and printing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing—in a typical industrial park in the Guanzhong region of China. The results revealed considerable variation in organized outlet VOC concentrations between the different industries, with the highest level observed in furniture manufacturing (3449.9 ± 437.6 µg/m3) and the lowest level discovered for pharmaceutical manufacturing (410.9 ± 205.5 μg/m3). The VOCs were mainly aromatics (40.7%) and alkanes (21.8%), with pentane, isopentane, xylene, and ethylbenzene the most abundant species. Although organized emissions (1151.6 t/y) constituted the primary source of emissions, fugitive emissions (358.1 t/y) remained a major contributor and primarily contributed aromatics and alkanes. Critically, reactivity-based assessment demonstrated that alkenes and aromatics were the principal contributors to the ozone formation potential (>80%). With regard to the secondary organic aerosol formation potential, aromatics were overwhelmingly dominant, accounting for approximately 87% of the total potential, with xylene and ethylbenzene in furniture manufacturing alone contributing 72.9%. The findings highlight the importance of prioritizing controls on highly reactive alkenes and aromatics. Fugitive emission management during storage, mixing, and curing stages should be enhanced and solvents should be substituted to effectively control VOC emissions in industrial parks.