Characterization of Volatile Organic Pollutant Emissions from Smoldering Mosquito Coils Containing Various Atomic Hydrogen/Carbon Ratios

Tzu-Ting  Yang; Shaw-Tao  Lin; Ruei-Hao Shie; Chen-Kung  Tseng; Chun-Hung Ku

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2015.11.0655

Characterization of Volatile Organic Pollutant Emissions from Smoldering Mosquito Coils Containing Various Atomic Hydrogen/Carbon Ratios

Technical Notes

Tzu-Ting Yang ¹, Shaw-Tao Lin², Ruei-Hao Shie³, Chen-Kung Tseng¹, Chun-Hung Ku¹

+ Show author affiliations

¹Department of Environmental Engineering and Health, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 30015, Taiwan
²Department of Applied Chemistry, Providence University, Taichung City 43301, Taiwan
³Green Energy and Environmental Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 30015, Taiwan

Received: November 29, 2015
Revised: February 19, 2016
Accepted: March 30, 2016
Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2015.11.0655

Download: PDF

Cite this article:
Yang, T.T., Lin, S.T., Shie, R.H., Tseng, C.K. and Ku, C.H. (2016). Characterization of Volatile Organic Pollutant Emissions from Smoldering Mosquito Coils Containing Various Atomic Hydrogen/Carbon Ratios. Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 16: 2570-2580. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2015.11.0655

HIGHLIGHTS

Emissions from burning mosquito coil were measured by a self-designed chamber system.
Burning mosquito coils produce human carcinogens including benzene and 1,3-butadiene.
VOC emissions were significantly influenced by the C, H and O contents of coils.
Burning coil with a lower H/C ratio and oxygen content minimized total VOC emission.

ABSTRACT

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from smoldering mosquito coils containing various atomic hydrogen/carbon (H/C) ratios in different relative humidity were examined. The concentrations of individual VOCs were determined using a preconcentrator-gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) and a flame ion detector (FID). Up to 72 VOCs were found. It is noteworthy that benzene and 1,3-butadiene, human carcinogenic substances, were emitted by all tested mosquito coils during burning. The five types of mosquito coils studied had atomic H/C ratios ranging from 1.23 to 1.57, yielding total VOC emission rates and factors of 7,295.72–14,308.17 µg hr^–1 and 3,192.78–6,835.03 µg g^–1, respectively. VOC emissions were significantly influenced by the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen contents of coils. According to the analyses of VOC emissions, mosquito coils containing the lowest H/C ratio, a low oxygen content, with suitable additives such as CaCO₃ are recommended for minimizing total VOC emission.

Keywords: Mosquito coils; Smoldering; Volatile organic compounds; Emission