Characterization of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the Area Adjacent to a Petroleum Refinery in Jinan, China

ABSTRACT

56 VOCs were monitored for a whole year in a refinery vicinity area in suburban of Jinan, as well as PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and ozone. The results of VOCs and particulate matters showed that January was the most polluted month during the sampling period, possibly resulting from coal burning in the district heating period of Jinan. According to the concentration profiles of monthly variety of the ambient pollutants, the change of VOCs showed a certain extent of positive correlation with PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, while negative correlation with ozone. It was found that the average concentration of total VOCs was 50.58 µg m^–3 while ethane and ethene were the most abundant VOC species with the concentrations of 24.58 and 3.94 µg m^–3, respectively. The high relative contribution of ethane was unusual, compared with the previous related VOC research in urban area of same city or other cities in China. Based on the analysis of the monitoring data, this area was not majorly affected by major VOCs pollutants from refinery emission. m & p-Xylene of 1.34 µg m^–3 was the most abundant pollutant of BTEX. The BTEX ratio analysis presented that traffic exhaust was not the major VOCs source.