Source profiles and impact of volatile organic compounds in the synthetic resin industry

Gas samples were collected with SUMMA canisters from five typical synthetic resin enterprises located in East China. A total of 106 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in samples were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total emissions and emission coefficients of the synthetic resin industry were calculated, the uncertainty was also analyzed. The emission characteristics were described, and ozone formation potential (OFP) of VOCs were analyzed and the source profiles of five synthetic resins were established. The results showed that the VOCs emissions of synthetic resin enterprises were 346~3467kg/a, and the emission coefficients of five synthetic resins ranged from 0.06 to 1.24g/kg. Among them, the coating resin (CR) enterprises had the largest emission and emission coefficients. Aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated hydrocarbons (OVOCs) and halogenated hydrocarbons were characteristic components of VOCs in the synthetic resin industry, the cumulative concentration ranged from 73.2% to 98.3%. The main VOCs pollutants from coating resin (CR), phenol resin (PF), polyurethane (PU), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and polycarbonate (PC) were methyl isobutyl ketone, benzene, toluene, styrene and dichloromethane, respectively. The ozone formation potential (OFP) of the synthetic resin enterprises ranged from 22.7 to 202.5mg/m3, and the source reactivity (SR) ranged from 0.3 to 4.6g/g. The OFP and SR of CR enterprises were the largest in five synthetic resins. The SR of the synthetic resin industry was at an average level among industries. Aromatic hydrocarbons, OVOCs and alkynes were the main active components in the synthetic resin industry, with a total contribution to the OFP ranging from 64.1% to 100.0%. The major contributors of synthetic resin industry were benzene, toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethylene, and styrene. Our study showed that VOCs pollution control in the synthetic resin industry should focus on aromatic hydrocarbons and OVOCs, extra attention should be paid to the of pollutant odors and halogenated hydrocarbon solvents, and especially to CR enterprises with large VOCs emissions and OFP. © 2020, Editorial Board of China Environmental Science. All right reserved.