Top-down estimates of benzene and toluene emissions in the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong, China
Benzene (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>6</sub>) and toluene (C<sub>7</sub>H<sub>8</sub>) are toxic to humans and the environment. They are also important precursors of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosols and contribute substantially to severe air...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/16/3369/2016/acp-16-3369-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | Benzene (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>6</sub>) and toluene (C<sub>7</sub>H<sub>8</sub>) are toxic to humans
and the environment. They are also important precursors of ground-level
ozone and secondary organic aerosols and contribute substantially to severe
air pollution in urban areas in China. Discrepancies exist between different
bottom-up inventories for benzene and toluene emissions in the Pearl River
Delta (PRD) and Hong Kong (HK), which are emission hot spots in China. This
study provides top-down estimates of benzene and toluene emissions in the
PRD and HK using atmospheric measurement data from a rural site in the area,
Heshan, an atmospheric transport model, and an inverse modeling method. The
model simulations captured the measured mixing ratios during most pollution
episodes. For the PRD and HK, the benzene emissions estimated in this study
for 2010 were 44 (12–75) and 5 (2–7) Gg yr<sup>−1</sup> for the
PRD and HK, respectively, and the toluene emissions were 131 (44–218) and
6 (2–9) Gg yr<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Temporal and spatial
differences between the inversion estimate and four different bottom-up
emission estimates are discussed, and it is proposed that more observations
at different sites are urgently needed to better constrain benzene and
toluene (and other air pollutant) emissions in the PRD and HK in the future. |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |