Primary and secondary sources of formaldehyde in urban atmospheres: Houston Texas region
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2012

We evaluate the rates of secondary production and primary emission of formaldehyde (CH2O) from petrochemical industrial facilities and on-road vehicles in the Houston Texas region. This evaluation is based upon ambient measurements collected during field studies in 2000, 2006 and 2009. The predominant CH2O source (92 +/- 4% of total) is secondary production formed during the atmospheric oxidation of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOCs) emitted from the petrochemical facilities. Smaller contributions are primary emissions from these facilities (4 +/- 2%), and secondary production (similar to 3%) and primary emissions (similar to 1%) from vehicles. The primary emissions from both sectors are well quantified by current emission inventories. Since secondary production dominates, control efforts directed at primary CH2O emissions cannot address the large majority of CH2O sources in the Houston area, although there may still be a role for such efforts. Ongoing efforts to control alkene emissions from the petrochemical facilities, as well as volatile organic compound emissions from the motor vehicle fleet, will effectively reduce the CH2O concentrations in the Houston region. We do not address other emission sectors, such as off-road mobile sources or secondary formation from biogenic hydrocarbons. Previous analyses based on correlations between ambient concentrations of CH2O and various marker species have suggested much larger primary emissions of CH2O, but those results neglect confounding effects of dilution and loss processes, and do not demonstrate the causes of the observed correlations. Similar problems must be suspected in any source apportionment analysis of secondary species based upon correlations of ambient concentrations of pollutants.

carbonyls

ambient air

air-quality

stratosphere

airborne

statistical-analysis

emission inventories

nox

hydrocarbons

ozone formation

Författare

D. D. Parrish

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

T. B. Ryerson

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Johan Mellqvist

Chalmers, Rymd- och geovetenskap, Optisk fjärranalys

John Johansson

Chalmers, Rymd- och geovetenskap, Optisk fjärranalys

A. Fried

National Center for Atmospheric Research

D. Richter

National Center for Atmospheric Research

J. G. Walega

National Center for Atmospheric Research

R. A. Washenfelder

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

University of Colorado at Boulder

J. A. De Gouw

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

University of Colorado at Boulder

J. Peischl

University of Colorado at Boulder

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

K. C. Aikin

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

University of Colorado at Boulder

S. A. McKeen

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

University of Colorado at Boulder

G. J. Frost

University of Colorado at Boulder

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

F. C. Fehsenfeld

University of Colorado at Boulder

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

S. C. Herndon

Aerodyne Research, Inc.

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

1680-7316 (ISSN) 1680-7324 (eISSN)

Vol. 12 7 3273-3288

Ämneskategorier

Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning

DOI

10.5194/acp-12-3273-2012

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Senast uppdaterat

2018-03-06