Emission Ratios and Diurnal Variability of Volatile Organic Compounds and Influence of Industrial Emissions in Two Texas Cities

Changing urban emission landscapes and increasing population make it imperative to understand the driving forces for air quality in growing urban areas. Recent field studies in an industrial area in Houston and a semiurban area in San Antonio reveal unique emission signatures for these two growing Texas cities. A comparison of benzene, toluene, xylenes, isoprene, and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) was conducted for these two Texas locations and previous studies in other megacities. It was found that San Antonio had similar emission ratios as these megacities for benzene, toluene, and xylenes (1.10, 4.57, and 3.60 pptv ppbv−1 of CO, respectively), likely indicating a similar traffic emission source. Isoprene and MEK were of biogenic origin in San Antonio. However, analysis of emission ratios, diurnal trends, and comparison with emission inventories indicated that benzene, toluene, and MEK were likely associated with fugitive and stack emissions in the industrial corridor in Houston. Isoprene in Houston appeared to have mixed fugitive and biogenic sources in Houston, based on diurnal trends and emission ratio. The peak nighttime concentrations for benzene, toluene, xylene, isoprene, and MEK observed during the campaign were 66, 533, 21, 138, and 731 ppbv, respectively, in the Houston site. The emission ratio for xylenes (3.37 pptv ppbv−1 of CO) for the Houston site was similar to Paris, London, and Mexico City, despite emission inventories indicating high fugitive and stack emissions. The conditional probability function (CPF) analysis closely matched the direction of the industrial sources with the highest recorded emission levels as listed in the emission inventory for the Houston site. The estimated ozone production efficiency (OPE) for the industrial area in Houston indicated volatile organic compound (VOC)–limited conditions in the morning, which transitioned to nitrogen oxide (NOx)–limited conditions in the afternoon. Texas cities have complex emission scenarios, and future efforts to mitigate ozone and particulate matter may have to consider a variety of emission reduction strategies.

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