Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at an oil refinery

Abstract

This study measured and analysed individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total hydrocarbon and total VOCs at an oil refinery. Measurements were taken at various workplace locations, of the ambient air and at some off-site facilities such as its gantry terminals, ETP and tank farms. The study also identified certain pollutants that are difficult to measure routinely but could give an indication of their presence in a refinery. The VOCs were sampled using charcoal adsorption tubes and desorbed using a thermal desorption technique. The samples were subsequently analysed by Varian 2200 GC/ MS system. The 8-h average concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes ranged between 23. 48-113.05, 18.70-72.54, 2.91-9.80 and 5.83-27.64 µg/m 3 , respectively. Alongside substituted benzenes, such as 135 and 124, trimethylbenzenes and naphthalene were also detected. The total hydrocarbon ranged between 5.0-13.8 ppm and the NMHC was in the range of 2.2-9.0 ppm. The study indicates the concentration of fugitive emissions of VOCs in the refinery and its utilities.

Source identification of atmospheric organic vapors in two European pine forests: Results from Vocus PTR-TOF observations

“…The C6 oxygenated compounds have been observed during the oxidation processes of benzene and C7 oxygenated compounds from toluene oxidations (Sato et al, 2012;Zaytsev et al, 2019). These compounds can also be directly emitted from biogenic or anthropogenic sources (Conley et al, 2005;Pandya et al, 2006;Rantala et al, 2015). Factor L3 shows tight correlations with C7H10OH + and C6H10O2H + (r 2 > 0.92; Fig.…”

“…The signal intensity of this factor shows high peaks at night and low appearance during daytime. As discussed in Section 4.2.1, these lightly oxygenated molecules can be directly emitted from anthropogenic and biogenic sources or come from oxidation processes of various VOC precursors (Conley et al, 2005;Pandya et al, 2006;Rantala et al, 2015;Hartikainen et al, 2018). For instance, C7H10O has been found from direct soil emissions (Abis et al, 2020) or oxidation processes of 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene (Mehra et al, 2020).…”

Atmospheric BTEX concentrations in the vicinity of the crude oil refinery of the Baltic region

“…Among chemical industries, oil refineries have been identified as large emitters of a wide variety of pollutants (Nadal et al 2009). Organic micropollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in ambient air near petrochemical industries (Lee et al 1996;Pandya et al 2006;Rao et al 2008). VOCs, mainly hydrocarbons, originate from production processes, storage tanks, transport pipelines and waste areas (Kalabokas et al 2001;Cetin et al 2003;Rao et al 2007;Ulman and Chilmonczyk 2007).…”

Characterization of the Concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Romanian Littoral using General Regression Neural Networks: A Case Study

“…Examples of air pollutants include benzene and other aromatics, methane, ethane, tetrachloroethane, methyl chloride, chlorohydrocarbons, perfluorocarbons, styrene, and naphthalenes (European Parliament and Council 2004;Hellen et al 2008). Benzene, which is the most monitored air pollutant, is emitted by cars, trucks, oil 3 refineries, and chemical processes (Pandya et al 2006). The petrochemical, metal finishing, electronics, and paint industries generate volatile organic compounds as solvents, lubricants, liquid fuels, degreasers and cleaners (De Nevers 2000).…”