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Volume 16
Issue 8
10.3390/atmos16080970
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Impact of Photochemical Loss on the Source Apportionment of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Ozone Formation Potential in the Fenwei Plain, Northern China

by
Yanan Tao
1,2,
Qi Xiong
3,*,
Yawei Dong
1,2,
Jiayin Zhang
1,2,
Lei Cao
1,2,
Min Zhu
3,
Qiaoqiao Wang
3 and
Jianwei Gu
4,*
1
Shaanxi Environmental Monitoring Center Station, Xi’an 710043, China
2
Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Environmental Monitoring and Forewarning of Trace Pollutants, Xi’an 710054, China
3
Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, College of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
4
Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Atmosphere 2025, 16(8), 970; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080970
Submission received: 24 June 2025 / Revised: 28 July 2025 / Accepted: 13 August 2025 / Published: 15 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Air Quality)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The Fenwei Plain (FWP), one of China’s most polluted regions, has experienced severe ozone (O3) pollution in recent years. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), key O3 precursors, undergo significant photochemical degradation, yet their loss and the implications for source apportionment and ozone formation potential (OFP) in this region remain unclear. This study conducted summertime VOC measurements in two industrial cities in the FWP, Hancheng (HC) and Xingping (XP), to quantify photochemical losses of VOCs and assessed their impact on source attribution and OFP with photochemical age-based parameterization methods. Significant VOC photochemical losses were observed, averaging 3.6 ppbv (7.1% of initial concentrations) in HC and 1.9 ppbv (5.6%) in XP, with alkenes experiencing the highest depletion (22–30%). Source apportionment based on both initial (corrected) and observed concentrations revealed that industrial sources (e.g., coking, coal washing, and rubber manufacturing) dominated ambient VOCs. Ignoring photochemical losses underestimated contributions from natural gas combustion and biogenic sources, while it overestimated the secondary source. OFP calculated with lost VOCs (OFPloss) reached 34 ppbv in HC and 15 ppbv in XP, representing 20% and 25% of OFP based on observed concentrations, respectively, with reactive alkenes accounting for over 90% of OFPloss. The results highlight the importance of accounting for VOC photochemical losses for accurate source identification and developing effective O3 control strategies in the FWP.
Keywords: volatile organic compounds; photochemical loss; source apportionment; ozone formation potential; Fenwei Plain volatile organic compounds; photochemical loss; source apportionment; ozone formation potential; Fenwei Plain

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Tao, Y.; Xiong, Q.; Dong, Y.; Zhang, J.; Cao, L.; Zhu, M.; Wang, Q.; Gu, J. The Impact of Photochemical Loss on the Source Apportionment of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Ozone Formation Potential in the Fenwei Plain, Northern China. Atmosphere 2025, 16, 970. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080970

AMA Style

Tao Y, Xiong Q, Dong Y, Zhang J, Cao L, Zhu M, Wang Q, Gu J. The Impact of Photochemical Loss on the Source Apportionment of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Ozone Formation Potential in the Fenwei Plain, Northern China. Atmosphere. 2025; 16(8):970. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080970

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tao, Yanan, Qi Xiong, Yawei Dong, Jiayin Zhang, Lei Cao, Min Zhu, Qiaoqiao Wang, and Jianwei Gu. 2025. "The Impact of Photochemical Loss on the Source Apportionment of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Ozone Formation Potential in the Fenwei Plain, Northern China" Atmosphere 16, no. 8: 970. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080970

APA Style

Tao, Y., Xiong, Q., Dong, Y., Zhang, J., Cao, L., Zhu, M., Wang, Q., & Gu, J. (2025). The Impact of Photochemical Loss on the Source Apportionment of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Ozone Formation Potential in the Fenwei Plain, Northern China. Atmosphere, 16(8), 970. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080970

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