Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Characterization, Environmental Impacts and Control

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 October 2025 | Viewed by 267

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Interests: volatile organic compounds; ozone pollution; formaldehyde; secondary organic aerosol formation mechanism; PM2.5; isoprene

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Interests: atmospheric particulate pollution; secondary aerosol production; volatile organic compounds

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Interests: new particle formation; atmospheric measurement; traffic-related air pollution; aerosol optical properties

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a significant source of air pollution and important precursors of ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), posing a serious threat to air quality and human health. This Special Issue aims to explore prevention and control strategies for VOC emissions, covering the entire process from source control to environmental behavior and end-of-pipe treatment. These aspects can be summarized as follows:

(1) Characterization and Monitoring of VOC Emissions: covers the identification and characterization of VOC emission sources in sectors like industry, transportation, and construction, along with advancements in monitoring methodologies and technologies.
(2) Spatiotemporal Variation Characteristics and Impacts: includes the horizontal and vertical concentration distribution characteristics of VOCs, the formation of O3 and aerosols from VOCs, and VOC source apportionment.
(3) Environmental Impacts and Health Risks: covers research on the impacts of VOC emissions on air quality, climate change, and human health.
(4) VOC Emission Control Technologies: covers the research, development, and application of VOC control technologies, such as adsorption, absorption, catalytic oxidation, and biological treatment.
(5) Policies and Regulations: includes domestic and international policies, regulations, and standards for VOC emission control, as well as evaluations of their implementation effectiveness.
(6) Economic and Cost–Benefit Analysis: includes economic analyses and cost–benefit assessments of VOC control technologies.
(7) Future Trends and Innovation: Future development trends and innovative directions for VOC emission control technologies.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of cross-cutting, multi-disciplinary research in the above areas and supports a wide range of basic theories, methodologies, and technical methods, including experimental, numerical calculations, observational, monitoring and management research, and policy analysis. In addition to fundamental and applied papers, review articles on important developments, challenges, and new perspectives will also be considered.

Dr. Yujie Zhang
Dr. Liang Wen
Dr. Yicheng Shen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • VOCs emission
  • atmospheric characteristics
  • emission control technologies
  • characterization and monitoring of VOC emissions
  • policies and regulations
  • PM2.5 and O3
  • health risks
  • economic and cost–benefit analysis
  • future trends and innovation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2025 KiB  
Article
A Monitoring and Sampling Platform for Air Pollutants on a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Development and Application
by Xiaodie Kong, Xiaoya Dou, Hefan Liu, Guangming Shi, Xingyu Xiang, Qinwen Tan, Danlin Song, Fengxia Huang, Xiaoling Zhou, Hongbin Jiang, Pu Wang, Li Zhou and Fumo Yang
Atmosphere 2025, 16(5), 613; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16050613 - 17 May 2025
Viewed by 122
Abstract
Complex air pollution, including particulate matter and ozone, is a significant environmental issue in China, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as key precursors. Traditional ground-based monitoring methods struggle to capture the vertical distribution and changes of pollutants in the troposphere. To address this, [...] Read more.
Complex air pollution, including particulate matter and ozone, is a significant environmental issue in China, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as key precursors. Traditional ground-based monitoring methods struggle to capture the vertical distribution and changes of pollutants in the troposphere. To address this, we developed a vertical monitoring and sampling platform using a quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The platform, equipped with lightweight quartz sampling canisters and miniaturized sensors, collects air samples for VOC analysis and vertical data on meteorological parameters and particulate matter. Performance tests showed the quartz canisters had less than 15% adsorption loss, with sample storage stability exceeding 80% over three days. Sensor data showed strong correlations with standard instruments (R2 > 0.80). Computational fluid dynamics simulations optimized the sampler’s inlet position and ascertained that ascending flight mitigates rotor-induced air recirculation. Field campaigns were conducted at six sites along the Chengdu Metropolitan Circle Ring Expressway. Vertical data from 0~300 m revealed particulate matter concentrations peaked at 50~70 m. Near-surface VOCs were dominated by alkanes, while aromatics were found concentrated at 150~250 m, indicating significant regional transport influences. The results confirmed the platform’s effectiveness for pollutant distribution analysis. Full article
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