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Characteristics of malodor pollutants and aromatic VOCs around an urban valley in Korea

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Abstract

In this study, the environmental behavior of malodor pollutants (MPs) [including reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs)] and aromatic volatile organic compounds (AVOCs) were investigated around urban valley areas during several field campaigns (February through December 2006). The MPs measured in the study area include the RSCs (H2S, CH3SH, DMS, and DMDS), ammonia (NH3), and styrene (STY); the AVOCs include benzene (BEN), toluene (TOL), ethylbenzene (EB), m,p-xylene (MPX), and o-xylene (OX). The variation of most MP concentrations (except for DMDS) was found to be larger than that of AVOCs. It was found that STY (2,346 ± 4,867 ppbv) was the most dominant MP followed by NH3 (447 ± 285), CH3SH (16 ± 41), and the others (<8). The magnitude of AVOCs was found in the following descending order: TOL (1.4 ± 2.2 ppbv), EB (1.0 ± 2.1), MPX (0.9 ± 2.0), and the others (<0.8). The concentration levels of most MPs on industrial (I) and downwind (D) sites were up to an order of magnitude higher than those at non-industrial (N) and upwind (U) sites. For most AVOCs, the former was ~3 times higher than the latter. For malodor intensity in RSCs, CH3SH was the dominant contributor. The concentration difference in target compounds between the sites/periods is likely to be caused by the combined effects such as emission sources, geographical features (e.g., semi-closed topography), and meteorological conditions (e.g., wind directions) in and outside the urban valley.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0340, USA

    Sang-Keun Song

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Dong-Eui University, 995 Eom Gwang No, Busan Jin Gu, Busan, 614-714, Republic of Korea

    Zang-Ho Shon

  3. Division of Earth Environmental System, Pusan National University, 30 Jang Jeon Dong, Geum Jeong Gu, Busan, 609-735, Republic of Korea

    Yoo-Keun Kim, Cheol-Hee Kim & Sang-Hyun Park

  4. Research Facility Center, Dong-A University, 840 Hadan 2-dong, Saha Gu, Busan, 604-714, Republic of Korea

    Su-Young Yoo

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  1. Sang-Keun Song
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  4. Cheol-Hee Kim
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Correspondence to Zang-Ho Shon.

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Song, SK., Shon, ZH., Kim, YK. et al. Characteristics of malodor pollutants and aromatic VOCs around an urban valley in Korea. Environ Monit Assess 157, 259–275 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-008-0533-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-008-0533-x

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