CEM India CEM India

CEM India - Abstract

 
CEM India

 
CEM India



Abstract Title: From particulate matter to VOC: an evolution of global environmental awareness
Session Choice: Monitoring Guidelines
Presenter Name: Mr Terry Buckland
Co-authors:Dr Caroline Widdowson
Dr Jan Peter Mayser
Company/Organisation: Markes International
Country: United Kingdom

Abstract Information :

Global air quality directives have historically focused on the reduction of air pollution by controlling emission sources to reduce PM2.5. However new legislative trends are moving towards achieving a reduction in the overall exposure of the population to a wider range of potentially harmful chemicals. Environmental policy has seen a sharp rise over the last 10 years in the monitoring of VOCs with marked increased activity in USA, EU and China.

Monitoring organic chemicals in the air, whether they arise from anthropogenic or natural sources, is vital for assessing their impact on human health as well as their effect on global climate. A number of national and international regulations relating to volatile organics in the environment have been developed;

Key national regulations relating to VOCs:

  • UN and EU Members: The Montreal Protocol operates to reduce levels of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and it is now due to be extended to include the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) greenhouse gases.
  • USA: The 1990 Clean Air Act and subsequent regulations require states to set up Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) in places where ozone levels are high.
  • USA: Amended Federal Regulation CFR 40 lays down a requirement for monitoring of benzene at refinery fencelines.
  • EU: The Air Quality Framework Directive (96/62/EC) and its ‘daughter directives’ describe how air quality should be assessed and define limit levels and monitoring requirements relating to certain groups of compounds, including ozone precursors and PAHs.
  • EU: The ‘Clean Air Programme for Europe’, currently under consideration, includes stricter national emissions ceilings for VOCs, amongst a wide range of other measures.
  • China: The 13th Five-Year Plan specifies the need for greater control of VOC emissions into the atmosphere from industry, and a 10% reduction of target VOCs has been proposed.
Four groups of VOCs are of particular importance:
  • Halocarbons: Some low-boiling compounds containing fluorine, chlorine and bromine are greenhouse gases or stratospheric ozone depletants and are the subject of international agreements to limit their use.
  • ‘Ozone precursors’ are highly volatile hydrocarbons that contribute to the formation of low-level ozone in urban areas.
  • ‘Air toxics’ (also known as ‘hazardous air pollutants’) are a major contributor to poor air quality. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes (collectively known as BTEX) are often the focus of these monitoring efforts.
  • Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) long been the subject of soil/water regulations. There is now growing realisation that compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can have negative health effects even at the low levels present in ambient air.
This presentation will give an overview of the global VOC regulations, highlighting the sampling and analysis techniques that are employed in various regions for these compounds of concern.