Assessment of Hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in a Residential Area abutting a Large Petrochemical Complex

Abstract

The results of VOC monitoring in a residential area abutting a petrochemical complex and the influence of causative parameters on the concentration is discussed in this paper. The monitored data reveals that about 21 hazardous VOC are predominantly present in the study area. Toluene is the most abundant compound of all. The mean concentration of benzene, a known carcinogen, is 38 μg/m3. The wide variation in toluene to benzene ratio (T/B) and the weak correlation between the concentration of various compounds and NOx indicate that they are contributed by multiple sources. There is no fixed pattern observed in the concentration variation between morning and evening samples. The BTEX ratio observed in this study varies from 1:2.6:0.3:0.2 to 1:9.5; 2.1:1.4. The study reveals that the hazardous VOC in the study area are contributed by multiple sources and that the concentration of some of them is very high.