Journal Abbreviation : ‘J. Odor Indoor Environ.’ Frequency : Quarterly Doi Prefix : 10.15250/joie. ISSN : 2288-9167 (Print) / 2288-923X (Online) Year of Launching : 2014 Publisher : Korean Society of Odor Research and Engineering & Korean Society for Indoor Environment Indexed/Tracked/Covered By :
Volatile organic compounds: Current status and control technologies
Myungseop Shin, Seo-hyun Pak, Yong-woo Jeon*
Korea Testing Laboratory, Environmental Convergence Technology Center
*Corresponding author Tel : +82-2-860-1682 E-mail : ywjeon@gmail.com
23 January, 2015
25 February, 2015
11 March, 2015
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are harmful substances that contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion, tropospheric photochemical ozone formation, and carcinogenic human health effects. Worldwide, there are major concerns over the emission of VOCs. Any plans for pollution reduction and management should be established based on database of VOC emission and characteristics. In this paper, the status of VOCs by year, region, and industry were investigated, and then technologies for VOC emission control were introduced. The estimation of VOC emissions by year was gradually increased, and VOC emission due to the utilization of organic solvents was the most common form. VOCs in the atmosphere were detected at the highest concentration in industrial complexes. In most of the industry, it was confirmed that emissions of toluene were the highest among the VOCs. Finally, available VOCs control technologies were introduced, including thermal and catalytic oxidation, adsorption, absorption, biological treatment, non-thermal plasma, electron beam irradiation, and photocatalyst.