Characterization Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Buildings In Hong Kong

Author : Kin-Yin Jeanie Tsui
Publisher : Open Dissertation Press
ISBN 13 : 9781361422304
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (223 download)

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Download or read book Biogenic Volatile Organic Compound Emissions in Hong Kong written by Kin-Yin Jeanie Tsui and published by Open Dissertation Press. This book was released on 2017-01-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation, "Biogenic Volatile Organic Compound Emissions in Hong Kong" by Kin-yin, Jeanie, Tsui, 徐健賢, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract of thesis entitled BIOGENIC VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND EMISSIONS IN HONG KONG Submitted by Jeanie Kin-Yin Tsui For the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Hong Kong in November 2006 Plants emit diverse non-methane hydrocarbons which are collectively known as biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). It has been proposed that BVOCs may help plants to defend against high temperature and ozone stresses. BVOCs, however, are also found to be important contributors to the formation of tropospheric ozone and other secondary pollutants. Hong Kong is located at the southeastern coast of China. In spite of its small area (1100 km ), Hong Kong has highly diverse flora (3164 species) most of which are tropical. Although urban greening programs have been promoted as an approach to improve air quality and living environment in Hong Kong, it is still not well understood the possible role of pollutants including volatile organic compounds from biogenic sources in the deterioration of air quality. The cultivation of some tree species may in fact exacerbate air pollution due to their high BVOC emissions. The present project was set out as a first step to investigate BVOC emissions in Hong Kong, in the hope of providing a primary understanding of the topic in a local context. The emission rates of isoprene and monoterpene of thirteen local tree species were determined by enclosure measurement. Among them, six species were identified as isoprene emitters, and two species were identified as monoterpene emitters. Bauhinia variegata var. candida and Eucalyptus robusta were found to be the highest isoprene and monoterpene emitters, respectively. Light and temperature dependencies of BVOC emissions were also investigated with two tree species: Bauhinia variegata var. candida and Eucalyptus torelliana. Both light intensity and temperature were found to be critical factors that determine the rates of isoprene and monoterpene emissions from plants; high BVOC emissions were triggered by high temperature and high light intensity. 2 A BVOC emission model of a spatial resolution of 0.1 0.1 km and a time resolution of 1 hour was established based on detailed land use, tree distribution and hourly meteorological data. The total annual BVOC emissions from 1 August 2004 to 9 31 July 2005 were estimated to be 11326 metric tons [9.2 x 10 g C (BVOC carbon)]. Isoprene, total monoterpene (TMT) and other VOCs (OVOCs) emissions account for 25.9%, 34.1 %, and 40% of the total emissions. Prominent diurnal and seasonal variations in BVOC emissions were also predicted by the model. The present study offered a primary evaluation of BVOC emissions in Hong Kong, and laid a solid foundation for further investigation on the topic. DOI: 10.5353/th_b3859766 Subjects: Volatile organic compounds - Environmental aspects - China - Hong Kong Hydrocarbons - Environmental aspects - China - Hong Kong