Source Fingerprints of Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted from A Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Power Plant in Guangzhou, China

Air samples of a municipal solid waste power plant were collected for the investigation from chimney, discharge workshop, boundary site and downwind receptor sites during regular operational period as well as overhaul period. In the regular operational period, 29 VOC species were detected from the discharge workshop and 25 VOC species from the plume of chimney. Average total VOC concentration at the discharge workshop site was 57.70±19.55 μg/m3 which was primarily composed of aromatic compounds and alkanes, but it was up to 270.63±2.84 μg/m3 in the plume of chimney which mainly included aromatic compounds and halohydrocarbons. In the overhaul period, average total VOC concentration was 59.70±0.91 μg/m3 in the discharge workshop and 326.35±151.68 μg/m3 in the chimney. Aromatics, halohydrocarbons and alkanes were indentified as the significant VOC fingerprints among which chlorobenzene and tetrachloroethylene were two unique VOC molecular markers of the power plant. Moreover, the VOC emission inventory of Chinese MSWI power plant was estimated approximately, it indicated that annual emission amount of the VOCs from the nationwide MSWI power plants reached 38.6tons in 2005 and would rise to 81.80 tons in the end of 2010.