Identify the key emission sources for mitigating ozone pollution: A case study of urban area in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

Ozone (O3) has become the most critical air pollutant in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China. Research on the O3 formation mechanism and its precursor sources (including nitrogen oxides (NOX) and volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs)) could provide a theoretical basis for mitigating O3 pollution in this region. In this study, simultaneous field experiments were conducted for air pollutants in a typical urban area (Suzhou) in the YRD region in 2022. The capacity of in-situ O3 formation, O3-NOX-VOCs sensitivities and sources of O3 precursors were analyzed. The results showed that in-situ formation contributed 20.8 % of the O3 concentration in the warm season (April to October) of the Suzhou urban area. Compared with the warm season average, the concentrations of various O3 precursors in-creased on pollution days. The O3-NOX-VOCs sensitivity was the VOCs-limited regime based on the average concentra-tions during the warm season. O3 formation was most sensitive to anthropogenic VOCs, of which oxygenated VOCs, alkenes and aromatics were the key species. There was a VOCs-limited regime in spring and autumn, while a transi-tional regime in summer due to the changes in NOX concentrations. This study considered NOX emission from VOCs sources and calculated the contribution of various sources to O3 formation. The results of VOCs source apportionment showed that diesel engine exhaust and fossil fuel combustion had a dominant proportion, but O3 formation presented significant negative sensitivities to the above two sources because of their high NOX emissions. There were significant sensitivities of O3 formation to gasoline vehicle exhaust and VOCs evaporative emissions (gasoline evaporation and solvent usage). The contribution of VOCs evaporative emissions during the O3 pollution episode was significantly higher than the average; therefore, controlling VOCs evaporative emissions during the O3 pollution episode is critical. These results provide feasible strategies to mitigate O3 pollution.

Automated summary

This study conducted simultaneous field experiments on air pollutants in Suzhou, a typical urban area in the Yangtze River Delta region of China, in 2022, to analyze the mechanism of ozone (O3) formation and its precursor sources. The results showed that in-situ formation contributed 20.8% of the O3 concentration in the warm season. Various O3 precursors increased on pollution days, with anthropogenic VOCs having the highest sensitivity to O3 formation. The study also calculated the contribution of different sources to O3 formation and highlighted the importance of controlling VOCs evaporative emissions during O3 pollution episodes.