The aim of this study was to investigate the legally-designated malodorous compounds at the plant boundary areas of 5 plants expected to emit high odor intensities, as well as! complaint area at the Yeosu petrochemical industrial complex in Korea. The sampling was carried out during spring and summer of 2003 and 2006. The concentrations of ammonia, sulfur compounds (hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide) and aldehydes (acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde) emitted during 2006 were higher than those emitted during 2003, and the concentrations emitted during summer were higher than those emitted during spring at the plant boundary areas. It was thought that the concentrations of odorants in the complaint area had been directly influenced by the concentrations of odorants in the plant boundary areas as they showed similar patterns of concentration variations. While the concentration of TMA during 2006 was lower than during 2003 at the all sampling sites, the concentration of styrene during 2006 was higher than during 2003 at the all sampling sites. The sites showed high concentrationsof odorous compounds at the plant boundary area of the related chemical and petrochemical refinery plants.

This study was undertaken to investigate the concentration of VOCs from newly built apartments in three cities (Suncheon, Yeosu, and Gwangyang) of Honam province in Korea. VOCs were sampled using canister and analyzed by GC/MSD. The result of the canister blank test showed that, most VOCs were not detected when 5 ppb was cleaned once and 10 ppb was cleaned with two times. In case of the replicate alalysis to check for the precision of GC/MSD, RSD values were found to be excellent at 6%. The upper floor of C apartment (25 pyong) showed the highest concentration of TVOCs at 3,235 ㎍/㎥. The average concentration of TVOCs was the highest in C apartment (25 pyong) as 1,833±1,217 ㎍/㎥. The average concentration of TVOCs in K (52 pyong) and S apartment (16 pyong) were 1,820±1,035 ㎍/㎥ and 498±71 ㎍/㎥, respectively. The I/O ratio of TVOCs were 8.99∼35.90 (mean : 25.99), 11.51∼35.43 (mean : 20.07) and 6.03∼7.90 (mean : 6.92) in K, C and S apartment, respectively. From these results, it is believed that the concentration of TVOCs was comparatively high in new apartment. Therefore, it is important to use low VOC emission materials to reduce the emission concentration of VOCs from in new apartment. It is hence necessary that a scientific study is performed to secure clean indoor air quality.

This study estimated the emission characteristics of odorous volatiles organic compounds (VOCs) from major 7 emission facilities by industrial classification in Yeosu petrochemical industrial complex. This study investigated terminal emission facilities (Inlet and outlet) in the industrial plant area, the plant boundary area and Samil-dong which has many civil appeal for an offensive odor to grasp VOCs concentration in ambient air of the plant boundary area and civil appeal area from May, 2002 to December, 2004, besides. VOCs were sampled 6 L using silicocan canisters and toluene, xylene and styrene which are known as odorous VOCs were analyzed by cryogenic preconcentration system and GC/MS. The removal efficiency of emission facilities in the industrial plant area for odor showed 96.5% of wet scrubber, 89.5% of RTO and 86.0% of RCO. The concentration of odorous VOCs at the plant limits area in 2003 were higher than 2002. The reason was guessed that toluene of high concentration emitted from terminal emission facilities in the industrial plant area influenced on ambient air at the plant boundary area. The concentration of odorous VOCs in ambient air at Samil-dong were decreasing from 1995 to 2001, but the concentration of toluene sharply increased from 2002. The reason was presumed that VOCs emission increased due to expansion of Yeosu petrochemical industrial complex and removal efficiency of terminal emission facilities dropped due to outworn equipments for VOCs prevent.