This study sought to improve the accuracy of estimating national emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from consumer solvent products (CSPs) by updating emission factors and category-specific activity data. The classification of the CSPs, which was originally proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was reorganized to reflect domestic consumption patterns in Korea. VOC contents, product sales, and atmospheric evaporation rates of the CSPs were analyzed for subcategories including personal care products, household products, and automotive aftermarket products to update their emission factors. Additionally, the category-specific activity data, previously based on only population statistics, were newly applied to count the characteristics of each classification, such as the number of households and the number of registered automobiles. The updated emission factors were calculated to be 1.90 kg/capita·yr for personal care products, 4.37 kg/household·yr for household products, and 2.36 kg/car·yr for automotive products. An evaluation of uncertainties revealed the limitation in the product classification, the shortage of sales data, and the lack of information on VOC contents depending on the product forms (liquid, solid, and aerosol). This study highlighted the necessity of developing detailed classification systems and standardized VOC content measurement methods, ultimately contributing to more accurate and practical assessments of VOC emissions from the CSPs.

PURPOSES : A methodology for estimating micro-emission factors using vehicle trajectory data collected from navigation and DTG devices and basic emission factors for each vehicle type of the MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) is presented. The methodology can calculate micro-emissions based on only the traffic volume and average speed for each vehicle type. METHODS : Cluster analysis was performed by accumulating the trajectories of individual vehicles on a specific road section into speed groups in which vehicles drove with the same range of average speed. Then, the micro-emission factors were estimated for each speed group. RESULTS : Using the vehicle trajectory data revealed that the emissions calculated from micro-emission factors estimated by the proposed methodology were similar to the sum of the emissions calculated from the vehicle trajectories for each vehicle. CONCLUSIONS : The micro-emission factor database for each road type and vehicle type proposed in this study should be useful for estimating vehicle emissions on the road. The proposed method can calculate emissions in the same way as the macroscopic analysis method, using the traffic volume, average speed, and link length.

Odor emission factors (OEFs) are important parameters in characterizing odor sources, understanding emission patterns, designing abatement facilities, and providing appropriate control methods. In this study, OEFs for complex odor from grit removal chambers in publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants were determined, and the major operating conditions affecting the emission factors were investigated. In the main study site of “S” wastewater treatment plant, the averaged OEFs from the grit chamber were found to be 466.2, 162.6, and 54.7 OU/m2/min in summer, spring, and winter, respectively. OEFs from two other grit chambers in different wastewater plants were independently measured for comparison, and the values were in the same range as the OEF from S-site at a 95% confidence level. Nevertheless, the OEFs could differ depending on the types of wastewater and the sizes of wastewater treatment plants. Using the multi-variable linear regression method, correlations between OEFs and operating conditions, i.e. activities, from grit chambers were statistically analyzed. The analyses showed that operating conditions, including total suspended solids, water temperature, and temperature difference between water and air, were the most significant parameters affecting the OEF. A linear equation using these three parameters was proposed to estimate the OEF, and can be used to predict an OEF for another grit chamber, without odor measurement.

The IPCC methodology for estimating methane emissions from a solid waste landfill is based on the first order decay (FOD) method. One emission factor in the model is the methane generation potential (L0) that is estimated from the amount of decomposable degradable organic carbon (DOC) in a solid waste landfill. L0 is estimated based on the fraction of DOC in the waste, the fraction of the degradable organic carbon that decomposes under anaerobic conditions (DOCf), methane correction factor (MCF), and the fraction of methane in generated landfill gas (F). The other emission factor is the methane generation rate constant (k). The IPCC recommended that every country needs to develop country-specific key parameters (DOC, DOCf, k) more appropriate for its circumstances and characteristics. The objective of this research was to investigate the greenhouse gas emission factor (k) and parameters (DOC, DOCf) for wood wastes in a solid waste landfill. To investigate DOC, DOCf, and k for wood wastes, the biodegradable rate of wood wastes was determined by comparing the composition of excavated samples (L-1, L-2) with their fresh ones (F-1, F-2). The DOC values were found to be 48.36% and 45.27% for F-1 and F-2, respectively. It showed that the IPCC default value of DOC for wood wastes is appropriate for estimating methane emission. The maximum DOCf (0.17 and 0.18) or each wood waste excavated from G landfill was found to be lower compared with those for IPCC. The IPCC provided that default values of DOCf 0.5. The k values were found to be 0.0055 and 0.0058 year−1 for F-1 and F-2, respectively. The result confirmed that the biodegradation rate of wood wastes was very slow due to its lignin.