Sources and Seasonal Variance of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds in the Oil-Based Chemical Industry from 2020 to 2021: A Case Study of Iraq

The measurement and analysis of pollutants is undoubtedly the first step in controlling them because, without complete knowledge of the quality and quantity of pollutants, it will not be possible to compare them with the permitted limits and ultimately control them. This descriptive-analytical study focused on the oil refineries and chemical industries. Approximately 279 air samples from 18 complexes in an industrial area were collected for this study in the winter of 2020 and 334 samples in the summer of 2021. In this study, 14 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were examined, measured, and sampled using procedures recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). Finally, GC/FID and GC/MS devices were used to analyze the samples. SPSS version 22.0 was used to analyze the results. In this study, it was determined that the mean of the majority of the compounds in all of the complexes was higher in the summer than in the winter (p<0.05). Additionally, according to the findings, in both the winter and summer seasons, the average ratio of benzene to BTX, BTEX, and all VOCs showed the highest percentage (67.2%) and the average ratio of xylene concentration to these three variables showed the lowest percentage (3.15-7.35%). The findings of this study indicate that the multiplicity of pollution sources and the accumulation of numerous complexes in this area have increased the amount of pollution spread throughout the region's air. As a result, it is advised to use engineering solutions to reduce the amount of pollution.