Sources and Fates of BTEX in the General Environment and Its Distribution in Coastal Cities of China

Abstract

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) are the most abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the urban atmosphere. In this paper, fates and possible sources of BTEX in general atmosphere were reviewed. A fairly comprehensive review of BTEX in atmosphere of China's coastal cities was presented. In the general environment, BTEX partitions mainly into air. Higher atmospheric concentrations of BTEX were observed in the cities of south China than in north China and in winter than in summer. The atmospheric BTEX concentrations were significantly reduced over the past two decades. Vehicle emission and coal burning were the most important sources in North China. In south China, the other sources could make remarkable contribution to atmospheric BTEX concentrations.