Vehicle Related VOCs in Parking Garage in Konya/Turkey

Abstract

The principal objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of the selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including Ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, styrene, o-xylene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, in a parking garage in Konya/Turkey.

Individual sample was collected at both night and daytime. Total VOC concentrations of the samples ranged from 18.75 to 567.75 µg m^-3. The maximum concentration of m/p-xylen measured in the ambient air was 175 µg m^-3. The concentrations of VOCs determined in the parking garage were higher in summer period than those of in winter. In this study, linear regression analyses were also conducted to describe the relationship with VOC levels and environmental factors. Total VOCs had negative correlations with humidity and atmospheric pressure (R=0.259 and 0.332 respectively), while positive correlations with wind power and air temperature (R=0.266 and 0.288 respectively) were found. Average ratio of m/p-xylem to EtBenz in the parking garage was determined as 1.45.