Ozone Formation Potential of Volatile Organic Compounds During November 2021 at an Urban Site of Delhi

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the precursor of secondary aerosols and surface ozone in the atmosphere. The present study has been carried out to understand the ozone formation potential (OFP) of different VOCs at an urban site of Delhi in November 2021. Ambient air samples were collected for VOC analysis using GC-FID. The total concentration of VOCs was (80.47 ± 38.77) ppbv. Out of 22 species of VOCs, n-butane has the highest monthly average concentration (14.47 ± 8.78) ppbv. Alkanes were the most abundant (63.80%) followed by alkenes (19.66%), aromatic hydrocarbons (11.25%), and, acetylene (5.29%) respectively. 1 hexene has the highest OFP value (56.11 ppbv) and n-nonane has the lowest OFP (0.54 ppbv) as well as the lowest concentration (0.69 ± 0.15) ppbv. Alkenes have the maximum percentage contribution (56.09%) to total OFP followed by alkanes (24.03%), aromatics (17.73%), and Alkyne (2.15%).