Photochemical ozone creation potentials for a large number of reactive hydrocarbons under European conditions

A photochemical trajectory model is used to describe the ozone production from the oxidation of methane and 95 other hydrocarbons in the presence of sunlight and NOx in air parcels advected across north west Europe towards the British Isles. By adding a small additional mass emission of each hydrocarbon in turn, additional ozone production was stimulated. A photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) index was generated from the model results showing the relative importance of each hydrocarbon in ozone formation, on a mass emitted basis. Aromatic and olefinic hydrocarbons showed the highest POCP values with halocarbons the lowest. Using the POCP index, motor vehicle exhaust is seen to exhibit the highest ozone-forming potential of all the hydrocarbon emission source categories evaluated. Toluene, n-butane, ethylene and the xylenes, alone, account for over one third of the ozone forming potential of European emissions. Certain hydrocarbons, including acetone and methyl acetate, show significantly lower POCPs and have considerable potential as candidates for substitution in industrial or chemical processes and as solvents.