Photochemical ozone creation potentials (POCP) and replacement of solvents in Europe

Photochemical ozone creation potentials (POCP) have been calculated under 12 different emission conditions and the replacement of current solvents by oxygenates have been investigated under two European emission conditions. As expected the higher the NOx/VOC ratio, the more pronounced the deviation among POCP values for individual VOC, and the more useful the method of ranking VOC according to their ability to contribute to ozone. The replacement of current solvents by oxygenates significantly reduces the ozone levels in polluted air, such as the London plume. The replacement of current solvents in European air, plumes 1 and 2 in Poppe et al. (1996) and Kuhn et al. (1998), has a limited effect on the ozone levels. The influence on other species such as PAN and aldehydes is, however, also, under these conditions, significant when replacing current solvents by oxygenates.