Spatial and temporal variation of emission inventories for historical anthropogenic NMVOCs in China

Multiyear emission inventories of anthropogenic NMVOCs in China for 1980–2005 were compiled based on time-varying statistical data, literature surveyed and model calculated emission factors, and were gridded at a high spatial resolution of 40 km×40 km using the GIS methodology. Chinese NMVOCs emissions had increased by 4.3 times 5 at an annual average rate of 10.7% from 3.92Tg in 1980 to 16.5 Tg in 2005. Vehicles, biomass burning, industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, solvent utilization, and storage and transport generated 5.49Tg, 3.91Tg, 2.76Tg, 1.98Tg, 1.87Tg, and 0.55Tg of NMVOCs, respectively. Motorcycles, biofuel burning, heavy-duty vehicles, synthetic fibre production, biomass open burning, and industrial and commercial con10 sumption were primary emission sources. Besides, from 1980 to 2005, vehicle emission increased notably from 6% to 33%, along with a slight increase for fossil fuel combustion from 9% to 12% and for industrial processes from 11% to 17%. Meanwhile, biomass burning emission decreased from 41% to 23%, along with the decrease of storage and transport and solvent utilization from 9% to 3% and from 28% to 11%, 15 respectively. Varieties of NMVOCs emissions coincided well with China’s economic growth. Conversions in economic structure and adjustment of fuel consumption structure in China during the period were the reasons for conspicuous variation of source contributions. The developed eastern and coastal regions produced more emissions than the relatively underdeveloped western and inland regions. Particularly, southeast20 ern, northern, and central China covering 35% of China’s territory, generated 59% of the total emissions, while the populous capital cities covering merely 4.5% of China’s territory, accounted for 25% of the national emissions. Moreover, rural areas also experienced emission growth during the past two and a half decades, the reason of which was transfer of emission-intensive plants from city to county, inefficient fuel utilization, 25 and biomass burning.