Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere negatively impact human and environmental health. Various sources of VOCs include gasoline evaporation, solvent usage, traffic, etc. A dataset 1-year (2018) consisting of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m, p, and o-xylenes) concentrations...

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Main Authors: Amit U. Raysoni, Sai Deepak Pinakana, August Luna, Esmeralda Mendez, Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949839225000227
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author Amit U. Raysoni
Sai Deepak Pinakana
August Luna
Esmeralda Mendez
Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia
author_facet Amit U. Raysoni
Sai Deepak Pinakana
August Luna
Esmeralda Mendez
Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia
author_sort Amit U. Raysoni
collection DOAJ
description Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere negatively impact human and environmental health. Various sources of VOCs include gasoline evaporation, solvent usage, traffic, etc. A dataset 1-year (2018) consisting of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m, p, and o-xylenes) concentrations in Houston, Texas, was analyzed to understand the spatial trends and sources of BTEX in the region. This study assesses 24-hour data concentrations from the Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) operated by the TCEQ Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in Houston. Spatial variations of the BTEX species across the various TCEQ CAMS sites were determined using multiple statistical analyses, including Coefficients of Divergence (COD), Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and ANOVA Tukey’s test, while the BTEX interspecies ratios were calculated for further inter- and intra-urban exposure characterization. Ozone Forming Potential (OFP) was also calculated to analyze the role of VOCs in the formation of tropospheric ozone and to understand the role of VOCs in OFP in multiple seasons. OFP was higher in colder months than in other seasons of the year. Toluene exhibited greater concentrations with emission sources related to vehicular traffic emissions. The sites near the cluster of refineries were observed to have higher BTEX concentrations than others in Houston, Texas. These findings could help formulate targeted emission reduction strategies, for overall VOC levels in Houston, Texas.
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spelling doaj-art-c8b79b2ef5ac4cbbaa638a10e3dce3172025-08-20T02:48:05ZengElsevierSustainable Chemistry for the Environment2949-83922025-03-01910022710.1016/j.scenv.2025.100227Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018Amit U. Raysoni0Sai Deepak Pinakana1August Luna2Esmeralda Mendez3Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia4School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78526, USA; Correspondence to: School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, LSHB 2.818C, One West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78526, USASchool of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78526, USASchool of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78526, USADepartment of Public Health Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USAVolatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere negatively impact human and environmental health. Various sources of VOCs include gasoline evaporation, solvent usage, traffic, etc. A dataset 1-year (2018) consisting of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m, p, and o-xylenes) concentrations in Houston, Texas, was analyzed to understand the spatial trends and sources of BTEX in the region. This study assesses 24-hour data concentrations from the Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) operated by the TCEQ Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in Houston. Spatial variations of the BTEX species across the various TCEQ CAMS sites were determined using multiple statistical analyses, including Coefficients of Divergence (COD), Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and ANOVA Tukey’s test, while the BTEX interspecies ratios were calculated for further inter- and intra-urban exposure characterization. Ozone Forming Potential (OFP) was also calculated to analyze the role of VOCs in the formation of tropospheric ozone and to understand the role of VOCs in OFP in multiple seasons. OFP was higher in colder months than in other seasons of the year. Toluene exhibited greater concentrations with emission sources related to vehicular traffic emissions. The sites near the cluster of refineries were observed to have higher BTEX concentrations than others in Houston, Texas. These findings could help formulate targeted emission reduction strategies, for overall VOC levels in Houston, Texas.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949839225000227BTEXAir quality monitoringTexasTCEQCAMSCoefficient of Divergence
spellingShingle Amit U. Raysoni
Sai Deepak Pinakana
August Luna
Esmeralda Mendez
Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia
Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018
Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment
BTEX
Air quality monitoring
Texas
TCEQ
CAMS
Coefficient of Divergence
title Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018
title_full Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018
title_fullStr Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018
title_full_unstemmed Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018
title_short Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018
title_sort characterization of btex species at texas commission on environmental quality tceq continuous ambient monitoring station cams sites in houston texas usa during 2018
topic BTEX
Air quality monitoring
Texas
TCEQ
CAMS
Coefficient of Divergence
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949839225000227
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