Emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds during a typical top-charging coking process

The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from coking industry severely reduces air quality. Using both offline and online methods, the emissions of 124 VOCs and non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) in a typical top-charging coke oven were analyzed during the coking process (emissions form the coke oven flue gas, charging, pushing, coke dry quenching, and topside of the coke oven). The concentrations of VOCs in coke oven flue gas and exhaust gas during charging were the highest, which reached 98.2 mg/m³ and 136.6 mg/m³, respectively. This was followed by the concentrations of exhaust gases sourced from the topside of the coke oven, pushing, and coke dry quenching, which were 12.0 mg/m³, 1.8 mg/m³, and 0.8 mg/m³, respectively. The main components of VOCs for the different exhaust emission sources were significantly different. The ozone formation potentials (OFPs) of coke oven flue gas and exhaust gas during charging were the largest, and unsaturated hydrocarbons such as alkenes and benzenes were the main source of ground-level ozone. These data can support researchers in developing adsorption, catalytic oxidation, and other technologies for the removal of VOCs generated by the coking process.