Technological advances in solvents drive a significant decrease in VOC emissions and negative impacts from industrial...

Industrial solvent use is a major source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, posing significant environmental and health risks. However, the driving factors behind VOC reduction are rarely discussed for the specific emission source, impeding future regulatory efforts for this pollution source. This study investigates VOC emission profiles from solvent-based and water-based paints in industrial solvent use, with a focus on key drivers of emission and environmental/health risk. Field experiments revealed a dramatic reduction in VOC concentrations from solvent-based paints in recent years, with fugitive emission concentrations (FC) and breathing zone concentrations (BZC) decreasing by 99.0 % and 99.8 %, respectively, compared to previous studies. In contrast, water-based paints consistently exhibited low VOC levels, with only modest reductions observed. Enhanced ventilation further reduced VOC concentrations, particularly for solvent-based paints, with a 57.9 % decrease under high wind speed conditions. Reactivity analysis indicated a marked reduction in highly reactive VOC species in solvent-based paints, largely attributed to advances in solvent formulation. These findings underscore the importance of controlling reactive and toxic VOC species in industrial solvent-use sources.