Investigating volatile organic compounds and modeling their dispersion from agriculture and industry in Dabal Khazaei, Ahvaz, Iran

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the type, concentration, and modeling of the emission of odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) caused by the industry in Dabal Khazai with AERMOD software to determine whether the activity of this industry affected the residential community or not. Methods: In this study, volatile compounds were collected in Tedlar bags and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The emission rate of pollutants from sources is calculated using a combination of different equations. This calculation method is suitable for industrial sources that do not have primary data to calculate the amount of pollutant emissions. Results: The results analysis identified 59 VOCS and determined that ketene and methane are the most important pollutants in industrial source samples. The highest release rate is 3460 g/s of ketene gas for vinasse ponds, and the lowest one is for methane gas from the primary processing unit of the sugarcane plant in the sugarcane factory. The dispersion model showed that the emission radius of concentrations higher than the standard level is only at a distance of 10 km compared to industrial sources. Conclusion: The investigated industrial sources are not the origin of the bad smell in Ahvaz city. As a result, more research is needed to determine the bad smell in the city.