Monitoring Industrial VOC Emissions and Geospatial Analysis

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from petroleum product storage pose not only a significant environmental concern but also a potential threat to occupational health. This study investigates geospatial analysis of VOCs on an industrial platform in Romania, utilizing a combination of portable field detectors and geostatistical modeling techniques. For more than 10 months, we conducted measurements at 41 georeferenced sampling points across three operational zones, using FID/PID instruments calibrated and validated in accordance with national standards. To evaluate dispersion conditions, meteorological data were simultaneously collected. VOC concentrations were measured under varying meteorological scenarios and analyzed using the Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) method in ArcGIS Pro 3.1.0. Maximum concentrations reached up to 229.46 mg/m3 in central tank areas, with some point samples exceeding this level. Peripheral zones generally showed values below 65 mg/m3, although concentrations above 100 mg/m3 were still observed at 10% of the monitoring sites. The results indicate apparent spatial clustering of elevated VOC levels, particularly under low wind speed and high humidity. Our study highlights the relevance of continuous monitoring and site-specific mitigation strategies in high-risk industrial settings in Romania.