VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

If we ask the question "Why treat volatile organic compounds in the air?", two types of argument can be developed, depending on the sensitivity, obligations and/or constraints of each individual.

Initially, if we take a global environmental approach, the impact on human health and ecosystems, the greenhouse effect and global warming, the uncontrolled production of ozone in cities... are all good reasons for drastically limiting VOC emissions, either at source through a "clean processes" approach, or at emission through curative processes. The international community has mobilized, with varying degrees of determination, as evidenced by the events of the New York conference in 1997, to combat the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions through the convention signed in Rio in June 1992.

Secondly, the discussion can be placed on a regulatory level. As part of the 1991 Geneva Protocol on the limitation of VOC emissions and their transboundary fluxes, and following on from EU Directive 99/13/EC of March 11, 1999, France has undertaken to significantly reduce its emissions. In 1998, annual VOC emissions from all sectors combined (industry, transport, agriculture, etc.) were around 2,300 kt; the objectives of the Gothenburg Protocol (1999) call for a reduction to 1,100 kt by 2010, while the European Union directive (2001/81/EC) imposes a ceiling of 1,050 kt for the same year. The latter directive concerns some 400,000 companies in Europe, which will have to comply with the legislation by 2005-2007. The practical consequences of these directives are the promulgation in France of various decrees regulating VOC emission levels for various industrial sectors. These include the decrees of February 2, 1998 and May 29, 2000, supplemented by industry-specific decrees (cf. ).

These few points attempt to demonstrate the need to reduce volatile organic compounds. For the most part, this article will therefore focus on the treatment of "end-of-line" emissions, with some information on ventilation and containment methods. However, definitions, sources, impacts and analysis methods will also be discussed, to give a more global view of the VOC field.

For more information on volatile organic compounds in the environment, please refer to [1] .