ABSTRACT
Organic compounds are carbon-based chemical compounds, which include a wide range of hydrocarbons, halocarbons, oxygenated hydrocarbons, organic nitrates, and organic sulfides. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been given different definitions by different organizations and in different fields of interest. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for regulatory purposes gave a broad definition of VOCs as any volatile compound of carbon except those specifically exempted. Many VOCs are human-made chemicals that are used or produced in the manufacturing of paints, adhesives, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. The dominant anthropogenic VOC sources are vehicular and industrial emissions from fossil fuel combustion, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) leakages, fuel evaporation, petroleum distillation, and industrial solvents. Biological sources emit an estimated 1150 teragrams of carbon per year in the form of VOCs. The conventional methods of treating VOCs include air stripping, adsorption, membrane technology, electrochemical technology, anaerobic/aerobic biological treatments, and bioreactor.
