Anthropogenic emission inventory of multiple air pollutants and their spatiotemporal variations in 2017 for the Shandong Province, China

Shandong is the most populous and highly industrialized province in eastern China, and the resultant poor air quality is a cause for widespread concern. This study combines bottom–up and top–down approaches to develop a high-resolution anthropogenic emission inventory of air pollutants for 2017. The inventory was developed based on updated emission factors and detailed activity data. The emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 and 10 μm (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀, respectively), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ammonia (NH₃) were estimated to be 1387.8, 2488.6, 5281.7, 3193.0, 9250.7, 2254.7, and 1210.6 kt, respectively. Power plants were the largest contributors of SO₂ and NOₓ emissions accounting for 43.7% and 41.9% of the total emissions, respectively. CO emissions mainly originated from industrial processes (40.1%), mobile sources (24.8%), and fossil fuel burning (21.2%). The major sources of PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ emissions were industrial processes and fugitive dust, contributing 83.0% and 86.9% of their total emissions, respectively. Industrial processes (60.0%) contributed the largest VOC emissions, followed by mobile sources (16.8%) and solvent use (14.5%). Livestock and N-fertilizers were major emitters of NH₃, accounting for 69.9% and 21.2% of the total emissions, respectively. Emissions were spatially allocated to grid cells with a resolution of 0.05 ° × 0.05 ° based on spatial surrogates, using Geographic Information System (GIS). Heavy pollutant emissions were mainly concentrated in the central and eastern areas of Shandong, while high NH₃–emissions occurred in the western region. Most pollutant emissions from industrial sectors occurred in June and July, while low emissions were recorded between January and February. Range uncertainties in emission inventory were quantified using Monte Carlo simulations. Our inventory provides effective information to understand local pollutant emission characteristics, perform air quality simulations, and formulate pollution control measures.