A Visualized Analysis of Research Hotspots and Trends on the Ecological Impact of Volatile Organic Compounds

Abstract

With the ongoing advancement of industrialization and rapid urbanization, the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has increased significantly. As key precursors of PM_2.5 and ozone formation, VOCs pose a growing threat to the health of ecosystems. Due to their complex and dynamic transformation processes across air, water, and soil media, the ecological risks associated with VOCs have attracted increasing attention from both the scientific community and policy-makers. This study systematically reviews the core literature on the ecological impacts of VOCs published between 2005 and 2024, based on data from the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Utilizing three bibliometric tools (CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix), we conducted a comprehensive visual analysis, constructing knowledge maps from multiple perspectives, including research trends, international collaboration, keyword evolution, and author–institution co-occurrence networks. The results reveal a rapid growth in the ecological impact of VOCs (EIVOCs), with an average annual increase exceeding 11% since 2013. Key research themes include source apportionment of air pollutants, ecotoxicological effects, biological response mechanisms, and health risk assessment. China, the United States, and Germany have emerged as leading contributors in this field, with China showing a remarkable surge in research activity in recent years. Keyword co-occurrence and burst analyses highlight “air pollution”, “exposure”, “health”, and “source apportionment” as major research hotspots. However, challenges remain in areas such as ecosystem functional responses, the integration of multimedia pollution pathways, and interdisciplinary coordination mechanisms. There is an urgent need to enhance monitoring technology integration, develop robust ecological risk assessment frameworks, and improve predictive modeling capabilities under climate change scenarios. This study provides scientific insights and theoretical support for the development of future environmental protection policies and comprehensive VOCs management strategies.