Anthropogenic sources emit about 142 teragrams (1.42 × 10 kg) of carbon per year in the form of VOCs.
The major source of man-made VOCs are:
* Fossil fuel use and production, e.g. incompletely combusted fossil fuels or unintended evaporation of fuels. The most prevalent VOC is ethane, a relatively inert compound.
* Solvents used in coatings, paints, and inks. Approximately 12 billion litres of paint are produced annually. Typical solvents include aliphatic hydrocarbons, ethyl acetate, glycol ethers, and acetone. Motivated by cost, environmental concerns, and regulation, the paint and coating industries are increasingly shifting toward aqueous solvents.
* Compressed aerosol products, mainly butane and propane, estimated to contribute 1.3 billion tonnes of VOC emissions per year globally.
* Biofuel use, e.g., cooking oils in Asia and bioethanol in Brazil.
* Biomass combustion, especially from rain forests. Although combustion principally releases carbon dioxide and water, incomplete combustion affords a variety of VOCs.