Formaldehyde (HCHO) is the most abundant carbonyl compounds that play an important role in atmospheric chemistry and photochemical reactions. Formaldehyde is an important indicator of atmospheric reactivity and urban atmospheric aerosol precursors. In the present paper, the emission of formaldehyde from chemical area was measured using the mobile differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). This instrument uses the zenith scattered sunlight as the light source with successful sampling in the area loop. Vertical column density was retrieved by this system, combined with the meteorological wind field and car speed information, the emission of formaldehyde in the area was estimated. The authors carried out the measuring experiment in one chemical plant in Beijing using this technology. The result showed that the average value of the flux of formaldehyde in this area was 605 kg·h-1 during the measuring period.