TY - JOUR A1 - de Krom, I. A1 - Heikens, D. A1 - Horn, Wolfgang A1 - Wilke, Olaf A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Baldan, A. T1 - Metrological generation of SI-traceable gas-phase standards and reference materials for (semi-) volatile organic compounds N2 - EN 16516 sets specifications for the determination of emissions into indoor air from construction products. Reliable, accurate and International System of Unit (SI)-traceable measurement results of the emissions are the key to consumer protection. Such measurement results can be obtained by using metrologically traceable reference materials. Gas-phase standards of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air can be prepared by a variety of dynamic methods according to the ISO 6145 series. However, these methods are not always applicable for semi-VOCs (SVOCs) due to their high boiling point and low vapour pressure. Therefore, a novel dynamic gas mixture generation system has been developed. With this system gas-phase standards with trace level VOCs and SVOCs in air can be prepared between 10 nmol mol−1 and 1000 nmol mol−1. The VOCs and SVOCs in this study have normal boiling points ranging from 146 °C to 343 °C. Metrologically traceable reference materials of the gas-phase standard were obtained by sampling of the VOC gas-phase standard into Tenax TA® sorbent material in SilcoNert® coated stainless steel tubes. Accurately known masses between 10 ng and 1000 ng per VOC were sampled. These reference materials were used to validate the dynamic system. Furthermore, the storage and stability periods of the VOCs in the reference materials were determined as these are crucial characteristics to obtain accurate and SI-traceable reference materials. In a round robin test (RRT), the reference materials were used with the aim of demonstrating the feasibility of providing SI-traceable standard reference values for SVOCs for interlaboratory comparison purposes. Based on the results from the validation, the storage and stability studies and the RRT, gas-phase standards and reference materials of VOCs and SVOCs with relative expanded uncertainties between 5% and 12% (k = 2) have been developed. These reference standards can be used as calibrants, reference materials or quality control materials for the analysis of VOC emissions. KW - SVOC KW - Dynamic calibration gas mixtures KW - Reference materials KW - Indoor air KW - Thermal desorption PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565978 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/aca704 VL - 34 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - IOP Publishing AN - OPUS4-56597 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Even, Morgane A1 - Juritsch, Elevtheria A1 - Richter, Matthias T1 - Measurement of very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs) in indoor air by sorbent-based active sampling: Identifying the gaps towards standardisation N2 - The ISO 16000-6 standard describes a method for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor and test chamber air by sorbent-based active sampling, thermal desorption and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It also gives directions to adapt this methodology to very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs). Indeed, toxicologically based guideline values are being implemented for these compounds and it becomes necessary to measure them. But a comprehensive and robust measurement method is lacking. This work highlights the points that still need to be explored towards the standardisation of a suitable procedure: investigations on sorbent combinations, the suitability of chromatography columns and the use of gaseous standards are required. The biggest challenge remains in the fact that strong sorbents adsorb water together with VVOCs. Water may impair the analysis and the optimal approach to eliminate it is still to be found and integrated into the sampling strategy. KW - Solvents KW - Air analysis KW - VOC KW - Thermal desorption KW - Gas chromatography KW - ISO 16000-6 PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523919 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2021.116265 VL - 140 SP - 116265 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-52391 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Even, Morgane A1 - Juritsch, Elevtheria A1 - Richter, Matthias T1 - Selection of gas standards, gas chromatography column and adsorbents for the measurement of very volatile organic compounds (C1–C6) in indoor air N2 - The ISO 16000-6 standard gives directions to adapt the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor and test chamber air to very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs). The same techniques with sorbent-based active sampling, thermal desorption and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) should be used. However, VVOCs require gaseous standards, an adapted GC column and a reliable sampling adsorbent. This work presents experimental results to tackle those three experimental gaps. A stable standard gas mixture containing 47 VVOCs, 13 VOCs and an internal standard was successfully generated. It was employed to study the suitability of seven types of chromatography columns. The use of PLOT (Porous Layer Open Tubular) columns such as PoraBOND Q is well suitable for VVOC analysis. The recoveries of the 60 analytes on a total of 16 adsorbents and their combinations were determined: A combination of the graphitized carbon black Carbograph 5TD 40/60 and the carbon molecular sieve CarbosieveTM SII showed great recoveries for all analytes. Carbon molecular sieves adsorb water which can impair the analysis. A dry purge of the multi-sorbent in the sampling direction led to a complete water removal and promising recoveries of the analytes. KW - VVOC KW - VOC KW - ISO 16000-6 KW - Gas chromatography KW - Thermal desorption KW - Air sampling PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2022.340561 SN - 0003-2670 VL - 1238 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-56366 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Even, Morgane A1 - Juritsch, Elevtheria A1 - Richter, Matthias T1 - On the use of Carbograph 5TD as an adsorbent for sampling VVOCs: validation of an analytical method N2 - A standardised method for the analysis of very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs) in indoor air is still missing. This study evaluates the use of Carbograph 5TD as an adsorbent for 60 compounds (47 VVOCs + 13 VOCs) by comparing their recoveries with different spiking modes. The influence of the spiking of the tubes in dry nitrogen, humidified air or along the whole flushing duration mimicking real sampling was investigated. 49 substances (36 VVOCs from C1 to C6) had recoveries over 70% on the adsorbent in humidified air and were validated. The linearity of the calibration curves was verified for every spiking mode and the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were determined. The LOQs were lower than the existing indoor air guideline values. The robustness of the method was considered by studying the influence of the sampling volume, the sampling flow rate, the humidity level and the storage of the tubes. In general, the most volatile or polar substances were the less robust ones. The combined measurement uncertainty was calculated and lies below 35% for a vast majority of the substances. An example of an emission chamber test using polyurethane foam is shown: Carbograph 5TD performs much better than Tenax® TA for VVOCs and emissions from n-butane were quantified with combined measurement uncertainty. KW - VVOC KW - Gas chromatography KW - Thermal desorption KW - Air sampling PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581113 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3AY00677H VL - 15 IS - 31 SP - 3810 EP - 3821 AN - OPUS4-58111 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Even, Morgane A1 - Juritsch, Elevtheria A1 - Richter, Matthias T1 - Weiterentwicklung und Validierung eines leistungsfähigen Verfahrens zur Bestimmung von leicht flüchtigen organischen Verbindungen (VVOC) bei Emissionsmessungen aus Bauprodukten und in der Innenraumluft N2 - Ziel dieses Forschungsprojekts war es, eine leistungsfähige Gesamtstrategie zur Bestimmung von leicht flüchtigen organischen Verbindungen (VVOC) auf Grundlage der Prüfmethode aus ISO 16000-6 in Verbindung mit EN 16516 vorzuschlagen. Es soll bei Emissionsmessungen sowohl aus Bauprodukten als auch in der Innenraumluft angewendet werden können und ein großes Emissionsspektrum abdecken, um möglichst wenige Einzelprüfungen durchführen zu müssen. Als Gegenstand für sämtliche Untersuchungen diente ein 60-komponentiger Testgasstandard. Mit dessen Hilfe erfolgten dann schließlich systematische Eignungsuntersuchungen für Chromatographiesäulen und Adsorbenzien für die Probenahme, die Untersuchung der Einflüsse von Luftfeuchtigkeit, Probenahmevolumen und -volumenstrom auf die Analyse, Untersuchungen zum Umgang mit Feuchtigkeit in der Probenluft, die Bestimmung von Wiederfindungsraten, Nachweis- und Bestimmungsgrenzen sowie der Robustheit des Verfahrens und der Messunsicherheit im Rahmen der Verfahrensvalidierung. Die entwickelte Messmethode wurde im Rahmen einer Emissionsmessung an einem Polyurethanschaum erprobt. Im Ergebnis entstand eine robuste Methode, die es erlaubt, komplexe VVOC-Gemische mit sehr guter Auflösung und niedrigen Nachweis- und Bestimmungsgrenzen zu analysieren. Ferner wurde ein Vorschlag zur Erweiterung des zu erfassenden Flüchtigkeitsspektrums bis C22 erarbeitet, der zwar nicht vollständig validiert werden konnte, jedoch die prinzipielle Machbarkeit zeigt. KW - VVOC KW - Thermodesorptions-GC/MS KW - Bauproduktemission KW - Innenraumluftqualität PY - 2024 UR - https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/weiterentwicklung-validierung-eines SN - 1862-4804 VL - 131/2024 SP - 1 EP - 154 PB - Umweltbundesamt CY - Dessau-Roßlau AN - OPUS4-61147 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grimmer, Christoph A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Neuhaus, T. A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Strzelczyk, Rebecca Skadi A1 - Colakoglu, Irem A1 - Horn, Wolfgang T1 - Towards a multi-VOC emission reference material with temporally constant emission profile for QA/QC of materials emission testing procedures N2 - Emission reference materials (ERMs) are sought after to further control and improve indoor air quality. The impregnation of porous materials with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a promising approach to produce ERMs. Different VOCs were used to impregnate various porous materials (mainly zeolites, activated carbons and a metal organic framework). The influence of different methodological parameters and material properties were studied to optimize the impregnation procedure and to find the best material/VOC combination. The impregnation procedure remains quite irreproducible, nevertheless, very good ERM candidates were identified. Two materials (zeolite 4 and AC 1 impregnated with n-hexadecane) showed a very stable emission over 14 days (<10 % change). Another material (AC 1 impregnated with toluene) showed a declining emission profile but with a very good in-batch reproducibility and a storage stability of up to 12 months. KW - Emission reference material KW - Porous materials KW - Indoor air quality KW - Emission test chamber KW - CO2 assisted impregnation KW - EN 16516 PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-612238 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143437 SN - 1879-1298 VL - 366 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-61223 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hofmann, Michael A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Jann, Oliver T1 - Robustness validation of a test procedure for the determination of the radon-222 exhalation rate from construction products in VOC emission test chambers N2 - This study investigated the adaptation of the state-of-the-art test procedure for the determination of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from materials into indoor air to test for the radon exhalation from stony construction products. A complete robustness validation including all relevant parameters showed that the procedure can be well applied by testing institutes already holding available the required VOC testing infrastructure that solely needs to be complemented by calibrated commercial radon measurement instrumentation. When measurements of the radon exhalation from construction materials become mandatory by law, test capacity can easily be applied. This work can serve as a recommendation for the European standardisation that still is on hold in this point. KW - Radon exhalation KW - Construction products KW - Emission test chamber KW - Robustness validation KW - Standardisation PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109372 SN - 0969-8043 VL - 166 IS - 109372 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-51145 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Horn, Wolfgang A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Wilke, Olaf T1 - Volatile organic compounds from building products - Results from seven proficiency tests with emission test chambers conducted between 2008 and 2021 N2 - Emission testing of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from materials and products is commonly based on emission test chamber measurements. To ensure the comparability of results from different testing laboratories their measurement performance must be verified. For this purpose, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) organizes an international proficiency test every two years using well-characterised test materials (one sealant, one furniture board and four times a lacquer) with defined VOC emissions. The materials fulfilled the requirements of homogeneity, reproducibility, and stability. Altogether, 41 VOCs were included of which 37 gave test chamber air concentrations between 10 and 98 µg/m³. This is the typical concentration range to be expected and to be quantified when performing chamber tests. Four compounds had higher concentrations between 250 and 1105 µg/m³. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of BAM proficiency tests since 2008 are compared and the improvement of the comparability of the emission chamber testing is shown by the decrease of the mean RSD down to 23% in 2021. In contrast, the first large European interlaboratory comparison in 1999 showed a mean RSD of 51%. T2 - Proficiency Testing in Analytical Chemistry, Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine CY - Windsor, United Kingdom DA - 25.09.2023 KW - Proficiency Test KW - VOC-Emission KW - Chamber-test PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-59694 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Horn, Wolfgang A1 - Wilke, Olaf A1 - Richter, Matthias T1 - Round robin tests of odour and VOC emissions from building products – What have we learned so far? N2 - Emission testing of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and odour from materials and products is commonly based on emission test chamber measurements. These measurements are often the basis of mandatory or voluntary labelling procedures. To ensure the comparability of results from different testing laboratories their performance must be verified. For this purpose, round robin tests (RRTs) are conducted. Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und - prüfung (BAM) offers such a RRT every two years using well characterised test materials with defined VOC emissions. In addition to the VOC quantification, the evaluation of odour is also implemented in the round robin tests. At the beginning, only perceived intensity (PI) was tested but over the years also the acceptance evaluation was considered. In principle, the results of PI and acceptance evaluation are comparable. The advantage of PI is the lower number of panel members necessary for one evaluation. T2 - Healthy Buildings 2023 Europe CY - Aachen, Germany DA - 11.06.2023 KW - Perceived intensity KW - VOC-emission KW - Poficiency test KW - Chamber test KW - Odour PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-580001 SP - 434 EP - 436 PB - ISIAQ (International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate) CY - Herndon, VA, USA AN - OPUS4-58000 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kalbe, Ute A1 - Schröder, Simon Alexander A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Horn, Wolfgang A1 - Stephan, Ina A1 - Hohmann, Gloria A1 - Ziegert, Christof T1 - Identifikation und Einordnung von historischen Lehmbauteilen für die Wiederverwendung hinsichtlich Anreicherung von Schadstoffen und bauschädlichen Salzen T1 - Identification and classification of historical earth construction elements for recycling in respect of accumulation of pollutants and structurally damaging salts N2 - Lehmbaustoffe, einschließlich Lehm aus dem historischen Baubestand, bieten ein hohes Potenzial für ihre Wiederverwendbarkeit und die Schonung natürlicher Ressourcen. Zur Bewertung des Wiederverwendungspotenzials gibt es nur wenige Studien hinsichtlich der Schadstoffbelastung und der Anreicherung von Salzen in Gebäuden aus dem historischen Bestand. Tonminerale, die in Lehmbaustoffen als Bindemittel fungieren, können Schadstoffe binden. Die Region Mitteldeutschland ist geprägt durch jahrzehntelange Einwirkung erheblicher Schadstoffemissionen aus der Chemie- und Braunkohleindustrie. Der Eintrag von Schadstoffen in Lehmbaustoffe ist außerdem aus geogenen Hintergrundbelastungen denkbar, z. B. in Auenböden beeinflusst durch Einträge aus dem Erzbergbau. Salzbildende Anionen wie Chloride oder Nitrate können aufgrund ihrer hohen Löslichkeit mittels kapillarer Kräfte durch die Porenstruktur transportiert werden. In Lehmwänden können sie vor allem in oberflächennahen Lagen, in denen höhere Verdunstungsraten vorherrschen, durch Bindung mit in Lösung vorliegenden oder baustoffeigenen Kationen auskristallisieren und bauschädliche Salze ausbilden. Auch durch spezifische Nutzungen akkumulierte Schadstoffe, z. B. durch die Einwirkung von Tabakrauch, könnten theoretisch einer Wiederverwendung von Lehm entgegenstehen. In Anbetracht der Herausforderungen hinsichtlich der klimatischen und gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen, sind wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse im Lehmbau erforderlich, die eine Integration in eine nachhaltige Kreislaufwirtschaft ermöglichen. Bei bisherigen Gesetzgebungsverfahren zu rezyklierten Baustoffen wurden Lehmbaustoffe noch nicht berücksichtigt. Ziel einer Vorstudie im Rahmen der WIR!-Initiative GOLEHM ist die Überprüfung der Wiederverwendbarkeit Wiederverwendbarkeit von Lehmbaustoffen aus historischen Bauten an Stichproben hinsichtlich der Umwelt- und Nutzerverträglichkeit. Für den Raum Mitteldeutschland können damit Anhaltspunkte darüber gegeben werden, welche Schadstoffe und bauschädlichen Salze in welchem Maße in Lehmbaustoffen aus dem Gebäudebestand erwartet werden können. Daraus können Hinweise zum Umgang mit Lehmbaustoffen aus historischen Gebäuden abgeleitet werden. Darüber hinaus wurden exemplarisch an zwei Gebäuden mikrobiologische Untersuchungen zur Ermittlung einer möglichen Belastung mit Schimmelpilzen vorgenommen. N2 - Earth construction materials, including earth from historical building stock, offer high potential in terms of their recyclability and sparing use of natural resources. Yet, only a few studies have been conducted on the levels of pollutants and the accumulation of salts in buildings from the historical building stock to enable an assessment of the potential for recycling. The aim of a preliminary study as part of the GOLEHM Initiative from WIR! is to use spot checks to review the recyclability of earth construction materials from historical buildings in terms of environmental impact and tolerance by users. This could provide indicators for the Central Germany region on which pollutants and structurally damaging salts can be expected in earth construction materials from the building stock and to what extent, allowing conclusions to be drawn on how to manage earth construction materials from historical buildings. Additionally, microbiological inspections of two sample buildings were performed to assess a potential contamination with mould. T2 - Lehm 2024 Fachtagung CY - Weimar, Germany DA - 27.09.2024 KW - Lehm KW - Wiederverwendung KW - Kreislaufwirtschaft KW - Schadstoffe KW - Bauschädliche Salze PY - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 8 CY - Weimar AN - OPUS4-61883 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -