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- Emission test chamber (5)
- VOC (5)
- Reference material (4)
- Volatile organic compounds (4)
- CO2 assisted impregnation (3)
- Indoor air (3)
- Emission testing (2)
- Emissions testing (2)
- FEM model (2)
- Gas mixing device (2)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
With a gas mixing system (GMS) developed in our laboratory we created a gas mixture of
four substances. Adsorptive wall materials of four different compositions were exposed to this
gas mixture, consisting of 1-pentanol, hexanal, butyl acetate and n-decane. Aim of this study
was to scrutinize the ability of these samples to reduce the concentration of the supplied gas.
This capacity is expressed in the sorption flux F or area specific adsorption rate respectively.
The test was performed referring to a draft of ISO 16000-24.
Emission testing of products is currently a rapidly increasing field of measurement activity. Labelling procedures for construction products are based on such emission test chamber measurements and hence measurement performance should be verified. A suited procedure for this purpose is the testing of one unique homogenous material in different laboratories within a Round Robin Test (RRT). Therefore, it is useful to have a reference material which can be used within inter-laboratory studies or as part of the quality management system to ensure comparable results. Several approaches on the development of reproducibly emitting materials have been published. These have in common only to emit a single VOC – toluene. Two further research studies carried out by BAM aimed to develop reference material for emissions testing containing one or more VOC in a single material. The first approach was a doped lacquer with Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC/SVOC) and the second was Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or a Squalane/Paraffin mixture. Results received with the lacquer based material were presented in more detail.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found indoors have the potential to affect human health. Typical sources include building materials, furnishings, cleaning agents, etc. To address this risk, chemical emission testing is used to assess the potential of different materials to pollute indoor air. One objective of the European Joint Research Project 'MACPoll' (Metrology for Chemical Pollutants in Air) aims at developing and testing a reference material for the quality control of the emission testing procedure. Furthermore, it would enable comparison of measurement results between test laboratories. The heterogeneity of the majority of materials makes it difficult to find a suitable reference sample.
In the present study, styrene, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, N-methyl-α-pyrrolidone, lindane, n-hexadecane, 1,2-dimethyl- and 1,2-di-n-butyl-phthalate were added to 12 commercially available lacquers (6 alkyd and 6 acrylic polymer based lacquers) serving as carrier substrate. After homogenization, the mixtures were loaded into a Markes Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor (µ-CTE) for curing and investigation of the emission behavior for each compound. For almost all of the investigated chemicals, the preferred glossy acrylic lacquer showed emissions that were reproducible with a variation of less than 20% RSD. Such lacquer systems have therefore been shown to be good candidates for use as reference materials in inter-laboratory studies.
Development of a multi-VOC reference material for quality assurance in materials emission testing
(2015)
Emission test chamber measurement is necessary to proof building materials as sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The results of such measurements are used to evaluate materials and label them according to their potential to emit harmful substances, polluting indoor air. If only labelled materials were installed indoors, this would improve indoor air quality and prevent negative impacts on human health. Because of the complex testing procedure, reference materials for the quality assurance are mandatory. Currently, there is a lack of such materials because most building products show a broad variation of emissions even within one batch. A previous study indicates lacquers, mixed with volatile organic pollutants, as reproducible emission source for a wide range of substances. In the present study, the curing of the lacquer-VOC mixture inside micro-chambers was optimised. Therefore, the humidity and the chamber flow were varied. Typical indoor air pollutants with a wide range of volatilities, for example, styrene, n-hexadecane, dimethyl and dibutyl phthalate were selected. It turned out that, under optimised curing parameters inside the micro-chamber, their emission can be reproduced with variations of less than 10 %. With this, a next important step towards a reference material for emission testing was achieved.
Emissions of building materials might have negative impact on human health and well-being. In the EU-funded research project H-House more than 30 natural materials (earthen dry boards and plasters, bio-based insulation materials made of wood, flax, reed, straw, etc.) used for renovation and refurbishment were tested regarding emissions of VOC, formaldehyde and radon. Different to ordinary emission tests on single materials this study focuses on the emissions from complete wall assemblies. Therefore, specially designed test chambers were used allowing the compounds to release only from the surface of the material facing indoors. The testing parameters were chosen in order to simulate model room conditions. The emission results were finally evaluated using the AgBB evaluation scheme, a procedure currently applied for the approval of flooring materials in Germany.
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.
Natural building materials for interior fitting and refurbishment - What about indoor emissions?
(2021)
Indoor air quality can be adversely affected by emissions from building materials, consequently having a negative impact on human health and well-being. In this study, more than 30 natural building materials (earth dry boards and plasters, bio-based insulation materials, and boards made of wood, flax, reed, straw, etc.) used for interior works were investigated as to their emissions of (semi-) volatile organic compounds ((S)VOC), formaldehyde, and radon. The study focused on the emissions from complete wall build-ups as they can be used for internal Partition walls and the internal insulation of external walls. Test chambers were designed, allowing the compounds to release only from the surface of the material facing indoors under testing Parameters that were chosen to simulate model room conditions. The emission test results were evaluated using the AgBB evaluation scheme, a procedure for the health-related evaluation of construction products and currently applied for the approval of specific groups of building materials in Germany.
Seventeen out of 19 sample build-ups tested in this study would have passed this scheme since they generally proved to be low-emitting and although the combined emissions of multiple materials were tested, 50% of the measurements could be terminated before half of the total testing time.