Publications

@article{TANG2015221,

title = {Assessment of steady state diffusion of volatile organic compounds in unsaturated building materials based on fractal diffusion model},

author = {S W Tang and E Chen and Z J Li and H Y Shao},

url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132314003692},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.11.016},

issn = {0360-1323},

year  = {2015},

date = {2015-01-01},

journal = {Building and Environment},

volume = {84},

pages = {221 - 227},

abstract = {This paper presents a preliminary work to evaluate the steady state diffusion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in unsaturated building materials based on a newly-proposed fractal diffusion model. This model studies the contributions of water and gas to the diffusion transportation in unsaturated building materials, involves geometry parameters of unsaturated building materials, fractal dimensions, minimal and maximal pore diameters. In this model, the derivation of some parameters is assisted by newly-established three phases fractal carpet consisting of middle and peripheral parts that represent gas and water occupied regions in the unsaturated building materials. The influences of some structural parameters (removed number, recursion number and size) of fractal carpet on diffusion performance have been discussed. Additionally, the effective diffusion coefficients of various kinds of volatile organic compounds (formaldehyde, methanol, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, Ethylbenzene, xylene isomers, benzene and toluene) are also compared based on this fractal model. Formaldehyde exhibits the largest value of effective diffusion coefficient among selected VOCs.},

keywords = {Building materials, Fractal, Pore structure, Steady state diffusion, Unsaturated, Volatile organic compounds},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{KIM201137,

title = {Reduction of VOC emission from natural flours filled biodegradable bio-composites for automobile interior},

author = {Ki-Wook Kim and Byoung-Ho Lee and Sumin Kim and Hyun-Joong Kim and Ju-Ho Yun and Seung-Eul Yoo and Jong Ryeul Sohn},

url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438941000960X},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.07.075},

issn = {0304-3894},

year  = {2011},

date = {2011-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Hazardous Materials},

volume = {187},

number = {1},

pages = {37 - 43},

abstract = {Various experiments, such as the thermal extract (TE) method, field and emission cell (FLEC) method and 20L small chamber, were performed to examine the total volatile organic compound (TVOC) emissions from bio-composites. The TVOC of neat poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was ranged from 0.26mg/m2h to 4.11mg/m2h with increasing temperature. For both PLA bio-composites with pineapple flour and destarched cassava flour, the temperature increased from 0.30mg/m2h to 3.72mg/m2h and from 0.19mg/m2h to 8.74mg/m2h, respectively. The TVOC emission factors of all samples increased gradually with increasing temperature. Above 70°C, both PLA-P and PLA-C composites had higher TVOC emission factors than neat PLA due to the rapid emission of natural volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as furfural (2-furancarboxyaldehyde). PLA composites containing 30wt% flour had high 1,4-dioxane reduction ability, >50%. The TVOC of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) was emitted rapidly from 50°C to 90°C due to succinic acid from the pyrolysis of PBS. The TVOC emission factors of PLA bio-composite and PBS bio-composites were reduced using the bake-out method (temperature at 70°C and baking time 5h). The initial TVOC emission factors of the PLA and PBS bio-composites with pineapple flour and destarched cassava flour were reduced by the baking treatment using FLEC. The TVOC factors from PLA and PBS decreased until 5 days and were commonly maintained a relatively constant value after 5 days using 20L small chamber. The decrease in TVOC emission showed a similar trend to that of the TE and FLEC method. This method confirmed the beneficial effect of the baking treatment effect for polypropylene and linear density polyethylene (LDPE).},

keywords = {20L small chamber, Automobile interior, Biodegradable polymer, Field and laboratory emission cell, Thermo-extractor, Volatile organic compounds},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{KAGI20091199,

title = {Secondary VOC emissions from flooring material surfaces exposed to ozone or UV irradiation},

author = {N Kagi and S Fujii and H Tamura and N Namiki},

url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132308002199},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.09.004},

issn = {0360-1323},

year  = {2009},

date = {2009-01-01},

journal = {Building and Environment},

volume = {44},

number = {6},

pages = {1199 - 1205},

abstract = {Chemical reactions on the surface of building materials can lead to secondary emissions from these materials that influence indoor air quality. Many studies have been made on the physical processes that influence material emissions. However, there are only a few studies on secondary emissions resulting from exposure of building material surfaces to ozone or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Therefore, this study was aimed at elaborating on the emission of chemicals resulting from chemical reactions initiated by the exposure of the surface of flooring materials to ozone or UV irradiation. The laboratory tests were conducted to estimate gas-phase emissions from the flooring materials when they were exposed to ozone or various kinds of light irradiation (infrared, sunlight, UV-A and UV-B lamps). The infrared and sunlight lamps significantly increased the temperature of the test specimens and, in turn, increased the emission rate for various organic compounds. The flooring materials used in this study had been treated with UV-cured surface coatings during their manufacturing. As a result, when exposed to UV irradiation, chemical transformations occurred resulting in the emission of a number of secondary products, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, cyclohexanone and benzaldehyde. Ozone reacted with chemicals present in the flooring materials to increase the emission rates of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Hence, the exposure of ozone and UV irradiation increased the secondary emissions of formaldehyde, even though the low formaldehyde emission type of flooring material was employed.},

keywords = {Chamber test, Emission, Secondary emission, Volatile organic compounds},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{LI20061317,

title = {A physically-based model for prediction of VOCs emissions from paint applied to an absorptive substrate},

author = {Feng Li and Jianlei Niu and Lizhi Zhang},

url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132305001939},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.05.026},

issn = {0360-1323},

year  = {2006},

date = {2006-01-01},

journal = {Building and Environment},

volume = {41},

number = {10},

pages = {1317 - 1325},

abstract = {Paints are widely used in residential and commercial buildings. The surface areas covered by this kind of coatings are usually very large. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from such kind of materials will affect indoor air quality decisively. A relatively simple but physically-based model was developed to simulate VOCs emissions from paints. The model parameters have distinct physical meanings and thus the model is easy to scale up. The field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC) was used to investigate the VOCs emissions from commercially available water-based emulsion paint. Totally 23 individual VOCs were detected and quantified, the most abundant VOC was 1-ethyl-3-methylbenzene. Test data were used to obtain model parameters and to validate the proposed model. Good agreements between experimental data and model predictions were evidenced. Paints applied on two different substrates aluminium and particle board were simulated. Results indicated that real substrates like particle board would act like a ‘sponge’, which lowers the peak concentration but prolongs the presence of VOCs from the applied paint.},

keywords = {Building material, Emission, Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Indoor air quality, Mass transfer, Volatile organic compounds},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{WOLKOFF1998135,

title = {Risk in cleaning: chemical and physical exposure},

author = {Peder Wolkoff and Thomas Schneider and Jan Kildesø and Ritva Degerth and Margarethe Jaroszewski and Hannelore Schunk},

url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969798001107},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-9697(98)00110-7},

issn = {0048-9697},

year  = {1998},

date = {1998-01-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {215},

number = {1},

pages = {135 - 156},

abstract = {Cleaning is a large enterprise involving a large fraction of the workforce worldwide. A broad spectrum of cleaning agents has been developed to facilitate dust and dirt removal, for disinfection and surface maintenance. The cleaning agents are used in large quantities throughout the world. Although a complex pattern of exposure to cleaning agents and resulting health problems, such as allergies and asthma, are reported among cleaners, only a few surveys of this type of product have been performed. This paper gives a broad introduction to cleaning agents and the impact of cleaning on cleaners, occupants of indoor environments, and the quality of cleaning. Cleaning agents are usually grouped into different product categories according to their technical functions and the purpose of their use (e.g. disinfectants and surface care products). The paper also indicates the adverse health and comfort effects associated with the use of these agents in connection with the cleaning process. The paper identifies disinfectants as the most hazardous group of cleaning agents. Cleaning agents contain evaporative and non-evaporative substances. The major toxicologically significant constituents of the former are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), defined as substances with boiling points in the range of 0°C to about 400°C. Although laboratory emission testing has shown many VOCs with quite different time-concentration profiles, few field studies have been carried out measuring the exposure of cleaners. However, both field studies and emission testing indicate that the use of cleaning agents results in a temporal increase in the overall VOC level. This increase may occur during the cleaning process and thus it can enhance the probability of increased short-term exposure of the cleaners. However, the increased levels can also be present after the cleaning and result in an overall increased VOC level that can possibly affect the indoor air quality (IAQ) perceived by occupants. The variety and duration of the emissions depend inter alia on the use of fragrances and high boiling VOCs. Some building materials appear to increase their VOC emission through wet cleaning and thus may affect the IAQ. Particles and dirt contain a great variety of both volatile and non-volatile substances, including allergens. While the volatile fraction can consist of more than 200 different VOCs including formaldehyde, the non-volatile fraction can contain considerable amounts (>0.5%) of fatty acid salts and tensides (e.g. linear alkyl benzene sulphonates). The level of these substances can be high immediately after the cleaning process, but few studies have been conducted concerning this problem. The substances partly originate from the use of cleaning agents. Both types are suspected to be airway irritants. Cleaning activities generate dust, mostly by resuspension, but other occupant activities may also resuspend dust over longer periods of time. Personal sampling of VOCs and airborne dust gives higher results than stationary sampling. International bodies have proposed air sampling strategies. A variety of field sampling techniques for VOC and surface particle sampling is listed.},

keywords = {Cleaning agents, Indoor air quality, Particles, Volatile organic compounds},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}