The FLEC® has been validated and used in research for many years.
Below is a publication list of journal articles, abstracts, poster or oral presentations where the FLEC or CHEMATEC’s other products have been in focus.
If you have anything that can be added to the list, we encourage you to contact CHEMATEC.
2016 |
Rizk, M; Verriele, M; Dusanter, S; Schoemaecker, C; calve, Le S; Locoge, N Fast sorption measurements of volatile organic compounds on building materials: Part 1 – Methodology developed for field applications Journal Article In: Building and Environment, vol. 99, pp. 200 - 209, 2016, ISSN: 0360-1323. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Building materials, Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS), Sorption, VOCs @article{RIZK2016200,Several physicochemical processes occurring within buildings are key drivers of indoor concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs. Many models and experimental studies have been proposed to predict VOCs concentration indoors given these processes. However, there is a lack of representative data in literature to present gas–surface interaction in order to validate mathematical models. This work is divided in two parts and aims to develop and validate a method to perform fast measurements of VOC sorption parameters on the field by coupling a Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC) to a Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS). In the part 1 of the work, sorption coefficients of aromatic compounds on a gypsum board and vinyl flooring were investigated at ppb levels to test and evaluate the proposed methodology. Sorption coefficients in the range of 0.03–1.88 m h−1 for ka and 2.04–17.32 h−1 for kd were successfully measured within a (0.5–8 h) for the two materials. Robustness tests highlight that the determination of sorption coefficients does not depend on operating conditions. While sorption coefficients for the gypsum board were measured with a PTR-MS time resolution of 20 s, the vinyl flooring material required measurements at a higher time resolution of 2 s due to its lower sorption properties. Limits of applicability assessed for this method indicate that sets of sorption parameters (ka, kd) of (0.01 m h−1; 0.01 h−1) and (0.09 m h−1; 0.09 h−1) can be measured with an accuracy better than 10% at time resolutions of 2 and 20 s respectively. |
2010 |
Kim, Ki-Wook; Kim, Sumin; Kim, Hyun-Joong; Park, Jin Chul Formaldehyde and TVOC emission behaviors according to finishing treatment with surface materials using 20L chamber and FLEC Journal Article In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 177, no. 1, pp. 90 - 94, 2010, ISSN: 0304-3894. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Formaldehyde, Small chamber, Surface materials, Total volatile organic compound @article{KIM201090,Formaldehyde and TVOC are emitted from wood-based panels that are made using wood particles, wood fiber, wood chips and formaldehyde-based resins. This study examined the formaldehyde and TVOC emission behavior of medium density fiberboard (MDF) overlaid with three types of uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials (oak decorative veneer, low pressure melamine impregnated paper and high pressure melamine impregnated paper) and four types of coated surface materials (coated paper, two types of finishing foils, and PVC) using the Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC) method and a 20L small chamber method. The uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials exhibited lower formaldehyde and TVOC emission levels. The coated surface materials did not show reduced TVOC emissions but the formaldehyde emission was reduced in the 20L small chamber test. In the FLEC test, both the uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials and coated surface materials showed lower TVOC and formaldehyde emissions from MDF. |
Missia, Dafni A; Demetriou, E; Michael, N; Tolis, E I; Bartzis, J G Indoor exposure from building materials: A field study Journal Article In: Atmospheric Environment, vol. 44, no. 35, pp. 4388 - 4395, 2010, ISSN: 1352-2310. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Building materials emissions, Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Indoor air quality (IAQ), Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) @article{MISSIA20104388,The present study has been conducted in the frame of BUMA (Prioritization of Building Materials Emissions as indoor pollution sources), a European funded project, aiming at assessing the exposure to emitted compounds in indoor air. Field campaigns in five (5) European cities (Milan, Copenhagen, Dublin, Athens and Nicosia) were carried out. These campaigns covered weekly winter and summer concentration measurements in two (2) public buildings and two (2) private houses in each city. BTEX, terpenes, and carbonyls were measured using passive sampling in two sites inside the building and one outside. VOC emission measurements on selected building material have also been performed using Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC). The results on indoor concentrations for compounds such as formaldehyde (1.2–62.6μgm−3), acetaldehyde (0.7–41.6μgm−3), toluene (0.9–163.5μgm−3), xylenes (0.2–177.5μgm−3) and acetone (2.8–308.8μgm−3) have shown diversity and relatively significant indoor sources depending on the building type, age etc. Indoor concentrations of these substances are varied depending on the building age and type. The percentage of approximately 40% of the indoor air quality levels originated from building materials. |
Kim, Ki-Wook; Kim, Sumin; Kim, Hyun-Joong; Park, Jin Chul Formaldehyde and TVOC emission behaviors according to finishing treatment with surface materials using 20L chamber and FLEC Journal Article In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 177, no. 1, pp. 90-94, 2010, ISSN: 0304-3894. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Formaldehyde, Small chamber, Surface materials, Total volatile organic compound @article{KIM201090b,Formaldehyde and TVOC are emitted from wood-based panels that are made using wood particles, wood fiber, wood chips and formaldehyde-based resins. This study examined the formaldehyde and TVOC emission behavior of medium density fiberboard (MDF) overlaid with three types of uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials (oak decorative veneer, low pressure melamine impregnated paper and high pressure melamine impregnated paper) and four types of coated surface materials (coated paper, two types of finishing foils, and PVC) using the Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC) method and a 20L small chamber method. The uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials exhibited lower formaldehyde and TVOC emission levels. The coated surface materials did not show reduced TVOC emissions but the formaldehyde emission was reduced in the 20L small chamber test. In the FLEC test, both the uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials and coated surface materials showed lower TVOC and formaldehyde emissions from MDF. |
Kim, Ki Wook; Kim, Sumin; Kim, Hyun Joong; Park, Jin Chul Formaldehyde and TVOC emission behaviors according to finishing treatment with surface materials using 20 L chamber and FLEC Journal Article In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 177, iss. 1-3, pp. 90-94, 2010, ISSN: 0304-3894. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Formaldehyde, Small chamber, Surface materials, Total volatile organic compound @article{Kim2010,Formaldehyde and TVOC are emitted from wood-based panels that are made using wood particles, wood fiber, wood chips and formaldehyde-based resins. This study examined the formaldehyde and TVOC emission behavior of medium density fiberboard (MDF) overlaid with three types of uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials (oak decorative veneer, low pressure melamine impregnated paper and high pressure melamine impregnated paper) and four types of coated surface materials (coated paper, two types of finishing foils, and PVC) using the Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC) method and a 20. L small chamber method. The uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials exhibited lower formaldehyde and TVOC emission levels. The coated surface materials did not show reduced TVOC emissions but the formaldehyde emission was reduced in the 20. L small chamber test. In the FLEC test, both the uncoated lignocellulosic surface materials and coated surface materials showed lower TVOC and formaldehyde emissions from MDF. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. |
2006 |
Li, Feng; Niu, Jianlei; Zhang, Lizhi A physically-based model for prediction of VOCs emissions from paint applied to an absorptive substrate Journal Article In: Building and Environment, vol. 41, no. 10, pp. 1317 - 1325, 2006, ISSN: 0360-1323. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Building material, Emission, Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Indoor air quality, Mass transfer, Volatile organic compounds @article{LI20061317,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. |
2003 |
Zhang, L Z; Niu, J L Mass transfer of volatile organic compounds from painting material in a standard field and laboratory emission cell Journal Article In: International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 46, no. 13, pp. 2415 - 2423, 2003, ISSN: 0017-9310. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC), Indoor air quality, Mass transfer, VOCs @article{ZHANG20032415,The field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC) is becoming a standard method of characterizing pollutant emissions from building materials. It is significant to use the emission profiles from FLEC to scale the emissions of building materials in real buildings. The dynamics of mass transfer in such an FLEC are the key to perform this task. In this study, the mass transfer mechanisms of the total volatile organic compounds from a wet painting in an FLEC are experimentally and numerically investigated. A three-dimensional mass transfer model, which takes into account the convective mass transfer between the material and the air, the diffusion in the paint film and in the substrate, is developed. The emissions from a water-based emulsion paint are quantified to assess the model. The concentration fields in the film and substrate are calculated to demonstrate the processes of internal volatile organic compounds diffusion. |