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.
2010 |
Yamashita, Shohei; Kume, Kazunari; Horiike, Toshiyuki; Honma, Nobuyuki; Fusaya, Masahiro; Ohura, Takeshi; Amagai, Takashi A simple method for screening emission sources of carbonyl compounds in indoor air Journal Article In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 178, no. 1, pp. 370 - 376, 2010, ISSN: 0304-3894. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Carbonyl compound, Emission source, Flux sampler, Formaldehyde, Indoor environment @article{YAMASHITA2010370,Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from building and furnishing materials are frequently observed in high concentrations in indoor air. Nondestructive analytical methods that determine the main parameters influencing concentration of the chemical substances are necessary to screen for sources of VOC emissions. Toward this goal, we have developed a new flux sampler, referred to herein as an emission cell for simultaneous multi-sampling (ECSMS), that is used for screening indoor emission sources of VOCs and for determining the emission rates of these sources. Because the ECSMS is based on passive sampling, it can be easily used on-site at a low cost. Among VOCs, low-molecular-weight carbonyl compounds including formaldehyde are frequently detected at high concentrations in indoor environments. In this study, we determined the reliability of the ECSMS for the collection of formaldehyde and other carbonyl compounds emitted from wood-based composites of medium density fiberboards and particleboards. We then used emission rates determined by the ECSMS to predict airborne concentrations of formaldehyde emitted from a bookshelf in a large chamber, and these data were compared to formaldehyde concentrations that were acquired simultaneously by means of an active sampling method. The values obtained from the two methods were quite similar, suggesting that ECSMS measurement is an effective method for screening primary sources influencing indoor concentrations of formaldehyde. |
2009 |
Shinohara, Naohide; Kai, Yuya; Mizukoshi, Atsushi; Fujii, Minoru; Kumagai, Kazukiyo; Okuizumi, Yumiko; Jona, Miki; Yanagisawa, Yukio On-site passive flux sampler measurement of emission rates of carbonyls and VOCs from multiple indoor sources Journal Article In: Building and Environment, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 859 - 863, 2009, ISSN: 0360-1323. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Air exchange rates, Boundary layer, Building material, Emission rates, Emission source, Flux, Formaldehyde, Toluene @article{SHINOHARA2009859,In indoor environments with high levels of air pollution, it is desirable to remove major sources of emissions to improve air quality. In order to identify the emission sources that contribute most to the concentrations of indoor air pollutants, we used passive flux samplers (PFSs) to measure emission rates of carbonyl compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from many of the building materials and furnishings present in a room in a reinforced concrete building in Tokyo, Japan. The emission flux of formaldehyde from a desk was high (125μg/m2/h), whereas fluxes from a door and flooring were low (21.5 and 16.5μg/m2/h, respectively). The emission fluxes of toluene from the ceiling and the carpet were high (80.0 and 72.3μg/m2/h, respectively), whereas that from the flooring was low (9.09μg/m2/h). The indoor and outdoor concentrations of formaldehyde were 61.5 and 8.64μg/m3, respectively, and those of toluene were 43.2 and 17.5μg/m3, respectively. The air exchange rate of the room as measured by the perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) method was 1.84/h. Taking into consideration the area of the emission sources, the carpet, ceiling, and walls were identified as the principal emission sources, contributing 24%, 20%, and 22% of the formaldehyde, respectively, and 22%, 27%, and 14% of the toluene, respectively, assuming that the emission rate from every major emission sources could be measured. In contrast, the door, the flooring, and the desk contributed little to the indoor levels of formaldehyde (1.0%, 0.54%, and 4.1%, respectively) and toluene (2.2%, 0.31%, and 0.85%, respectively). |
2007 |
Shinohara, Naohide; Fujii, Minoru; Yamasaki, Akihiro; Yanagisawa, Yukio Passive flux sampler for measurement of formaldehyde emission rates Journal Article In: Atmospheric Environment, vol. 41, no. 19, pp. 4018 - 4028, 2007, ISSN: 1352-2310. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Boundary layer, Emission source, Flux, Formaldehyde, Passive sampler, Rate-limiting process @article{SHINOHARA20074018,A new passive flux sampler (PFS) was developed to measure emission rates of formaldehyde and to determine emission sources in indoor environments. The sampler consisted of a glass Petri dish containing a 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH)-impregnated sheet. At the start of sampling, the PFS was placed with the open face of the dish on each of the indoor materials under investigation, such as flooring, walls, doors, closets, desks, beds, etc. Formaldehyde emitted from a source material diffused through the inside of the PFS and was adsorbed onto the DNPH sheet. The formaldehyde emission rates could be determined from the quantities adsorbed. The lower determination limits were 9.2 and 2.3μgm−2h−1 for 2- and 8-h sampling periods. The recovery rate and the precision of the PFS were 82.9% and 8.26%, respectively. The emission rates measured by PFS were in good agreement with the emission rates measured by the chamber method (R2=0.963). This shows that it is possible to take measurements of the formaldehyde emission rates from sources in a room and to compare them. In addition, the sampler can be used to elucidate the emission characteristics of a source by carrying out emission measurements with different air-layer thicknesses inside the PFS and at different temperatures. The dependency of the emission rate on the thickness of the air layer inside the PFS indicated whether the internal mass transfer inside the source material or the diffusion in the gas-phase boundary layer controlled the formaldehyde emission rate from a material. In addition, as a pilot study, the formaldehyde emission rates were measured, and the largest emission source of formaldehyde could be identified from among several suspected materials in a model house by using the PFS. |