Numerical simulation of VOCs emission from building materials: A comparison of different material shapes
Abstract
Introduction: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are the most significant
indoor pollutants that mainly emitted from various building materials and
can do a great harm to human beings. The present study aims to the effect of
different shapes of building materials on the emission characteristics of VOCs
by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation.
Materials and methods: The indoor air flow is described by the continuity
equation, the momentum equation and the standard k-ε model. The transport
of VOCs in materials is described by a transient diffusion equation. ANSYS
Fluent is used to solve the governing equations.
Results: The emission of VOCs from planar building materials is validated
based on the experimental data according to the literature. The numerical
results have proved that the emission VOCs from hollow cylindrical building
materials is faster than that of VOCs from planar building materials. The
thinner the building materials and diffusion coefficient is bigger, the faster
decrease rate of VOCs it is.
Conclusion: The material shape has a significant impact on the emission of
VOCs from building materials. When assessing indoor air quality, the realistic
shape of materials should be used instead of the simplified planar materials.
1. Cox SS, Zhao D, Little JC. Measuring
partition and diffusion coefficients for
volatile organic compounds in vinyl flooring.
Atmospheric Environment. 2001 Aug
1;35(22):3823-30.
2. Katsoyiannis A, Leva P, Kotzias D.
VOC and carbonyl emissions from carpets:
A comparative study using four types of
environmental chambers. Journal of Hazardous
Materials 2008;152:669–76.
3. Da Silva CF, Stefanowski B, Maskell D,
Ormondroyd GA, Ansell MP, Dengel AC, Ball
RJ. Improvement of indoor air quality by MDF
panels containing walnut shells. Building and
Environment. 2017 Oct 1;123:427-36.
4. Horr Y A, Arif M, Kaushik A, Mazroei
A, Katafygiotou M, Elsarrag E. Occupant
productivity and office indoor environment
quality: A review of the literature. Building and
Environment 2016;105:369–89.
5. Steinemann A, Wargocki P, Rismanchi
B. Ten questions concerning green buildings and
indoor air quality. Building and Environment
2017;112:351–8.
6. Hu J, Li N, Yoshino H, Yanagi U,
Hasegawa K, Kagi N, He Y et al. Field study
on indoor health risk factors in households with
schoolchildren in south-central China. Building
and Environment 2017;117:260–73.
7. Deng B, Zhang B, Qiu Y. Analytical
solution of VOCs emission from wet materials
with variable thickness. Building and
Environment 2016;104:145–51.
8. Ye W, Won D Y, Zhang X. Practical
approaches to determine ventilation rate for
offices while considering physical and chemical
variables for building material emissions.
Building and Environment 2014;82:490–501.
9. Nasreddine R, Person V, Serra C A,
Schoemaecker C, Calvé S L. Portable novel
micro-device for BTEX real-time monitoring:
Assessment during a field campaign in a low consumption energy junior high school
classroom. Atmospheric Environment.
2016;126:211–7.
10. Chang JC, Tichenor BA, Guo Z, Krebs
KA. Substrate effects on VOC emissions from a
latex paint. Indoor Air. 1997 Dec;7(4):241-7.
11. Lee YK, Kim HJ. The effect of
temperature on VOCs and carbonyl compounds
emission from wooden flooring by thermal
extractor test method. Building and Environment
2012;53:95–9.
12. Zhang JS, Nong G, Shaw CY,
Wang J. Measurements of volatile organic
compound (VOC) emissions from wood stains
using an electronic balance. Transactions-
American society of heating refrigerating and
air conditioning engineers. 1999 Jul 1;105:279-
88.
13. Jiang C, Li D, Zhang P, Li J, Wang
J, Yu J. Formaldehyde and volatile organic
compound (VOC) emissions from particleboard:
Identification of odorous compounds and effects
of heat treatment. Building and Environment
2017;117:118–26.
14. Cox SS, Little JC, Hodgson AT.
Measuring concentrations of volatile organic
compounds in vinyl flooring. Journal of the Air
& Waste Management Association. 2001 Aug
1;51(8):1195-201.
15. Frihart CR, Wescott JM, Chaffee
TL, Gonner KM. Formaldehyde Emissions
from Urea-Formaldehyde- and no-addedformaldehyde-
Bonded particleboard as
Influenced by Temperature and Relative
Humidity. Forest Products Journal 2012;62(7-
8):551–8.
16. Afshari A, Lundgren B, Ekberg LE.
Comparison of three small chamber test methods
for the measurement of VOC emission rates
from paint. Indoor Air 2003;13(2):156–65.
17. Brown SK. Chamber Assessment of
Formaldehyde and VOC Emissions from Wood-
Based Panels. Indoor Air. 1999;9(3):209–15.
18. Low JM, Zhang JS, Plett EG, Shaw
CY. Effects of airflow on emissions of
volatile organic compounds from. ASHRAE
Transactions. 1998;104(2):1281-8.
19. Little JC, Hodgson AT, Gadgil AJ.
Modeling emissions of volatile organic
compounds from new carpets. Atmospheric
Environment. 1994;28(2):227–34.
20. Xu Y, Zhang Y. An improved mass
transfer based model for analyzing VOC
emissions from building materials. Atmospheric
Environment 2003;37(18):2497–505.
21. Deng B, Kim CN. An analytical model
for VOCs emission from dry building materials.
Atmospheric Environment 2004;38(8):1173–80.
22. Huang H, Haghighat F. Modelling of
volatile organic compounds emission from dry
building materials. Building and Environment
2002;37(11):1127–38.
23. Yang X, Chen Q, Zhang JS, Magee R,
Zeng J, Shaw CY. Numerical simulation of
VOC emissions from dry materials. Building
and Environment 2001;36(10):1099–107.
24. Kumar D, Little JC. Characterizing
the source/sink behavior of double-layer
building materials. Atmospheric Environment
2003;37(39-40):5529–37.
25. Deng B, Tang S, Kim JT, Kim CN.
Numerical modeling of volatile organic
compound emissions from multi-layer dry
building materials. Korean Journal of Chemical
Engineering. 2010 Jul;27(4):1049-55.
26. Zhang LZ, Niu JL. Modeling VOCs
emissions in a room with a single-zone multicomponent
multi-layer technique. Building and
Environment 2004;39(5):523–31.
27. Hu HP, Zhang YP, Wang XK, Little JC.
An analytical mass transfer model for predicting
VOC emissions from multi-layered building
materials with convective surfaces on both
sides. International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer. 2007;50(11-12):2069–77.
28. Wang X, Zhang Y. General analytical
mass transfer model for VOC emissions
from multi-layer dry building materials with
internal chemical reactions. Chin. Sci. Bull.
2011;56(2):222–8.
29. Xu Y, Little JC. Predicting emissions
of SVOCs from polymeric materials and
their interaction with airborne particles.
Environmental science & technology. 2006 Jan
15;40(2):456-61.
30. Wu Y, Cox SS, Xu Y, Liang Y, Won
D, Liu X, Clausen PA et al. A reference
method for measuring emissions of SVOCs in
small chambers. Building and Environment.
2016;95:126–32.
31. Liu Z, Ye W, Little JC. Predicting
emissions of volatile and semivolatile organic
compounds from building materials: A review.
Building and Environment 2013;64:7–25.
32. Wu, Y., Xie, M., Cox, S. S., Marr, L. C.,
& Little, J. C. A simple method to measure the
gas‐phase SVOC concentration adjacent to a
material surface. Indoor Air. 2016;26:903-912.
33. Yang X, Chen Q, Zhang JS, Magee R,
Zeng J, Shaw CY. Numerical simulation of
VOC emission from dry materials. Building and
Environment 2001;36(10):1099–107
34. Liu Z, Yan Y, Liu T, Zhao Y, Huang
Q, Huang Z. How to predict emissions of
volatile organic compounds from solid building
materials? A critical review on mass transfer
models. Journal of environmental management.
2022 Jan 15;302:114054.
partition and diffusion coefficients for
volatile organic compounds in vinyl flooring.
Atmospheric Environment. 2001 Aug
1;35(22):3823-30.
2. Katsoyiannis A, Leva P, Kotzias D.
VOC and carbonyl emissions from carpets:
A comparative study using four types of
environmental chambers. Journal of Hazardous
Materials 2008;152:669–76.
3. Da Silva CF, Stefanowski B, Maskell D,
Ormondroyd GA, Ansell MP, Dengel AC, Ball
RJ. Improvement of indoor air quality by MDF
panels containing walnut shells. Building and
Environment. 2017 Oct 1;123:427-36.
4. Horr Y A, Arif M, Kaushik A, Mazroei
A, Katafygiotou M, Elsarrag E. Occupant
productivity and office indoor environment
quality: A review of the literature. Building and
Environment 2016;105:369–89.
5. Steinemann A, Wargocki P, Rismanchi
B. Ten questions concerning green buildings and
indoor air quality. Building and Environment
2017;112:351–8.
6. Hu J, Li N, Yoshino H, Yanagi U,
Hasegawa K, Kagi N, He Y et al. Field study
on indoor health risk factors in households with
schoolchildren in south-central China. Building
and Environment 2017;117:260–73.
7. Deng B, Zhang B, Qiu Y. Analytical
solution of VOCs emission from wet materials
with variable thickness. Building and
Environment 2016;104:145–51.
8. Ye W, Won D Y, Zhang X. Practical
approaches to determine ventilation rate for
offices while considering physical and chemical
variables for building material emissions.
Building and Environment 2014;82:490–501.
9. Nasreddine R, Person V, Serra C A,
Schoemaecker C, Calvé S L. Portable novel
micro-device for BTEX real-time monitoring:
Assessment during a field campaign in a low consumption energy junior high school
classroom. Atmospheric Environment.
2016;126:211–7.
10. Chang JC, Tichenor BA, Guo Z, Krebs
KA. Substrate effects on VOC emissions from a
latex paint. Indoor Air. 1997 Dec;7(4):241-7.
11. Lee YK, Kim HJ. The effect of
temperature on VOCs and carbonyl compounds
emission from wooden flooring by thermal
extractor test method. Building and Environment
2012;53:95–9.
12. Zhang JS, Nong G, Shaw CY,
Wang J. Measurements of volatile organic
compound (VOC) emissions from wood stains
using an electronic balance. Transactions-
American society of heating refrigerating and
air conditioning engineers. 1999 Jul 1;105:279-
88.
13. Jiang C, Li D, Zhang P, Li J, Wang
J, Yu J. Formaldehyde and volatile organic
compound (VOC) emissions from particleboard:
Identification of odorous compounds and effects
of heat treatment. Building and Environment
2017;117:118–26.
14. Cox SS, Little JC, Hodgson AT.
Measuring concentrations of volatile organic
compounds in vinyl flooring. Journal of the Air
& Waste Management Association. 2001 Aug
1;51(8):1195-201.
15. Frihart CR, Wescott JM, Chaffee
TL, Gonner KM. Formaldehyde Emissions
from Urea-Formaldehyde- and no-addedformaldehyde-
Bonded particleboard as
Influenced by Temperature and Relative
Humidity. Forest Products Journal 2012;62(7-
8):551–8.
16. Afshari A, Lundgren B, Ekberg LE.
Comparison of three small chamber test methods
for the measurement of VOC emission rates
from paint. Indoor Air 2003;13(2):156–65.
17. Brown SK. Chamber Assessment of
Formaldehyde and VOC Emissions from Wood-
Based Panels. Indoor Air. 1999;9(3):209–15.
18. Low JM, Zhang JS, Plett EG, Shaw
CY. Effects of airflow on emissions of
volatile organic compounds from. ASHRAE
Transactions. 1998;104(2):1281-8.
19. Little JC, Hodgson AT, Gadgil AJ.
Modeling emissions of volatile organic
compounds from new carpets. Atmospheric
Environment. 1994;28(2):227–34.
20. Xu Y, Zhang Y. An improved mass
transfer based model for analyzing VOC
emissions from building materials. Atmospheric
Environment 2003;37(18):2497–505.
21. Deng B, Kim CN. An analytical model
for VOCs emission from dry building materials.
Atmospheric Environment 2004;38(8):1173–80.
22. Huang H, Haghighat F. Modelling of
volatile organic compounds emission from dry
building materials. Building and Environment
2002;37(11):1127–38.
23. Yang X, Chen Q, Zhang JS, Magee R,
Zeng J, Shaw CY. Numerical simulation of
VOC emissions from dry materials. Building
and Environment 2001;36(10):1099–107.
24. Kumar D, Little JC. Characterizing
the source/sink behavior of double-layer
building materials. Atmospheric Environment
2003;37(39-40):5529–37.
25. Deng B, Tang S, Kim JT, Kim CN.
Numerical modeling of volatile organic
compound emissions from multi-layer dry
building materials. Korean Journal of Chemical
Engineering. 2010 Jul;27(4):1049-55.
26. Zhang LZ, Niu JL. Modeling VOCs
emissions in a room with a single-zone multicomponent
multi-layer technique. Building and
Environment 2004;39(5):523–31.
27. Hu HP, Zhang YP, Wang XK, Little JC.
An analytical mass transfer model for predicting
VOC emissions from multi-layered building
materials with convective surfaces on both
sides. International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer. 2007;50(11-12):2069–77.
28. Wang X, Zhang Y. General analytical
mass transfer model for VOC emissions
from multi-layer dry building materials with
internal chemical reactions. Chin. Sci. Bull.
2011;56(2):222–8.
29. Xu Y, Little JC. Predicting emissions
of SVOCs from polymeric materials and
their interaction with airborne particles.
Environmental science & technology. 2006 Jan
15;40(2):456-61.
30. Wu Y, Cox SS, Xu Y, Liang Y, Won
D, Liu X, Clausen PA et al. A reference
method for measuring emissions of SVOCs in
small chambers. Building and Environment.
2016;95:126–32.
31. Liu Z, Ye W, Little JC. Predicting
emissions of volatile and semivolatile organic
compounds from building materials: A review.
Building and Environment 2013;64:7–25.
32. Wu, Y., Xie, M., Cox, S. S., Marr, L. C.,
& Little, J. C. A simple method to measure the
gas‐phase SVOC concentration adjacent to a
material surface. Indoor Air. 2016;26:903-912.
33. Yang X, Chen Q, Zhang JS, Magee R,
Zeng J, Shaw CY. Numerical simulation of
VOC emission from dry materials. Building and
Environment 2001;36(10):1099–107
34. Liu Z, Yan Y, Liu T, Zhao Y, Huang
Q, Huang Z. How to predict emissions of
volatile organic compounds from solid building
materials? A critical review on mass transfer
models. Journal of environmental management.
2022 Jan 15;302:114054.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 7 No 2 (2022): Spring 2022 | |
| Section | Original Research | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/japh.v7i2.9595 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Volatile organic compound (VOCs); Materials shape; Computational fluid | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Wu J, Long F, Deng B. Numerical simulation of VOCs emission from building materials: A comparison of different material shapes. JAPH. 2022;7(2):109-120.
