An investigation of formaldehyde concentration in residences and the development of a model for the prediction of its emission rates

Li, Baizhan; Zhu, Cheng; Yao, Runming; Wang, Han; Yu, Wei; Bu, Zhongming; Xiong, Junhui; Zhang, Tujingwa; Essah, Emmanuel; Luo, Zhiwen; Shahrestani, Mehdi; Kipen, Howard M.

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.10.045

Cited by 25 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…An additional problem in quantifying whole-house emission rates of formaldehyde is that some studies account for its apparent indoor loss rate while others do not. Formaldehyde indoor loss is a very poorly understood physicochemical process, but the limited observational evidence − suggests that the first order loss coefficient for formaldehyde is in a range from 0.15 to 0.88 h –1 , similar to the ACH values measured in homes. − Often, this loss is ignored when applying a steady-state mass balance model to derive emission rates from measured indoor concentrations, ,,− resulting in significant underestimation of formaldehyde whole-house emission rates . Ignoring this loss causes potential obfuscation of how formaldehyde emission rates vary with the ACH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole-House Emission Rates and Loss Coefficients of Formaldehyde and Other Volatile Organic Compounds as a Function of the Air Change Rate

Huangfu

Lima

O'Keeffe

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Whole-house emission rates and indoor loss coefficients of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined from continuous measurements inside a net-zero energy home at two different air change rates (ACHs). By turning the mechanical ventilation on and off, it was demonstrated that formaldehyde concentrations reach a steady state much more quickly than other VOCs, consistent with a significant indoor loss rate attributed to surface uptake. The first order loss coefficient for formaldehyde was 0.47 ± 0.06 h–1 at 0.08 h–1 ACH and 0.88 ± 0.22 h–1 at 0.62 h–1 ACH. Loss rates for other VOCs measured were not discernible, with the exception of hexanoic acid. A factor of 5.5 increase in the ACH increased the whole-house emission rates of VOCs but by varying degrees (factors of 1.1 to 3.8), with formaldehyde displaying no significant change. The formaldehyde area-specific emission rate (86 ± 8 μg m–2 h–1) was insensitive to changes in the ACH because its large indoor loss rate muted the impact of ventilation on indoor air concentrations. These results demonstrate that formaldehyde loss rates must be taken into account to correctly estimate whole-house emission rates and that ventilation will not be as effective at reducing indoor formaldehyde concentrations as it is for other VOCs.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole-House Emission Rates and Loss Coefficients of Formaldehyde and Other Volatile Organic Compounds as a Function of the Air Change Rate

Huangfu

Lima

O'Keeffe

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the underground platform of subway station, the concentrations of TVOCs or PM10, PM2.5 were higher than the regulated standards stipulated by Taiwan′s Environmental Protection Administration [16]. Analysis found that indoor formaldehyde concentration of 30.12μg/m 3 was slightly higher than that of outdoor 27.80μg/m 3 [17], and the concentration of formaldehyde in indoor were 0.21mg/m 3 , 0.11mg/m 3 , 0.04mg/m 3 after 3 months, 6 months, 12 months of decoration [18] which decreased with the passage of time [19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Study on the Characteristics of Formaldehyde Pollution in Typical Teaching Machine Room

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study focused on measuring the pollution characteristics, the monthly and seasonal variation rule of formaldehyde in the teaching machine room of Guangxi Normal University from March 2016 to February 2018, and the correlation between formaldehyde concentration and temperature or humidity were also analyzed. The results indicated that seasonal and monthly variation rule of formaldehyde changed with temperature and humidity in the teaching machine room. The concentration of formaldehyde was higher in summer and autumn, while was lower in winter and spring. Further analysis indicated that there was a strongly positive correlation (R2>0.87, R2>0.85, R2>0.81, p<0.01) between formaldehyde concentration and temperature, relative humidity or absolute humidity. It concluded that the formaldehyde concentration increased with the increase in the temperature and humidity. The maximum concentrations of formaldehyde in sitting breathing area and standing breathing area were 0.442mg/m3, 0.445mg/m3 and 0.184mg/m3, 0.213mg/m3 in July 2016, 2017, respectively. After eleven years, the formaldehyde in the teaching machine room was still seriously exceeded the standard (0.1mol/L), and decreased the temperature or humidity could effective alleviate the level of indoor formaldehyde concentration.

show abstract

“…The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (regarding integrated pollution prevention and control), in particular, Article 13 (5) on Best Available Techniques (BAT), constitutes the reference for setting permit conditions for installations referred to in Chapter II of Directive 2010/75/EU [8]. Many studies have been done on formaldehyde emissions from different processes [9][10][11].The competent authorities of an EU Member State should set emission limit values to ensure that, under normal operating conditions, emissions do not exceed the emission levels associated with the best available techniques as specified in BAT; the levels for total volatile organic carbon (TVOC) and formaldehyde (FA) are given in [12] and are for TVOC < 5-30 mg/m 3 and for formaldehyde 2-5 mg/m 3 .…”

Section: Eu Directives On Industrial Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process of Formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds’ Removal fromWaste Gases

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Waste gases that cannot be released into the environment are generated in chemical industrial processes. There are various physico-chemical processes for the treatment of these gases, but in most cases, they present a major cost to the company. There is an EU directive for each industrial area describing the best available techniques (BAT) and the prescribed environmental limits for the maximum discharge of dangerous substances into the environment. The current process for the removal of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds from waste industrial gases meets EU environmental regulations. However, expected new EU directives will require a significant reduction in formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds’ concentrations in industrial exhaust gases, thus necessitating a new technical solution for the removal of formaldehyde. This paper describes two methods of removing formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds from waste gases, generated by the metal oxide catalyst formaldehyde production processes. The first method involves upgrading existing processes of removing formaldehyde from waste gases with an additional absorption plant, with which emissions can be significantly reduced. The second method describes the co-incineration of waste gases generated by a metal oxide catalyst formaldehyde production process with natural gas in a gas turbine, where formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds are completely removed, while electricity is also produced. The second method is also useful for removing various concentrations of volatile organic compounds from waste gases generated in chemical industrial processes.

show abstract

An investigation of formaldehyde concentration in residences and the development of a model for the prediction of its emission rates

Cited by 25 publications

References 46 publications

Whole-House Emission Rates and Loss Coefficients of Formaldehyde and Other Volatile Organic Compounds as a Function of the Air Change Rate

Whole-House Emission Rates and Loss Coefficients of Formaldehyde and Other Volatile Organic Compounds as a Function of the Air Change Rate

Study on the Characteristics of Formaldehyde Pollution in Typical Teaching Machine Room

Process of Formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds’ Removal fromWaste Gases

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About