Assessment of contaminant diffusivities in building materials from porosimetry tests

Blondeau, Patrice; Tiffonnet, Anne-Lise; Damian, Andrei; Amiri, Ouali; Molina, José Luis Gutiérrez

doi:10.1034/j.1600-0668.2003.00208.x

Cited by 85 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The diffusion coefficients of the VOCs were also calculated based on the pore volume distribution obtained via the mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) method [12]. Table 5 compares the derived diffusion coefficients by the MIP method and measured effective diffusion coefficients in the dual chamber test.…”

Section: Comparison Of Voc Diffusion With Mercury Intrusion Porosimetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Study on the Similarities between Water Vapor and VOC Diffusion in Porous Media by a Dual Chamber Method

Xu¹,

Zhang

Grunewald

et al. 2009

CLEAN Soil Air Water

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To better understand the similarities and differences between moisture and volatile organic compound (VOC) diffusion through porous media, a dual chamber experimental system was developed. The diffusion and partition coefficients of moisture and selected VOCs in materials were compared. A pilot test with gypsum wallboard and oriented strand board (OSB) showed similar diffusion kinetics between moisture and VOC. To further establish the similarity relationship between VOC and water vapor transport, calcium silicate was used as a reference material to develop the concept of a similarity coefficient and its application in combined heat, air, moisture and pollutant simulation (CHAMPS) in buildings. The diffusion resistance factor calculated for moisture from the dual chamber tests agreed well with that from the conventional dry cup test method. The diffusion behavior of each particular VOC in porous media is predictable as long as the similarity coefficient of the VOC is known. Future experiments will extend this to materials with significant VOC emissions in buildings.

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Section: Comparison Of Voc Diffusion With Mercury Intrusion Porosimetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tortuosity represents the geometric constraints which results in a longer diffusion path compared to the free path in the air. In Blondeau et al [12], the porosity e and tortuosity t were measured individually and used to calculate the pore diffusion coefficient. Since…”

Section: Diffusion Coefficientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study on the Similarities between Water Vapor and VOC Diffusion in Porous Media by a Dual Chamber Method

Xu¹,

Zhang

Grunewald

et al. 2009

CLEAN Soil Air Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Diffusion transport of gases in building materials involves a complex variety of processes including molecular, Knudsen and surface diffusion within the porous interstices [4]. Several experimental techniques have been used to estimate the diffusion coefficients.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presentation of a New Method for Determination of Diffusion Coefficients of Gaseous Pollutants in Cladding Wall Materials Indoors

Gonçalves

Santos

Silva

et al. 2010

DDF

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Abstract. Diffusion and partition coefficients are two key parameters of importance for the characterization of building materials as sources and sinks of air pollutants indoors. The number of coefficients for each pair 'chemical compound -material surface' available in the literature are still scarce and with a high discrepancy in the results obtained by different methods, even for the same method [1]. The objectives of this study were (1) to develop a simple and rapid experimental method for directly measuring the diffusion coefficient (D), and (2) to perform determinations with both the new and the cup method comparing the results obtained. The new method is based on two existent methodologies, the passive sampling on Tenax TA and the dry cup method, proposed by Haghighat et al. [1] and also developed by this research team [2]. The experiments were carried for three different building materials (cork based material, gypsum board and PVC) and three different compounds (cyclohexane, n-octane and m-xylene). The discussion of the results obtained for D by the two methods is presented in this paper. Observed differences were not of the same order of magnitude for the pairs compound/material studied, varying from the order of 10 1 in the case of PVC to 10 2 in the gypsum and in the cork. However some facts were the same: the gypsum board presents the higher values of D and PVC the lower values of D for the three compounds studied in both methods. One of the causes of these marked differences could be high difference of the concentration of the compound in the air between the methods, saturation value in cup method (dozens g/m 3 ) and low values typical from indoor environments (few mg/m 3 ) in the proposed method. IntoductionThe quality of the indoor environment of non-industrial buildings has been receiving a growing interest from the scientific community due to the implications of the 'non quality' on the health and well being of the occupants. Many studies present construction and cladding materials as main sources of indoor air pollution, particularly of volatile organic compounds (VOC).In this context the development of mathematical models for the prevision of the concentration of pollutants in real situations requires the previous study of the behaviour of the materials vs pollutants to quantify the parameters involved, represented namely by the diffusion coefficients and partition coefficients [3]. The available data in the literature for those coefficients is still scarce and, in general, with highly dispersed values. The main objective of the present work was to develop a new method for determination of D. The values of D were also determined by the cup method for comparison. Research methodsDiffusion is the mode of mass transfer of a compound caused by a concentration gradient. Diffusion transport of gases in building materials involves a complex variety of processes including molecular, Knudsen and surface diffusion within the porous interstices [4]. Several experimental techniques have been used to esti...

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“…Diffusive transport of gases in building materials involves a complex variety of processes including molecular, Knudsen and surface diffusion within the porous interstices [4]. Several experimental techniques have been used to estimate the diffusion coefficients, being the three major methods for the measurement of diffusion coefficients of building materials: the wet cup [5], the twin chamber [6] and the porosity test method [4]. The simplest approach used to measure the diffusion coefficient of building materials is the wet cup method [5,7].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of the Modified Dry-Cup Method for Determination of the Diffusion Coefficients of Gaseous Pollutants in Building Materials

Gonçalves

Silva

Santos

et al. 2010

DDF

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Diffusion and partition coefficients are key parameters for the characterization of building materials as sources and sinks of air pollutants indoors. A simple and rapid experimental method for direct measurement of the diffusion coefficient (D) was presented in a previous article [1]: the modified dry cup method. This method was based upon two existent methodologies, the passive sampling on Tenax TA and the dry cup method, proposed by Haghighat et al. [2]. In the present article, some improvements were made in the experimental set-up in order to obtain more precise results. The previous cup was modified by increasing the number of Tenax tubes, connected to the bottom of the cup, from one to five. The results obtained with both cups were compared. Measurements with single compounds and with three compounds simultaneously were compared in order to evaluate the influence of competition between molecules of different compounds.

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Assessment of contaminant diffusivities in building materials from porosimetry tests

Cited by 85 publications

References 13 publications

A Study on the Similarities between Water Vapor and VOC Diffusion in Porous Media by a Dual Chamber Method

A Study on the Similarities between Water Vapor and VOC Diffusion in Porous Media by a Dual Chamber Method

Presentation of a New Method for Determination of Diffusion Coefficients of Gaseous Pollutants in Cladding Wall Materials Indoors

Improvement of the Modified Dry-Cup Method for Determination of the Diffusion Coefficients of Gaseous Pollutants in Building Materials

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