Microchamber Extraction and Analytical Pyrolysis to Explore Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Materials for Indoor Use
Molecules
In: Molecules, vol. 27, no. 23, article 8260, 2022.
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds are species of concern for indoor air quality. They are emitted from a wide range of indoor sources and in particular from construction materials. Industrialized wood-based panels made from various types of wood bonded with thermosetting adhesive resins have been shown to emit volatile organic compounds over months or even years mostly due to the petrochemical binders. Some studies have been conducted on binderless panels, but they mainly focused on the pressing parameters to be applied to optimize the panel characteristics. The aim of this research is to document the emissions from binderless panels and to access the volatile composition of wood processing through the molding of materials. For this purpose, binderless boards were manufactured from hardwoods, known to emit less than softwoods with different thermopressing temperatures and times. Emissions were studied by placing the materials in microchambers. Volatile organic compounds were then sampled and analyzed by various chromatographic methods. On the other hand, materials were pyrolyzed and then analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The implemented protocols proved suitable for the determination of more than 40 organic compounds, among which are aldehydes, aromatics, furans and derivatives, and carboxylic acids.
Full author abstract reproduced verbatim from the publisher under CC BY 4.0.
FLEC use
FLEC mention, comparison or reference
The introduction names FLEC only as one established emission-testing approach. The authors' own measurements used 44 mL microchambers and analytical pyrolysis, not a FLEC.