The South Karelia Air Pollution Study: Relationship of Outdoor and Indoor Concentrations of Malodorous Sulfur Compounds Released by Pulp Mills

We studied the indoor penetration of ambient air malodorous sulfur compounds released by pulp mills. The indoor and outdoor concentrations were simultaneously measured with automatic SO₂ analyzers. The filtering effect of three different materials connected to a gaseous filter unit was tested during six study periods. The tested materials were Sorbixofil® based on gypsum impregnated by KMnO₄ Purafil® based on Al₂O₃, both absorbing sulfur compounds by oxidation, and carbonized tissue. The periods lasted from 14 to 88 days. The results indicated that malodorous sulfur air pollutants penetrated indoors effectively, but after some delay because the dilution was slow. In a comparison of different filter materials, Purafil® was the most effective, producing low indoor concentrations. The study concludes that people living near pulp mills are exposed to substantial amounts of malodorous air pollutants, both indoors and outdoors. This exposure can be reduced by using gaseous sulfur sensitive filter materials connected to a controlled ventilation system.     

纳米TiO2/活性炭复合光催化剂的制备及其对甲醛气体降解

研究了纳米TiO2/活性炭复合光催化剂对空气中典型污染气体甲醛的光催化降解特性。采用扫描电镜（SEM）表征复合催化剂的表面特征。结果显示,经改性后的纳米TiO2在复合催化剂表面分布均匀,呈球状。对甲醛气体的降解实验显示TiO2负载量为1%时对甲醛的去除效果最好,6 h去除率为61.7%。结果显示复合催化剂把甲醛气体分解成CO2,可以直接排空,无二次污染。     

Models for estimating organic emissions from building materials: Formaldehyde example

One important source of chronic exposure to low levels of organic compounds in the indoor environment is emissions from building materials. Because removal of offending products may be costly or otherwise impractical, it is important that the emissions of organic pollutants be understood prior to incorporation of these materials into buildings. Once the organic pollutants of concern are identified, based on potential health effects and emission potential from the building material, it is necessary that an emission model be developed to predict the behavior of emission rates under various indoor conditions. Examples of the type of requirements that must be addressed in developing models for estimating organic emissions from building materials into the indoor environment are presented. Important factors include the products' characteristic source strengths at standard test conditions, impact of variations in environmental conditions (such as temperature and humidity), concentrations of the modeled organic pollutants in indoor environments and product ages. Ideally, emission models should have physical/chemical bases so that the important physical factors can be identified and their relative importance quantified. Although a universal model describing organic emissions from all building materials may not be feasible due to the tremendous variety of organic products and building materials in use, the most studied of the volatile organic compounds from building materials, formaldehyde, is used to illustrate an approach to the development of a specific model for organic emissions.     

汽车内微环境空气污染的初步探究

为了研究车内的污染水平,在2004-04-10至2004-06-20对车内空气进行了采样和分析.对车龄在2年内的91种型号轿车的车内微环境进行了静态检测,有效检测车辆共计802辆,同时对比检测20辆2002年以前出厂的旧车.检测项目包括甲醛、苯、甲苯、二甲苯和CO等.参照国家室内空气质量标准,新车中甲苯浓度超标率达82%,苯和甲醛浓度的超标率分别为75%和24%.在被检测车辆中,甲醛、苯、甲苯和二甲苯浓度均是新车比旧车高,只有CO浓度是旧车比新车高.初步分析判断苯系物主要来源于车内的胶粘剂,甲醛来自于车椅座套和座垫等,CO来源于发动机排放残留.     

模拟室内环境下掺杂TiO_2纳米晶体的光催化性能

采用环境测试舱模拟可见光下的室内环境,以甲醛气体的光催化降解为探针反应,评价了通过溶胶-凝胶法分别制备的8种（银Ag、铜Cu、铁Fe、钨W、铈Ce、镧La、硫S和氯C l）掺杂TiO2纳米晶体的光催化活性及对甲醛气体的去除效果。用X射线衍射、激光粒度分析和紫外-可见分光光谱表征了掺杂钠米TiO2的微晶尺寸、晶体结构与光学性能。结果表明,Cu掺杂可以提高TiO2对氧的吸附能力,减少纳米粒子表面光生电子与光生空穴的复合,使TiO2的光吸收带边发生红移且有利于对可见光的吸收,从而使Cu掺杂TiO2在模拟室内环境下光催化甲醛气体的能力得到明显提高。     

Study on the indoor volatile organic compound treatment and performance assessment with TiO2/MCM-41 and TiO2/quartz photoreactor under ultraviolet irradiation

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the cause of indoor air pollution and are readily emitted from furniture and cleaning agents. In Taiwan, the concentrations of indoor VOCs range roughly from 1 to 10 ppm. It is important to effectively reduce indoor VOC emissions and establish the implementation of long-term, low-cost, controlled techniques such as those found in the ultraviolet/titanium dioxide (UV/TiO2) control systems. This study evaluates the performance of a photoreactor activated by visible irradiation and packed with TiO2/quartz or TiO2/mobile catalytic material number 41 (MCM-41). The photocatalysts tested include commercial TiO2 (Degussa P-25) and synthesized TiO2 with a modified sol-gel process. The UV light had a wavelength of 365 nm and contained an 8-W, low-pressure mercury lamp. Reactants and products were analyzed quantitatively by using gas chromatography with a flame-ionization detector. It is important to understand the influence of such operational parameters, such as concentration of pollutant, temperature, and retention time of processing. The indoor concentrations of VOCs varied from 2 to 10 ppm. Additionally, the temperatures ranged from 15 to 35 degrees C and the retention time tested from 2 to 8.2 sec. The results show that quartz with TiO2 had a better photoreductive efficiency than quartz with MCM-41. The toluene degradation efficiency of 77.4% with UV/TiO2/quartz was larger than that of 54.4% with the UV/TiO2/MCM-41 system under 10-min reaction time. The degradation efficiency of the UV/TiO2 system decreased with the increasing concentrations of indoor VOCs. The toluene degradation efficiency at 2 ppm was approximately 5 times greater than that at 10 ppm. The photoreduction rate of the VOCs was also evaluated with the Langmuir-Hinshewood model and was shown to be pseudo-first-order kinetics.     

Volatile organic compound concentrations, emission rates, and source apportionment in newly-built apartments at pre-occupancy stage

The present study investigated the indoor concentrations of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde and their indoor emission characteristics in newly-built apartments at the pre-occupancy stage. In total, 107 apartments were surveyed for indoor and outdoor VOC concentrations in two metropolitan cities and one rural area in Korea. A mass balanced model was used to estimate surface area-specific emission rates of individual VOCs and formaldehyde. Seven (benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, n-hexane, and n-heptane) of 40 target compounds were detectable in all indoor air samples, whereas the first five were detected in all outdoor air samples. Formaldehyde was also predominant in the indoor air samples, with a high detection frequency of 96%. The indoor concentrations were significantly higher than the outdoor concentrations for aromatics, alcohols, terpenes, and ketones. However, six halogenated VOCs exhibited similar concentrations for indoor and outdoor air samples, suggesting that they are not major components emitted from building materials. It was also suggested that a certain portion of the apartments surveyed were constructed by not following the Korean Ministry of Environment guidelines for formaldehyde emissions. Toluene exhibited the highest emission rate with a median value of 138 μg m⁻² h⁻¹. The target compounds with median emission rates greater than 20 μg m⁻² h⁻¹ were toluene, 1-propanol, formaldehyde, and 2-butanone. The wood panels/vinyl floor coverings were the largest indoor pollutant source, followed by floorings, wall coverings, adhesives, and paints. The wood panels/vinyl floor coverings contributed nearly three times more to indoor VOC concentrations than paints.     

Experimental and simulation study on bake-out with dilution ventilation technology for building materials

With recent improvements to living standards and renovations to many residential buildings, a large volume of new building materials have been utilized throughout China. Formaldehyde and other kinds of VOC pollutants, such as benzene, toluene and xylene found in new building materials, however, emit gases that may lead to some direct or potential health problems. Bake-out with dilution ventilation technology has the potential to shorten emission cycles of indoor air pollution, by which off-gassing from building materials can be reduced. In this paper, a test chamber was used to represent a newly renovated residential room in China. Experiments were conducted to study the applicability of the technology for removing of formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene. A numerical method was used to simulate a 1 m3-chamber-TVOC removing amount under different operating conditions and the concentration change of TVOC during the bake-out exhaust dilution process. The effects of bake-out temperatures and times, ventilation times, and air change rates on removal are also discussed.

Implications: VOCs are the main study objective in this paper. With higher baking temperature, longer baking time and longer ventilation time, the removal efficiency is higher in experiment. Removal content of TVOC increases with the increasing number of ACH. With the consideration of energy consumption, it is more reasonable to choose a ventilation time of 4 hours if ACH is 1.2 times/h.     

Production of sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon for formaldehyde gas removal from potted plants exposure chamber

Agricultural wastes such as rice straw, sugar beet, and sugarcane bagasse have become a critical environmental issue due to growing agriculture demand. This study aimed to investigate the valorization possibility of sugarcane bagasse waste for activated carbon preparation. It also aimed to fully characterize the prepared activated carbon (BET surface area) via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and in terms of surface functional groups to give a basic understanding of its structure and to study the adsorption capacity of the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon using aqueous methylene blue (MB). The second main objective was to evaluate the performance of sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon for indoor volatile organic compounds removal using the formaldehyde gas (HCHO) as reference model in two potted plants chambers. The first chamber was labeled the polluted chamber (containing formaldehyde gas without activated carbon) and the second was taken as the treated chamber (containing formaldehyde gas with activated carbon). The results indicated that the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon has a moderate BET surface area (557 m²/g) with total mesoporous volume and microporous volume of 0.310 and 0.273 cm³/g, respectively. The prepared activated carbon had remarkable adsorption capacity for MB. Formaldehyde removal rate was then found to be more than 67% in the treated chamber with the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon. The plants’ responses for this application as dry weight, chlorophyll contents, and protein concentration were also investigated.

Implications: Preparation of activated carbon from sugarcane bagasse (SCBAC) is a promising approach to produce cheap and efficient adsorbent for gas pollutants removal. It may be also a solution for the agricultural wastes problems in big cities, particularly in Egypt. MB adsorption tests suggest that the SCBAC have high adsorption capacity. Formaldehyde gas removal in the plant chambers indicates that the SCBAC have potential to recover volatile gases. The results confirmed that the activated carbon produced from sugarcane bagasse waste raw materials can be used as an applicable adsorbent for treating a variety of gas pollutants from the indoor environment.     

Effectiveness of photocatalytic filter for removing volatile organic compounds in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

Nowadays, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system has been an important facility for maintaining indoor air quality. However, the primary function of typical HVAC systems is to control the temperature and humidity of the supply air. Most indoor air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cannot be removed by typical HVAC systems. Thus, some air handling units for removing VOCs should be added in typical HVAC systems. Among all of the air cleaning techniques used to remove indoor VOCs, photocatalytic oxidation is an attractive alternative technique for indoor air purification and deodorization. The objective of this research is to investigate the VOC removal efficiency of the photocatalytic filter in a HVAC system. Toluene and formaldehyde were chosen as the target pollutants. The experiments were conducted in a stainless steel chamber equipped with a simplified HVAC system. A mechanical filter coated with Degussa P25 titania photocatalyst and two commercial photocatalytic filters were used as the photocatalytic filters in this simplified HVAC system. The total air change rates were controlled at 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, and 1.5 hr(-1), and the relative humidity (RH) was controlled at 30%, 50%, and 70%. The ultraviolet lamp used was a 4-W, ultraviolet-C (central wavelength at 254 nm) strip light bulb. The first-order decay constant of toluene and formaldehyde found in this study ranged from 0.381 to 1.01 hr(-1) under different total air change rates, from 0.34 to 0.433 hr(-1) under different RH, and from 0.381 to 0.433 hr(-1) for different photocatalytic filters.     

Comparison of analytical techniques for the determination of aldehydes in test chambers

The level of carbonyl compounds in indoor air is crucial due to possible health effects and the high prevalence of their potential sources. Therefore, selecting a convenient and rapid analytical technique for the reliable detection of carbonyl compound concentrations is important. The acetyl acetone (acac) method is a widely used standard procedure for detecting gaseous formaldehyde. For measuring formaldehyde along with other carbonyl compounds, the DNPH-method is commonly applied. The recommended procedure for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is sampling on Tenax TA, followed by thermal desorption and GC/MS analysis. In this study, different analytical techniques for the quantification of formaldehyde, pentanal, and hexanal are critically compared. It was found that the acac- and DNPH-method are in very good agreement for formaldehyde. In contrast, the DNPH-method significantly underestimates indoor air concentrations of the higher aldehydes in comparison to sampling on Tenax TA, although both methods are strongly correlated. The reported results are part of the EURIMA-WKI study on levels of indoor air pollutants resulting from construction, building materials and interior decoration.     

活性炭纤维负载TiO2光催化降解甲醛的影响因素

利用自制光催化气体反应器体系,以活性炭纤维负载TiO2作催化剂,在紫外光照射下模拟降解室内污染气体甲醛,测试了活性炭纤维负载TiO2催化剂的催化活性,探讨了紫外光光强、催化剂的酸度、反应器内湿度及反应时间等控制反应的主要因素对甲醛降解率的影响。结果表明,活性炭纤维与TiO2的协同作用大大提高了对甲醛的降解效果;紫外光强增倍对甲醛降解率有一定提高,但提高幅度仅为11.71%;活性炭纤维用pH=5的TiO2溶胶浸泡做催化剂对甲醛的降解效果最好,60 min内降解率达到68.37%;反应器内的湿度为81%甲醛降解率最高,反应60 min后达82.2%;随着反应时间的延长,甲醛降解率的上升幅度不断减小,最高只能达到94.59%。     

Heterogeneous photocatalysis of aromatic and chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for non-occupational indoor air application

The current study evaluated the technical feasibility of applying TiO2 photocatalysis to the removal of low-ppb concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) commonly associated with non-occupational indoor air quality issues. A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate five parameters (relative humidity (RH), hydraulic diameter (HD), feeding type (FT) for VOCs, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) reactor material (RM), and inlet port size (IPS) of PCO reactor) in relation to the PCO destruction efficiencies of the selected target VOCs. None of the target VOCs exhibited any significant dependence on the RH, which is inconsistent with a previous study where, under conditions of low humidity and a ppm toluene inlet level, a drop in the PCO efficiency was reported with a decreasing humidity. However, the other four parameters (HD, RM, FT, and IPS) were found to be important for better VOC removal efficiencies as regards the application of TiO2 photocatalytic technology for cleansing non-occupational indoor air. The PCO destruction of VOCs at concentrations associated with non-occupational indoor air quality issues was up to nearly 100%, and the CO generated during PCO was a negligible addition to indoor CO levels. Accordingly, a PCO reactor would appear to be an important tool in the effort to improve non-occupational indoor air quality.     

Photocatalytic oxidation of NOx using composite sheets containing TiO2 and a metal compound

The photocatalytic oxidation of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) over titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) sheets containing metal compounds (MCs) had been studied. Calcium oxide (CaO), magnesium oxide (MgO), calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)), aluminium oxide (Al(2)O(3)) and ferric oxide (Fe(2)O(3)) were used as MCs. Al(2)O(3) and Fe(2)O(3) added to the TiO(2) sheet did not affect the photooxidation of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)). The CaO sheet treated with TiO(2) sol had the greatest efficiency as a NO(x) remover under UV irradiation. It is believed that CaO has a high adsorptivity for nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and nitric acid (HNO(3)). The amount of NO(x) removed by a TiO(2) sheet including MC showed a tendency to increase with increasing pH of the MC suspension, i.e. there is a good correlation between the alkalinity of the MC and the retention of NO(2) and HNO(3).     

活性炭纤维负载TiO_2光催化降解甲醛的影响因素

利用自制光催化气体反应器体系,以活性炭纤维负载TiO2作催化剂,在紫外光照射下模拟降解室内污染气体甲醛,测试了活性炭纤维负载TiO2催化剂的催化活性,探讨了紫外光光强、催化剂的酸度、反应器内湿度及反应时间等控制反应的主要因素对甲醛降解率的影响.结果表明,活性炭纤维与TiO2的协同作用大大提高了对甲醛的降解效果;紫外光强增倍对甲醛降解率有一定提高,但提高幅度仅为11.71%;活性炭纤维用pH=5的TiO2溶胶浸泡做催化剂对甲醛的降解效果最好,60 min内降解率达到68.37%;反应器内的湿度为81%甲醛降解率最高,反应60 min后达82.2%;随着反应时间的延长,甲醛降解率的上升幅度不断减小,最高只能达到94.59%.     

Improvement of water resistance by Fe2O3/TiO2 photoelectrocatalysts for formaldehyde removal: experimental and theoretical investigation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - TiO2-based photocatalysts are a potential technology for removing indoor formaldehyde (CHOH) owing to their strong photooxidation ability. However,...     

Effectiveness of Photocatalytic Filter for Removing Volatile Organic Compounds in the Heating,Ventilation, and Air Conditioning System

Abstract

Nowadays, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system has been an important facility for maintaining indoor air quality. However, the primary function of typical HVAC systems is to control the temperature and humidity of the supply air. Most indoor air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cannot be removed by typical HVAC systems. Thus, some air handling units for removing VOCs should be added in typical HVAC systems. Among all of the air cleaning techniques used to remove indoor VOCs, photocatalytic oxidation is an attractive alternative technique for indoor air purification and deodorization. The objective of this research is to investigate the VOC removal efficiency of the photocatalytic filter in a HVAC system. Toluene and formaldehyde were chosen as the target pollutants. The experiments were conducted in a stainless steel chamber equipped with a simplified HVAC system. A mechanical filter coated with Degussa P25 titania photocatalyst and two commercial photocatalytic filters were used as the photo-catalytic filters in this simplified HVAC system. The total air change rates were controlled at 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, and 1.5 hr^?1, and the relative humidity (RH) was controlled at 30%, 50%, and 70%. The ultraviolet lamp used was a 4-W, ultraviolet-C (central wavelength at 254 nm) strip light bulb. The first-order decay constant of toluene and form-aldehyde found in this study ranged from 0.381 to 1.01 hr^?1 under different total air change rates, from 0.34 to 0.433 hr^?1 under different RH, and from 0.381 to 0.433 hr^?1 for different photocatalytic filters.     

Winter indoor air pollution in Alaska: identifying a myth

The benzene and toluene levels inside three homes with attached garages were measured for 12 consecutive weeks during the winter months in Fairbanks, Alaska (Latitude 64.5 degrees N). Results for air samples collected over 12 h for the homes showed indoor benzene mixing ratios ranging from 1.6 to 20.4 parts per billion of mixing ratio volume (ppbv), and toluene air mixing ratios ranging from 7.3 to 41.6 ppbv. A correlation between benzene and toluene levels in each home and similar regression lines suggested the same major emission source, car and small equipment gasoline, present in attached garages. In one home, there was a correlation between indoor benzene mixing ratios and the urinary biomarker, trans,trans-muconic acid. Inside, air mixing ratios of benzene and toluene decreased with decreasing outside temperature in all homes studied, even though homes were relatively tight to prevent heat loss during this period of low winter outdoor temperatures. It is suggested that buildup of these pollutants indoors is prevented by the influence of an increased indoor/outdoor temperature differential and an ensuing increase in home ventilation.     

TiO2光催化脱除NOx的研究进展

利用TiO2的光催化效应脱除大气污染物是近十年来国内外学术界的研究热点之一.本文对TiO2光催化脱除NOx方面的研究工作进行了综述,着重论述了光催化氧化反应及光催化还原反应脱除NOx的反应机理及影响因素,并对应用前景作出展望.     

附载型复合光催化剂TiO2·SiO2/beads降解有机磷农药

研究以四异丙醇钛 [Ti( iso- O C3 H7) 4]、硅酸乙酯为原料 ,以空心玻璃微球为载体 ,用溶胶—凝胶法制备可漂浮附载型复合光催化剂 Ti O2 · Si O2 / beads的过程 ,利用附载型复合光催化剂降解有机磷农药。结果表明 ,复合型光催化剂 Ti O2 · Si O2 摩尔比存在最佳值 ,n ( Ti O2 ) / m ( Si O2 ) =30 / 70时 ,光催化剂活性最高 ,其活性是同样降解条件下、同样含量 Degussa P- 2 5Ti O2 的 2倍左右。该光催化剂比表面大 ,吸附性强。并用 XRD和 SEM对附载型复合光催化剂进行表征