Simulation and prediction of multisource/sink behaviours of VOCs emitted from building materials

Abstract

Indoor air pollution can be determined collectively by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from all decoration materials. Existing studies on the multisource emissions of VOC are primarily based on adding up the amounts of individual emission, which has significant limitations. In this study, a new multisource mass transfer model was developed. Wall paint, wooden decorative panels and leather were selected for experiments on VOC emissions from single and multiple sources. Numerical simulations were performed, demonstrating favourable alignment with the experimental data. Research has found that leather can adsorb VOCs released from other building materials, which changes the pattern of multisource releases of VOC compared to the emission patterns observed when the materials are tested individually. However, once the VOCs adsorbed onto the leather surface become saturated, they may subsequently desorb, resulting in secondary contamination of the indoor air. Additionally, simulation results of multisource experiments with different types of building materials without adsorption characteristics reveal that as long as the types of pollutants released from the materials are different, the VOC emissions from each material do not interfere with one another. The conclusions of this research can provide a theoretical reference for formulating strategies to prevent and control indoor air pollution.