A new double-skin façade system integrated with polyurethane sponges and TiO2 plates for removing indoor PM and BTEX

• Published in: Building and environment 2024-03, Vol.252, p.111237, Article 111237
• Main Authors: Li, He, Lu, Xiaohan, Yu, Guoqing, Zhong, Ke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air quality index; Computational fluid dynamics; Double-skin façade; Indoor air quality level; Particulate matter; Volatile organic compound
• ISSN: 0360-1323; 1873-684X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111237

Indoor air pollution, characterized predominantly by particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), notably benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylenes (BTEX), presents a considerable risk to public health. However, conventional methods of air purification are often associated with high costs and substantial energy consumption. This scenario underscores the imperative for developing more efficient air purification solutions. This study proposes a novel double-skin façade integrated with polyurethane sponges and TiO2 plates (DSF-PT) for removing indoor PM and BTEX under natural sunlight. A new DSF-PT was designed based on the operation principles and design guidelines. Ten pollutants (i.e., six particle sizes and BTEX) were evaluated using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the purification efficiency of DSF-PT on the indoor PM and BTEX. The study shows that the DSF-PT system, using solar energy for in-situ air purification, enhances particle capture efficiency up to 69.73 % and reduces BTEX by 32 %, leading to a 32.09 % improvement in Air Quality Index (AQI) in a single ventilation cycle. Additionally, a higher number of DSF-PT units and longer operation times significantly improve indoor air quality, even achieving a level close to “Good” within 4 h. The DSF-PT system makes full use of solar energy to form dynamic ventilation in the cavity that is independent of mechanical devices, achieving in-situ purification of indoor PM and BTEX. •A double-skin façade integrated with polyurethane sponges and TiO2 plates (DSF-PT) is designed.•DSF-PT can remove indoor particulate matter and BTEX under solar radiation.•Ten pollutants were investigated to evaluate the purification efficiency of DSF-PT.•Air quality index (AQI) decreased by 32.09 % in one single ventilation cycle of DSF-PT.•The impact of the installed number of DSF-PT units on indoor AQI is investigated.