Emission rates of bio-based building materials, a method description for qualifying and quantifying VOC emissions

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-12, Vol.905, p.167158-167158, Article 167158
• Main Authors: de Kort, J.M.A., Gauvin, F., Loomans, M.G.L.C., Brouwers, H.J.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: air quality; ambient temperature; benzene; Biobased materials; biobased products; cork; gas chromatography; Health effects emission rates; human health; Indoor air quality; insulating materials; mass spectrometry; particleboards; toluene; TVOC; VOC; volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167158

Biobased insulation materials offer opportunities to use vapor-open building constructions. Such constructions allow direct interaction between the biobased material and the indoor environment. This interaction raises questions about indoor air quality concerning volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study presents results for the VOC emissions from biobased materials. It consists of two parts: 1) qualification of VOC emissions (compounds) from several biobased and non-biobased building materials, and 2) quantification of VOC emissions (emission rate) from expanded cork (biobased), particle board (semi-biobased), and EPS insulation. By quantifying the emission rate, the exposure to the released VOC emissions at room temperature in a standardized room can be compared to health limit requirements. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) is used to derive the individual VOC emissions and the Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) from these materials. For qualification, two different sampling techniques are used in which temperature is introduced as a variable to investigate its effect on the type of compounds emitted. For quantification, the toluene equivalent approach is compared to the group equivalent approach. From the analyses it is concluded that temperature has an effect on the type of VOC compounds emitted from (biobased) materials. Results from the quantification indicate that expanded cork and particle board emit no harmful substances at a level that can affect human health. For EPS insulation, elevated levels of benzene were found to exceed healthy limits. The toluene equivalent approach for quantifying the emission, generally, underestimates the rate as compared to the more accurate group equivalent approach. [Display omitted] •VOC emissions from biobased insulation materials are hardly reported yet.•Expanded cork emits lower amounts of VOCs than particle board and EPS insulation.•Group compared to toluene equivalent provides more accurate quantitative results.