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Long‐term Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds from Waterborne Paints – Methods of Comparison
Author(s) -
Clausen Per A.,
Wolkoff Peder,
Hoist Erik,
Nielsen Peter A.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0668.1991.00019.x
Subject(s) - tenax , volatile organic compound , environmental chemistry , thermal desorption , materials science , environmental science , environmental engineering , gas chromatography , chemistry , desorption , chromatography , adsorption , organic chemistry
The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from five different waterborne paints was measured in small climatic chambers under standard conditions over a one‐year period. The aims of the study were to evaluate the time emission profiles and to develop methods for comparison of different paints. The paints were applied to tin‐plated steel sheets. VOCs were sampled on Tenax TA and analysed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography. The chamber concentrations increased rapidly during the first few hours and then decreased as the emission rates dropped. A model expression including an exponentially decreasing emission rate of the paint film, the air exchange rate, and a normalization of the film thickness was fitted to the concentration versus time data. The time required to reach a given emission rate was estimated and found suitable for comparison of the emission of VOCs from the paints. It was found that data sampled within three weeks or less may be sufficient to predict the emission of VOCs up to one year. Reduction of long‐term emissions may be achieved most efficiently by (1) substituting a more ‐volatile VOC whose emission is controlled by evaporation for a less volatile VOC characterized by diffusion‐controlled emission and (2) reducing the paint film thickness rather than reducing the initial VOC content of the paint.