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Determination of partition and diffusion coefficients of formaldehyde in selected building materials and impact of relative humidity (journal)
Citation:
Xu, J., J. S. Zhang, X. LIU, AND Z. Gao. Determination of partition and diffusion coefficients of formaldehyde in selected building materials and impact of relative humidity (journal). JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION. Air & Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA, 62(6):671-679, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
journal article, JAWMA
Description:
The partition and effective diffusion coefficients of formaldehyde were measured for three materials (conventional gypsum wallboard, "green" gypsum wallboard, and "green" carpet) under three relative humidity (RH) conditions (20%, 50% and 70% RH). A dynamic dual-chamber test method was used. Results showed that a higher relative humidity led to a larger effective diffusion coefficient for both conventional wallboard and green wallboard. The partition coefficient (Kma) of formaldehyde in conventional wallboard was larger at 50% RH than at 20% RH, while it decreased slightly from 50% to 70% RH. The partition coefficient of formaldehyde increased slightly with the increase of relative humidity in "green" wallboard and "green" carpet. The carpet was also found to be very permeable resulting in a diffusion coefficient at the same level as the formaldehyde diffusion coefficient in air. The data generated could be used to assess the sorption effects of formaldehyde on building materials and to evaluate its impact on the formaldehyde concentration in buildings.
