Abstract:
A wide range of organic compounds are released from building and furnishing products
and these have the potential to adversely affect indoor air quality. There are growing
international requirements for testing and controlling these emissions for the protection
of public health. The test methods require specialist analytical chemistry facilities based
on thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD/GC/MS). This
project has addressed the need for better performance and greater automation of the
analysis, as well as development of simpler screening tests.
A variety of products were tested using screening techniques, with an emission cell
method being used as a reference test. Short duration tests, using a micro-scale chamber
at slightly elevated temperature, were shown to have the potential to predict emissions
occurring during longer term reference tests.
Multi-sorbent air sampling tubes, that have the potential to extend the volatility range of
compounds determined by a single TD/GC/MS analysis, were compared with Tenax TA
tubes specified by current standard methods. This showed no difference in performance
for the range of compounds for which Tenax is optimal, with improved performance for
a number of more volatile compounds.
The determination of formaldehyde was investigated using 2-hydroxymethylpiperidine
as a derivatising agent, followed by TD/GC/MS. The results showed the possibility of
this method being developed as an alternative to the current standard method that
involves solvent elution and liquid chromatography.
The performance of a newly developed time-of-flight mass spectrometer was compared
with a standard quadrupole instrument. This showed its potential, with the use of
re-collection, to extend the concentration range of compounds quantified from a single
air sample, of particular benefit for the determination of carcinogens.
New compound identification software was applied to increase automation of analysis
of the TD/GC/MS data. Good correlation with manual processing was achieved,
demonstrating the possibility of routine application to material emissions testing.
