Eco-friendly sustainable building construction materials: Simulation of adsorption and desorption for MDF - Part 2

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one of the main pollutants of concern when considering indoor air quality. Modern building materials used in the manufacture of wall panels, coatings and insulations are among the primary sources of VOCs that may affect adversely occupant health. Measurement of VOCs is a complex and time-consuming process in terms of experimental set up and sampling/monitoring and analytical protocols. Alternatively, use of sophisticated numerical simulations offers a more economical way in which to study the emission, adsorption and desorption processes of VOCs for such building materials with reasonable accuracy. In the present study, CFD the software FLUENT is used to simulate the adsorption and desorption of VOCs from MDF in 2-litre experimental chambers. The adsorption and desorption of toluene, limonene and dodecane on MDF have been simulated under pressurized, laminar and steady state flow conditions. It is observed that on MDF, limonene and dodecane are more effectively adsorbed than toluene. Sampling data from laboratory tests and results from CFD simulations show that the indoor concentrations during adsorption and desorption phases of the pollutants follow the powerlaw profile.