VDI 2083-17: New test procedure to determine comparable specific emission rates from material surfaces

In such fields as cleanroom technology, food, pharmaceutics and health care as well as in normal living and working environments, materials implemented in specific applications need to be assessed for VOC emissions and classified in order to permit direct comparisons to be made. The paper presents a standardized procedure for testing and classifying materials with uniform sample preparation and defined storage times. It describes preparation of the samples, their storage in a VOC-reduced minienvironment, avoidance of cross-contamination, sampling using appropriate adsorbers in micro-chambers and analysis via thermodesorption coupled with chromatography and mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Once the active surface, sampling time and VOC mass emitted are known, a specific emission rate can be determined which is then converted into a classification using a calculation model. Knowledge of the emission class enables the VOC charge of a defined area at a specific point in time to be estimated in reality. A verified calculation model will be presented. The standardized procedure is laid down in the new guideline VDI 2083 Part 17. The resulting product classifications are entered into the CSM database http://www.ipa-csm.com of the Fraunhofer IPA industrial alliance CSM (cleanroom suitable materials) to allow the tested products to be directly compared with one another.