Formaldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from particleboard: Identification of odorous compounds and effects of heat treatment

Furniture and building/furnishing materials are major sources of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the VOC emission characteristics of these materials are essential for understanding indoor air pollution dynamics. Herein, we investigated the emission characteristics of formaldehyde (HCHO) and other VOCs from particleboard in sealed or ventilated environmental chambers at different temperatures (23, 35 or 50 °C), with a focus on the emission of odorous compounds. The emissions of HCHO and total VOCs (TVOC) from the particleboard increased significantly with temperature, and the emitted VOC mixtures had complex chemical compositions. In addition to HCHO, 44 compounds were identified, including alkanes, (chlorinated) aromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyl compounds (i.e., aldehydes and ketones), alcohols, and esters, etc. At room temperature (23 °C), n-hexane was the most abundant compound except HCHO; but at higher temperatures, concentrations of hexanal and pentanal significantly increased. Moreover, due to their low odor thresholds, aldehydes, particularly hexanal and pentanal, were identified as the major odorous compounds emitted from the particleboard. Enhanced ventilation could effectively decrease VOC concentrations in the environmental chamber at room temperature, but less effectively at higher temperatures. After heat treatment at 50 or 60 °C, the emissions of HCHO and TVOC at room temperature decreased significantly. More importantly, because the emissions of hexanal and pentanal were highly sensitive to temperature, their emission strengths were effectively reduced after heat treatment, resulting in significantly lowered odor emissions from the particleboard at room temperature. These results are helpful for the control of indoor odor problems arising from furniture materials.