Determining Characteristics of Different Filter Materials to Remove Vocs (Mainly Formaldehyde) in the Building Environment

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are inseparable part of the building environment. As a result the health and well-being of the occupants is at risk because the concentration of these compounds is often times above the standard levels. As a result the occupants are unknowingly exposed to these harmful compounds. Recently, there have been developments on the ways of solving this problem.The existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning(HVAC) systems offer a solution but often times have some drawbacks in operation. Some techniques are effective but not very feasible for cleaning indoor air while others are very sophisticated. One of the smart ways to reduce the levels of VOCs in the buildings is to use air filters. VOCs are almost always present indoors; however, their concentration in the ambient air can be controlled by use of air purification process and can be brought down to acceptable levels.One of the major compounds found in buildings is formaldehyde, which is emitted by substances used daily to day life. In the long run, formaldehyde has adverse health effects on the occupants. The principal focus of this article is to determine and compare the efficiency of different filter materials like granulated carbon, carbon+ion-exchange and ion exchange in removing the major quantified compound i.e. formaldehyde. Also another important criteria in the selection of a filter material is pressure drop, hence the performance of each filter with respect to pressure drop has also been shown.