Formaldehyde and Total VOC (TVOC) Commercial Low-Cost Monitoring Devices: From an Evaluation in Controlled Conditions to a Use Case Application in a Real Building

Abstract

Formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major indoor pollutants with multiple origins. Standard methods exist to measure them that require analytical expertise and provide, at best, an average value of their concentrations. There is a need to monitor them continuously during periods of several days, weeks, or even months. Recently, portable devices have become available. Two categories of portable devices are considered in this research paper: connected objects for the general public (price <500 €) and monitoring portable devices for professional users (price in the range >500 to 5000 €). The ISO method (ISO 16000-29) describes the standard for VOC detector qualification. It is quite complex and is not well adapted for a first qualitative evaluation of these low-cost devices. In this paper, we present an experimental methodology used to evaluate commercial devices that monitor formaldehyde and/or total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) under controlled conditions (23 °C, 50–65% relative humidity (RH)). We conclude that none of the connected objects dedicated to the general public can provide reliable data in the conditions tested, not even for a qualitative evaluation. For formaldehyde monitoring, we obtained some promising results with a portable device dedicated to professional users. In this paper, we illustrate, with a real test case in an office building, how this device was used for a comparative analysis.

Development of a Conductometric Sensor Based on Al,Ca-Doped ZnO for the Detection of Formaldehyde

“…Focusing attention on practical application, the developed sensor has the advantage of a simple planar structure and can be easily fabricated for mass production by using low-cost materials and fabrication methods. Indeed, for the efficient production of gas sensors for the market, the manufacturing technology should be easy and inexpensive [ 28 ].…”

ZnO/NiO heterostructure-based microsensors used in formaldehyde detection at room temperature: Influence of the sensor operating voltage

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Low-Cost Formaldehyde Sensor Evaluation and Calibration in a Controlled Environment

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