scholarly journals Evaluation of nano-confined catalytic oxidation air purification technology on eliminating marijuana chemicals and odour

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abiel Kwok ◽  
Christopher Hong ◽  
Ezra Kwok
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic Oxidation ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Purification ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Intensity Measurements ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Human Volunteers ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Pharmaceutical Form ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds

AbstractThe novel air purification technology, Nano-Confined Catalytic Oxidation (NCCO), has been proven to be effective at eliminating air pollutants. With the increasing legalization and decriminalization of medicinal and recreational cannabis and related products, respectively, in many countries and jurisdictions around the world, concerns have been raised about indoor air quality from smoking cannabis products, such as marijuana, which produce gaseous pollutants and intense odour. In this study, NCCO technology has been evaluated for its effectiveness in reducing key marijuana concentrations in polluted indoor air by direct measurements and odour intensity assessments by human volunteers. For the odour intensity measurements, 20 non-cannabis adults participated in the odour assessment. The results are remarkable and statistically significant. The reduction in Dronabinol, a pharmaceutical form of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabinol, averages 93.4%, whereas that in airborne marijuana compounds with no air purification only averages 6.2%. The technology also demonstrates statistically significant reductions in PM2.5, PM10 and total volatile organic compounds generated from marijuana smoke. The technology was able to restore high levels of harmful particulate matter to normal baseline levels. Furthermore, the odour assessment conducted by a group of 20 volunteers also confirmed statistically significant reductions in marijuana odour by 55.6% after 50 min of air purification.

scholarly journals Variability of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) in the Indoor Air of Retail Stores

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 4622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia ◽  
Cao ◽  
Valaulikar ◽  
Fu ◽  
Sorin
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Retail Stores ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Systematic Understanding ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Comfort Parameters

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released to the indoor air of retail stores from numerous products and activities, but available literature lacks a systematic understanding of the variability of VOC concentrations. In this study, we measured concentrations of total VOCs (TVOC) in 32 retail stores using a high-sensitivity photoionization detector (PID). Indoor thermal comfort parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity, were simultaneously measured using an anemometer. The store-level TVOC concentrations ranged from 30 to 869 ppb and exceeded the LEED guideline in 31 stores. TVOC levels were notably high in hardware stores (median = 536 ppb, p = 0.0002) and paints, household, and home accessories sections within stores (p < 0.05). TVOC levels were elevated in mornings and evenings, possibly due to low ventilation and cleaning activities at the beginning and end of business hours. The between-store, within-store, and temporal variations accounted for 85%, 0.5%, and 14% of the total variance, respectively. The variance structure suggested that in-store VOC concentrations were predominantly driven by their source location, and representative monitoring should first consider covering various store types. Current store VOC levels present health concerns, but further studies are needed to evaluate risks among customers.

scholarly journals Passive Sampling Method for Total Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Takahiro ISHIZAKA ◽  
Ayato KAWASHIMA ◽  
Naoki HISHIDA ◽  
Noriaki HAMADA
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Passive Sampling ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds

scholarly journals Continuous Monitoring of Air Purification: A Study on Volatile Organic Compounds in a Gas Cell

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa Fathy ◽  
Marie Le Pivert ◽  
Young Jai Kim ◽  
Mame Ousmane Ba ◽  
Mazen Erfan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Purification ◽  
Gas Cell ◽  
Oxide Nanowires ◽  
Continuous Adsorption ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Ftir Spectrometer ◽  
Preliminary Study

Air pollution is one of the major environmental issues that humanity is facing. Considering Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are among the most harmful gases that need to be detected, but also need to be eliminated using air purification technologies. In this work, we tackle both problems simultaneously by introducing an experimental setup enabling continuous measurement of the VOCs by online absorption spectroscopy using a MEMS-based Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, while those VOCs are continuously eliminated by continuous adsorption and photocatalysis, using zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO-NWs). The proposed setup enabled a preliminary study of the mechanisms involved in the purification process of acetone and toluene, taken as two different VOCs, also typical of those that can be found in tobacco smoke. Our experiments revealed very different behaviors for those two gases. An elimination ratio of 63% in 3 h was achieved for toluene, while it was only 14% for acetone under same conditions. Adsorption to the nanowires appears as the dominant mechanism for the acetone, while photocatalysis is dominant in case of the toluene.

scholarly journals Ventilation Positive Pressure Intervention Effect on IAQ in a School Building with Moisture Problems

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Vornanen-Winqvist ◽  
Kati Järvi ◽  
Sander Toomla ◽  
Kaiser Ahmed ◽  
Maria A. Andersson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Positive Pressure ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Microbiological Agents ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds

This case study investigates the effects of ventilation intervention on measured and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) in a repaired school where occupants reported IAQ problems. Occupants&acute; symptoms were suspected to be related to the impurities leaked indoors through the building envelope. The study&rsquo;s aim was to determine whether a positive pressure of 5-7 Pa prevents the infiltration of harmful chemical and microbiological agents from structures, thus decreasing symptoms and discomfort. Ventilation intervention was conducted in a building section comprising 12 classrooms and was completed with IAQ measurements and occupants&acute; questionnaires. After intervention, the concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decreased, and occupants&acute; negative perceptions became more moderate compared to those for other parts of the building. The indoor mycobiota differed in species composition from the outdoor mycobiota, and changed remarkably with the intervention, indicating that some species may have emanated from an indoor source before the intervention.

scholarly journals Determination of VOCs in the Indoor Air of a New and a Renovated Apartment

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Meciarova ◽  
Silvia Vilcekova
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Uv Lamp ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Flooring Materials ◽  
Qualitative Determination

Abstract This study deals with the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the indoor environment of a new and a renovated apartment. Qualitative determination of VOCs was carried out with a gas chromatograph with surface acoustic wave detector (GC/SAW). Concentrations of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were determined by a photoionization detector with UV lamp. Simultaneously, temperature and relative humidity were monitored with a data logger. The aim of this study was to determine of TVOC concentrations, to use of GC/SAW for determination of individual VOCs in indoor air as well as to predict possible sources of VOCs in these apartments. Measurements were performed after each construction work for better resolution of the contributions of individual materials to the levels of VOC. Mean concentrations of TVOC were 624 μg/m3 in the renovated apartment and 1,686 μg/m3 in the new apartment after completion of all works. The results from the renovated apartment showed that the use of new materials can lead to lower levels of organic compounds in indoor air compared to old materials that were less environmentally friendly. Many types of VOCs were found in both apartments. After reviewing the possible sources, it seems that the main sources of these substances were applied coatings and flooring materials.

scholarly journals Measurements of Indoor Air Pollutant Levels in a University Office Building

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
João F.P Gomes ◽  
J. C. M Bordado ◽  
Georgina Sarmento ◽  
José Dias
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Organic Species ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Specific Individual ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

This work consisted of a series of determinations performed in typical rooms of a building belonging to the Technical University of Lisbon, which is located in a central urban area of Lisbon. The main objective was to evaluate the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of the rooms so that further corrective measures could be taken if unsatisfactory IAQ levels were to be found. Correlations were derived, between indoor and outdoor pollutant concentrations, in order to assess the existence of contaminations coming from outside. Also, correlations were derived between total volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentrations and specific individual organic species measured in the same room. The methodology recorded in this paper is effective to assess compliance analysis of total VOCs, however, it seems somewhat limited to determine specific individual chemical species responsible for obtaining high total VOC concentrations.

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