scholarly journals Assessment of Indoor Microbiological Air Contamination in Research Facility at University of Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sytty Mazian Mazlan ◽  
Ainon Hamzah ◽  
Wan Syaidatul Aqma Wan Mohd Noor ◽  
Azlan Abas
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Micrococcus Luteus ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Bacillus Sphaericus ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Air Contamination

Abstract Indoor air quality is a concept that applies to the nature of the environment in and around buildings and facilities in which it contributes to the safety and security of those in the house. The aim of this study was to identify bacterial and fungal species present in the room, determine indoor air quality and investigate consumer views on indoor air quality in the Biology Building, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, National University of Malaysia. This study was conducted at the Biology Building at 8 selected sampling sites. Microbes were sampled using nutrient agar (bacteria) and potato dextrose agar (fungus). All samples of microbes were classified using two approaches; i) morphological examination and ii) biochemical reaction experiments. CO2, temperature and relative humidity are registered using the Direct Sense Monitoring Kit. A survey on customer satisfaction with indoor air quality in the building was carried out and evaluated in order to collect empirical details. This study found that the presence of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus laterosporus, Bacillus sphaericus, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas fluarescens, Pseudomonas stuzeri and Aeromonas hydrophila bacterial. The fungi species are Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus nidulans, Penicillium digitatum and Fusarium dimerum. The result also shows that the carbon dioxide, temperature and relative humidity concentrations for most sampling stations comply with the DOSH standards. Moreover, almost all participants reported that their level of health and comfort while in the building is good, while the ventilation system of the building is at a comfortable level. Whereas, the degree of knowledge for most respondents on the value of indoor air quality is high. Two of the recommendations included in this study to enhance indoor air quality are to insure that the air conditioning device is correctly controlled and to raise understanding of the value of indoor air quality among staff and students in the Biology Building.

scholarly journals Indoor air quality of newly built low-energy preschools – Are chemical emissions reduced in houses with eco-labelled building materials?

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefin Persson ◽  
Thanh Wang ◽  
Jessika Hagberg
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Low Energy Buildings

The use of an airtight frame in low-energy buildings could increase the risk of health-related problems, such as allergies and sick building syndromes (SBS), associated with chemical emissions from building materials, especially if the ventilation system is not functioning properly. In this study, the indoor air quality (IAQ) was investigated in newly built low-energy and conventional preschools by monitoring the indoor air temperature, relative humidity, particle-size distribution and levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC). The thermal comfort was satisfactory in all preschools, with average indoor air temperature and a relative humidity at 21.4°C and 36%, respectively. The highest levels of TVOC (range: 130–1650 µg/m3 toluene equivalents) and formaldehyde (range: 1.9–28.8 µg/m3) occurred during the first sampling period associated with strong emissions from building materials. However, those preschools constructed with environmental friendly building materials (such as Swan Eco-label) had lower initial TVOC levels compared to those preschools constructed with conventional building materials. The IAQ and indoor chemical emissions were also strongly dependent on the functioning of the ventilation system. Preliminary risk assessment indicated that exposure to acrolein and crotonaldehyde might lead to respiratory-tract irritation among occupants.

Numerical and Experimental Modeling of Indoor Air Quality Inside a Conditioned Space with Mechanical Ventilation and DX-Air Conditioner

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (9A) ◽  
pp. 1257-1275
Author(s):  
Wisam M. Mareed ◽  
Hasanen M. Hussen
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Airflow Rate ◽  
Air Conditioner ◽  
Breathing Zone ◽  
Lecture Room ◽  
Ventilation Performance

 Elevated CO2 rates in a building affect the health of the occupant. This paper deals with an experimental and numerical analysis conducted in a full-scale test room located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology. The experiments and CFD were conducted for analyzing ventilation performance. It is a study on the effect of the discharge airflow rate of the ceiling type air-conditioner on ventilation performance in the lecture room with the mixing ventilation. Most obtained findings show that database and questionnaires analyzed prefer heights between 0.2 m to 1.2 m in the middle of an occupied zone and breathing zone height of between 0.75 m to 1.8 given in the literature surveyed. It is noticed the mismatch of internal conditions with thermal comfort, and indoor air quality recommended by [ASHRAE Standard 62, ANSI / ASHRAE Standard 55-2010]. CFD simulations have been carried to provide insights on the indoor air quality and comfort conditions throughout the classroom. Particle concentrations, thermal conditions, and modified ventilation system solutions are reported.

Computational Modeling of Particulate Pollutant Transport in a Ventilated Room in the Presence of Two Heated Breathing and Rotating Manikins

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Ali Keshavarz ◽  
Mazyar Salmanzadeh ◽  
Goodarz Ahmadi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Rotational Motion ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Thermal Plume ◽  
Displacement Ventilation ◽  
Simulation Results

Recently, attention has been given to indoor air quality due to its serious health concerns. Clearly the dispersion of pollutant is directly affected by the airflow patterns. The airflow in indoor environment is the results of a combination of several factors. In the present study, the effects of thermal plume and respiration on the indoor air quality in a ventilated cubicle were investigated using an unsteady computational modeling approach. The person-to-person contaminant transports in a ventilated room with mixing and displacement ventilation systems were studied. The effects of rotational motion of the heated manikins were also analyzed. Simulation results showed that in the cases which rotational motion was included, the human thermal plume and associated particle transport were significantly distorted. The distortion was more noticeable for the displacement ventilation system. Also it was found that the displacement ventilation system lowered the risk of person-to-person transmission in an office space in comparison with the mixing ventilation system. On the other hand the mixing system was shown to be more effective compared to the displacement ventilation in removing the particles and pollutant that entered the room through the inlet air diffuser.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): Accuracy of Natural Ventilation for Temperature, Air Flow Rate and Relative Humidity (RH) in School Building Classrooms

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.9) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Norsafiah Norazman ◽  
Adi Irfan Che Ani ◽  
Nor Haslina Ja’afar ◽  
Muhamad Azry Khoiry
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
The Hours ◽  
Hot Weather

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is an essential matter in achieving students’ satisfaction for the learning process. Building’s orientation is a factor that may encourage sufficient natural ventilation for the classroom occupants. Inadequate ventilation is an issue for most existing classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of natural ventilation in classrooms. Therefore, experimental on 20 classrooms has been conducted by using Multipurpose Meter at secondary school buildings in Malaysia. The findings indicated that the accuracy of natural ventilation testing was below the permissible limits throughout the hours monitored, thus this may cause potential health hazards to the students. Temperature and air flow rates were lower than 23 °C and 0.15 m/s respectively, it fulfilled the basic requirements as a standard learning environment. However, measurements taken showed the overall relative humidity (RH) in the classrooms can be categorized as acceptable with 40% to 70% range. On the basis of these findings, it is evident that naturally ventilated classrooms are important especially due to energy efficiency, whereas mechanical ventilation should only be installed as an alternative under extremely hot weather conditions.   

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality Real-Time Monitoring in Airport Terminal Areas: An Opportunity for Sustainable Management of Micro-Climatic Parameters

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 3798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Zanni ◽  
Francesco Lalli ◽  
Eleonora Foschi ◽  
Alessandra Bonoli ◽  
Luca Mantecchini
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Electronic Monitoring ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Real Time Monitoring ◽  
Airport Terminal ◽  
Air Ventilation ◽  
Gaseous Contaminants

Indoor air quality (IAQ) management in public spaces is assuming a remarkable importance. Busy environments, like airport terminals, are currently regarded as possible hotspots and IAQ is a crucial element for passengers and staff protection, as well as a key aspect of airport passenger experience. A one-month monitoring period has been performed on IAQ in the airport of Bologna (Italy), as prototypal example of large regional airport. Four strategic areas within the airport have been equipped with electronic monitoring platforms, including different contaminants and two microclimatic sensors. Data suggest that daily variation in IAQ parameters typically follow the activity pattern of the different environments under study (i.e., passengers’ flows) for gaseous contaminants, where particulate matter counts oscillate in a definite range, with a significant role played by ventilation system. Gaseous contaminants show a correlation between indoor and outdoor concentrations, mainly due to airside activities. Micro-climatic comfort parameters have been tested to match with standards for commercial environments. As results appears in line with typical households IAQ values, the current air ventilation system appears to be adequate. Nevertheless, an integrated air management system, based on real-time monitoring, would lead to optimization and improvement in environmental and economical sustainability.

Modeling the Applicability of a Displacement Ventilation System

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-89
Author(s):  
Edgar C. Ambos ◽  
Evan Neil V. Ambos ◽  
Lanndon A. Ocampo
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Heat Load ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Airflow Rate ◽  
Displacement Ventilation ◽  
Tropical Country

Due to its significant role in improving indoor air quality, displacement ventilation system is widely adopted in current literature. This paper proposes a displacement ventilation system for room conditions with ceilings that are relatively low, internal heat load could be high, walls could be sunlit, and occupants doing the low physical activity. These conditions are prevalent in the Philippines, being a tropical country. Input parameters to the design process such as heat load, the height of the ceiling, comfort, and indoor air quality requirements were generated, and the main output parameters are the stratification height and ventilation airflow rate. To demonstrate the proposed displacement ventilation system, four cases were generated. Results show that the ventilation airflow rates obtained from the four cases were greater than the minimum outdoor air requirements for health in conference rooms and large assembly areas which are 17.5 and 3.5 liters/sec*person respectively, for smoking and no smoking rooms.

scholarly journals Operation Testing of an Advanced Personalized Ventilation System

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csáky ◽  
Kalmár ◽  
Kalmár
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Noise Level ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Air Distribution ◽  
Personalized Ventilation

Using personalized ventilation systems in office buildings, important energy saving might be obtained, which may improve the indoor air quality and thermal comfort sensation of occupants at the same time. In this paper, the operation testing results of an advanced personalized ventilation system are presented. Eleven different air terminal devices were analyzed. Based on the obtained air velocities and turbulence intensities, one was chosen to perform thermal comfort experiments with subjects. It was shown that, in the case of elevated indoor temperatures, the thermal comfort sensation can be improved considerably. A series of measurements were carried out in order to determine the background noise level and the noise generated by the personalized ventilation system. It was shown that further developments of the air distribution system are needed.

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