Mathematical Model of VOCs Emission in Three-layer Building Materials

A simple mathematical model is proposed to account for emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from three-layer building materials. The model considers both the diffusion within three layer building materials and the mass transfer resistance through the air boundary layer. A general solution method based on Laplace transform is presented. Compared to other models capable of accounting for emissions of VOCs from multi layer building materials, the present model is fully analytical instead of being numerical. The present model was validated by the experimental data from the specially designed test. The results indicated that there was a good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental data. It can also be seen from calculation that model ignoring the boundary layer resistance cannot fully reflect the real situation.