Effects of the manufacturing conditions on the VOCs emissions of particleboard

Abstract

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from wood-based panels are hazardous to indoor air quality. Usually, the VOCs are derived from the adhesive, chemical compounds, and wood components. However, there has been little research focusing on the effects of manufacture conditions on the VOC emissions. In this study, the effects of density, thickness, and resin content on total VOC (TVOC) and individual VOCs were investigated by the small chamber method and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The TVOC emission from the particleboard of each manufacturing condition decreased with extended exposure time. The higher density, thickness, and resin content of particleboard at each measured time caused higher concentrations of TVOC emissions. Most of the detected VOCs were aromatics. The esters, aldehydes, and ketones showed a high increasing level with increasing particleboard density, thickness, and resin content. This result indicated that these chemical compounds were most sensitive to changes in manufacturing conditions.