Abstract

The qualitative and quantitative composition of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted from furnishings from solid wood and all kinds of wood derivative materials depends on many factors, of which the most important is the wood species. The intraspecies and interspecies differences in VOC emission result from the differences in the chemical composition and anatomical structure of heartwood and sapwood of different species. VOC composition analysis was performed separately for heartwood and sapwood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) trees. The studies were conducted in a glass climatic chamber of 0.025 m3, equipped with a system for the monitoring and control of climatic conditions. Samples of air for analyses were collected after 3, 7, 14 and 28 days of exposure. The results provided evidence for interspecies and intraspecies differences in the qualitative and quantitative compositions of VOC. The concentration of total VOC (TVOC) released from heartwood of Scots pine was higher than that released from sapwood. For European larch and Norway spruce, the opposite relations were observed. The VOC emission from Scots pine heartwood was about 17 times higher than the emission from European larch and Norway spruce heartwood. The differences in TVOC emitted from the sapwood of samples from different species were smaller. For each of the species, the highest percentage contribution to TVOC was made by terpenes. The second highest percentage contribution in TVOC was made by compounds containing a carbonyl group, mainly aldehydes, while aromatic compounds made the third highest contribution.

Highlights

  • Indoor air contains a broad spectrum of various pollutants, which have a significant influence on the comfort and health of people staying indoors [1,2,3,4,5]

  • The concentration of total volatile organic compounds (VOC) (TVOC) released from heartwood of Scots pine was higher than that released from sapwood

  • During the exposure of the samples in a test chamber, the VOC emissions differed in terms of quantity and quality between the studied species and within them

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Summary

Introduction

Indoor air contains a broad spectrum of various pollutants, which have a significant influence on the comfort and health of people staying indoors [1,2,3,4,5]. The low quality of indoor air is due to, inter alia, the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from wooden elements of indoor furnishings [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]. These compounds account for 60% of all substances polluting the atmosphere and. Wood is a basic material for the production of furniture, floors, stairs and many other elements of furnishing. The quality and quantity composition of VOC released from wood products depends on many factors, but wood

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