Abstract
People are the main reason for the deterioration of indoor air quality (IAQ) due to the continuous physiological metabolism processes in their bodies, including respiration. We present results from an investigation of the influence of indoor air temperature on the concentration of exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2). The investigation was preconditioned by previous findings on the effect of air temperature on human metabolism. However, our literature survey showed a lack of studies on the influence of the indoor air temperature on the exhaled CO2 (or metabolic CO2), which leads to the novelty of our results. Our experiments had two phases: measurement in a university classroom with an installed heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system during regular classes and measurement in a specially designed small climate chamber, where the time variations of the CO2 concentrations, together with some physiological parameters, were measured. Two indoor air temperatures were set: 23 °C and 27 °C. The results obtained and their respective analyses show the strong effect of the two air temperatures on the CO2 concentration due to exhalation. In the classroom, the CO2 concentration at 27 °C was higher by 6.2% than at 23 °C. In the climate chamber, the CO2 concentration at 27 °C was higher by 9.6% than at 23 °C. Physiological parameters (oxygen saturation pressure, pulse rate, end-tidal CO2, and respiration rate) and their dependence on the air temperature were also measured in the climate chamber, establishing an effect of the temperature on the pulse rate.
Highlights
Modern society has a strong sensitivity to and understanding of environmental issues in terms of the external environment, where the problems are visible
The trendlines clearly show that the increment in the CO2 concentration in the classroom depends on the time
Our experimental study has found that the decrement in the air temperature in the indoor environment from 27 ◦ C to 23 ◦ C provoked statistically proven decrement in the exhaled CO2 concentration in both the investigated university classroom and climate chamber
Summary
Modern society has a strong sensitivity to and understanding of environmental issues in terms of the external environment, where the problems are visible. People are the main reason for the deterioration of the quality of the indoor environment and, above all, indoor air quality (IAQ) [6,7]. They determine the presence of different pollutants in indoor air with their decisions regarding construction materials, interior products, and building systems: heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical, and water supply. People deteriorate the air quality in the space they occupy (i.e., pollute the indoor air) by their presence due to the continuous physiological processes of metabolism in their bodies [8]
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