Impact of multisource VOC emission on in-vehicle air quality: test chamber simulation

Abstract

Air quality inside vehicle may be strongly influenced by the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOC). The sources of these compounds may be different. In case of new vehicles VOC mainly originate from off-gassing of interior materials, while in used cars exterior pollution, like exhaust gases, starts to dominate. The aim of this work was to check the influence of multiple VOC sources on concentration of volatile organic compounds emitted from car interior parts. For this purpose material emission tests were performed in 1 m3 emission testing chamber (WKE 1000, Weiss, Germany) at 65 °C, 5% RH and with air exchange. Three different car parts were studied: sun visor, headlining, and handbrake lever cover. It was stated that volatile organic compounds concentration inside test chamber during the test performed with three different parts inside was significantly lower than those being result of addition of the results obtained for parts tested separately. Presented results indicate interactions between different materials and their emissions as well as prove that some of materials acts like sorbents.