Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds from Wood and Wood-Based Materials 1. Introduction and PurposeThe present project: "Emission of volatile organic compounds from wood, wood-based materials, furniture and interior furnishings" has been carried out for the "Rådet vedrørende genanvendelse og mindre forurenende teknologi" in the period June 1995 - September 1997. In the project an advisory committee was formed consisting of the following members: Committee
Target Group The target group for the present publication is the wood and furniture industry, manufacturers of building interior furnishings, manufacturers of paint, lacquers & foils, projecting and advisory architects and engineers as well as authorities. The end-users are a secondary target group. Emission from Wood The impact of the emission from furniture, interior furnishings and building materials on the indoor air is gaining more and more attention. The emissions from volatile organic compounds have in several cases been decisive for both end-users and professional users’ material selection. It is to be expected that low emission of volatile organic compounds becomes an essential competition parameter a.o. for the export of furniture. Wood and wood-based materials are from nature characterised by containing varying amounts of volatile compounds. This could a.o. be stated by the fact that wood smells. Wood products in use are most frequently a combination of wood and the materials, which have been added, a.o. glues and lacquers. Seen in a wide environmental perspective wood is a superior material, which is a renewable raw material with low extraction costs and can be disposed by combustion. The impact of the wood products on the environment during use (except for the formaldehyde emission) has only been examined and described to a poor extent, even for products manufactured for use indoors. A systematic investigation of emissions from wood and wood-based materials as well as from surface treatments will be essential to avoid that wood and wood-based products will be confronting a new emission problem, which in extent could develop into a similar problem as the formaldehyde emission from former generations of particleboards. Purpose The purpose of the project is therefore to clarify VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions from wood and wood-based products by experimental investigation of selected products within the categories wood, wood-based materials, furniture and interior furnishings. The investigation should provide a detailed knowledge of the exact VOC’s, which are emitted during time, and to identify problems with emission of these volatile substances in relation to the end-user. Potential environmental and health problems of the emissions were analysed toxicologically. Methods for reduction of the emission from wood and additives were evaluated and modification/substitution considerations for reduction of the emission were included. Process The project was divided into 5 phases: 1. Selection and description of the representative materials The project was carried out by a project group consisting of:
The work was carried out in close cooperation between the participants of the project group. All participants have been involved in the theoretical parts of the project. The experimental part (phase 2) was carried out by Organic Analyses Laboratories and Wood Technology, Danish Technological Institute. Reporting The project is furthermore reported in a separate Danish project report, "Emission af flygtige organiske forbindelser fra træ, træbaserede materialer, møbler og inventar", which gives the main results. The English version differs from the Danish report by containing more details regarding evaluation of emission and by more extensive and detailed appendices.
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