Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds in Wooden Furniture by Environmental Chambers

In the processing and production of wooden furniture, the use of adhesives, paints, etc., makes it unavoidable that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde and benzene are present in wooden furniture materials. When placed in a room, it will affect the indoor air quality and endanger the user's health.

Environmental Chamber Method

At present, the detection methods of formaldehyde and VOCs in building materials and furniture are generally sent to the laboratory and tested by the environmental chamber. The environmental chamber can better simulate the actual use environment of the samples, and the release of formaldehyde and VOCs in the climate chamber of the sample is close to the normal emission rate and regularity of the sample, and the test results are more consistent with the actual release status of the samples. Therefore, using the climate chamber method to detect the actual VOCs release of furniture has become the main test method of building materials and furniture in the laboratory.

Main Testing Standards

The testing standards for the furniture by environmental chamber are as follows:

• ASTM D6670 -2013: Standard Practice for Full-Scale Chamber Determination of Volatile Organic Emissions from Indoor Materials/Products

• ANSI/BIFMAM 7.1: Standard Test Method for Determining VOC Emissions from Office Furniture System, Components, and Seating

• ANSI/BIFMA X 7.1: Standard for Formaldehyde & TVOC Emissions of Low-emitting Office Furniture and Seating

• EN 13419 -1 -2002: Building products. Determination of the Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds. Emission Test Chamber Method

• ISO 16000 -9 -2006: Indoor air — Part 9: Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds from building products and furnishing — Emission test chamber method

• ASTM D7911 -14: Standard Guide For Using Reference Material To Characterize Measurement Bias Associated With Volatile Organic Compound Emission Chamber Test

• ASTM D5116 - 17: Standard Guide for Small-Scale Environmental Chamber Determinations of Organic Emissions from Indoor Materials/Products

• ASTM D7706 - 17: Standard Practice for Rapid Screening of VOC Emissions from Products Using Micro-Scale Chambers

Sources and Components of VOCs in Wooden Furniture

VOCs in wooden furniture come from various raw and auxiliary materials and chemical reaction residues. The raw and auxiliary materials for wooden furniture include wood, wood-based panels, coatings, and adhesives. Different species of wood have their own volatile substances, so different woods have different odors.

The following table lists the main VOCs components of wood commonly used in wooden furniture:

More aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, alkanes, terpenes and alcohols were detected in wood-based panels, and benzene series (toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, benzene) were detected frequently. The film-forming substance (paint film coating) formed by each component of the coating through chemical reaction is a protective layer on the surface of furniture. Solvents in coatings participate in chemical reactions during film formation. Most solvents evaporate after the film is cured, but the release of residual VOCs in the coating is a long-term process. The release time of VOCs is related to the type of coating, drying method of coating, ambient temperature, humidity and other factors, which is also the reason for the so-called "paint smell" of wooden furniture for a long time, and is the main source of VOCs in furniture. The adhesive layer is formed after the adhesive is cured, and there is a little residual volatile organic matter in the adhesive layer.

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