The biofiltration of indoor air: implications for air quality

An alternative method of maintaining indoor air quality may be through the biofiltration of air recirculating within the structure rather than the traditional approach of ventilation. This approach is currently being investigated. Prior to its acceptance for dealing with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO2, efforts were made to determine whether the incorporation of this amount of biomass into the indoor space can have an (negative) impact on indoor air quality. A relatively large ecologically complex biofilter composed of a ca. 10 m2 bioscrubber, 30 m2 of plantings and a 3,500 litre aquarium were established in a 160 m2 'airtight' room in a recently constructed office building in downtown Toronto. This space maintained ca. 0.2 air changes per hour (ACH) compared to the 15 to 20 ACH (with a 30% refresh rate) of other spaces in the same building. Air quality parameters of concern were total VOCs (TVOCs), formaldehyde and aerial spore counts. TVOC and formaldehyde levels in the biofilter room were the same or significantly less than other spaces in the building despite a much slower refresh rate. Aerial spore levels were slightly higher than other indoor spaces but were well within reported values for 'healthy' indoor spaces. Levels appeared to be dependent on horticultural management practices within the space. Most genera of fungal spores present were common indoors and the other genera were associated with living or dead plant material or soil. From these results, the incorporation of a large amount of biomass associated with indoor biofilters does not in itself lower indoor air quality.     

The effect of structures on indoor humidity--possibility to improve comfort and perceived air quality

The research presented in this paper shows that moisture transfer between indoor air and hygroscopic building structures can generally improve indoor humidity conditions. This is important because the literature shows that indoor humidity has a significant effect on occupant comfort, perceived air quality (PAQ), occupant health, building durability, material emissions, and energy consumption. Therefore, it appears possible to improve the quality of life of occupants when appropriately applying hygroscopic wood-based materials. The paper concentrates on the numerical investigation of a bedroom in a wooden building located in four European countries (Finland, Belgium, Germany, and Italy). The results show that moisture transfer between indoor air and the hygroscopic structure significantly reduces the peak indoor humidity. Based on correlations from the literature, which quantify the effect of temperature and humidity on comfort and PAQ for sedentary adults, hygroscopic structures can improve indoor comfort and air quality. In all the investigated climates, it is possible to improve the indoor conditions such that, as many as 10 more people of 100 are satisfied with the thermal comfort conditions (warm respiratory comfort) at the end of occupation. Similarly, the percent dissatisfied with PAQ can be 25% lower in the morning when permeable and hygroscopic structures are applied.     

What is IAQ?

In spaces for human occupancy indoor air quality (IAQ) is often defined as the extent to which human requirements are met. But what requirements do people have in relation to indoor air? The desire is that the air be perceived as fresh and pleasant, that it has no negative impact on their health, and that the air is stimulating and promotes their work, i.e. it increases their productivity and the learning of their children in the classroom at school. Present ventilation standards and guidelines do not care about productivity and learning and have the very modest requirement that the indoor air shall be 'acceptable,' meaning that the most sensitive group of persons (usually 20%) perceive the air as unacceptable while the remaining less sensitive persons may find the air barely acceptable. With such a modest aim it is not surprising that comprehensive field studies in many countries in buildings in which ventilation standards are met show high percentages of dissatisfied persons and of those suffering from sick building syndrome symptoms. Recent studies show that improvement of IAQ by a factor of 2-7 compared with existing standards increases office productivity and school learning significantly, while decreasing the risk of allergic symptoms and asthma in homes. To make indoor air acceptable, even for the most sensitive persons, an improvement of 1-2 orders of magnitude may be required. The paper will discuss the development of new methods that can provide such substantial improvements of IAQ while maintaining or even decreasing ventilation and energy usage. A paradigm shift is required and further future shifts are foreseen where we learn how to make indoor air equally fresh and pleasant as outdoors when it is best. Or even better, i.e. 'out of this world.' PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The paper estimates an enormous potential for improving IAQ in practice utilizing new emerging technologies. This will enable us to provide IAQ which is acceptable even for the most sensitive persons. Already modest improvements compared to present minimum standards and typical conditions in practice can significantly decrease the risk of asthma/allergy in homes, improve learning in schools and increase productivity.     

Personal exposures to volatile organic compounds among outdoor and indoor workers in two Mexican cities

There are limited data on exposures to ambient air toxics experienced by inhabitants of urban areas in developing countries that have high levels of outdoor air pollution. In particular, little is known about exposures experienced by individuals working outdoors - typically as part of the informal sector of the economy - as compared to workers in office-type environments that approach the indoor air quality conditions of the more developed countries. The objective of this study is to explore these differences in personal exposures using a convenience sample of 68 outdoor and indoor workers living in Mexico City (higher outdoor air pollution) and Puebla (lower outdoor air pollution), Mexico. Occupational and non-occupational exposures to airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored during a 2 day period, monitoring 2 consecutives occupational and non-occupational periods, using organic vapor monitors (OVMs). Socio-demographic and personal time-location-activity information were collected by means of questionnaires and activity logs. Outdoor workers experienced significantly higher exposures to most VOCs compared to indoor workers in each of these cities. The outdoor workers in Mexico City had the highest exposures both during- and off-work, with maximum occupational exposures for toluene, MTBE, n-pentane, and d-limonene exceeding 1 mg/m(3). The inter-city pattern of exposures between the outdoor workers is consistent with the higher outdoor air pollution levels in Mexico City, and is above exposures reported for urban areas of the more developed countries. Results from this study suggest that elevated outdoor air pollution concentrations have a larger impact on outdoor workers' personal exposures compared to the contribution from indoor pollution sources. This contrasts with the more dominant role of indoor air VOC contributions to personal exposures typically reported for urban populations of the more developed countries.     

New indoor environment chambers and field experiment offices for research on human comfort,health and productivity at moderate energy expenditure

This article describes three new indoor environment chambers, a new laboratory for the study of air movement in spaces and five offices for controlled environment exposures of human subjects in field experiments at the International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark. Together with three older chambers, the Centre now has at its disposal 12 spaces for studying indoor environments and their impact on human comfort, health, productivity at moderate energy demands.     

常用电器对室内空气品质的影响

针对常用电器对室内空气品质的危害,分析了常用电器对室内空气品质的影响,提出了改善常用电器对室内空气品质影响的措施,有助于增加人们对常用电器与室内空气品质关系的认识,以帮助人们更好地保护室内空气品质。     

Methods to reduce the CO2 concentration of educational buildings utilizing internal ventilation by transferred air

The aim of this study is to develop internal ventilation by transferred air to achieve a good indoor climate with low energy consumption in educational buildings with constant air volume (CAV) ventilation. Both measurements of CO₂ concentration and a multi‐room calculation model are presented. The study analyzes how to use more efficiently the available spaces and the capacity of CAV ventilation systems in existing buildings and the impact this has on the indoor air quality and the energy consumption of the ventilation. The temperature differences can be used to create natural ventilation airflows between neighboring spaces. The behavior of temperature‐driven airflows between rooms was studied and included in the calculation model. The effect of openings between neighboring spaces, such as doors or large apertures in the walls, on the CO₂ concentration was studied in different classrooms. The air temperatures and CO₂ concentrations were measured using a wireless, internet‐based measurement system. The multi‐room calculation model predicted the CO₂ concentration in the rooms, which was then compared with the measured ones. Using transferred air between occupied and unoccupied spaces can noticeably reduce the total mechanical ventilation rates needed to keep a low CO₂ concentration.     

Indoor air environment of residential buildings in Dalian,China

In recent years, more and more people have started to recognize the importance of indoor air environment. In order to obtain the comprehensive knowledge about the indoor environment situation and find out the main source of indoor air pollution, 550 residents living in different buildings/apartments were subjected to a questionnaire survey and field measurements were conducted in 30 of these buildings/apartments in Dalian from January to February 2002. From the questionnaire survey and field measurements, we found that many residential buildings had good outdoor surroundings. Dust and automobile emissions are main sources of outdoor air pollution. Though air tightness of these buildings is fairly good, outdoor air quality still has great impact on indoor air environment. The most serious indoor air pollutant is formaldehyde which is mainly caused by decoration.     

The influence of the concealed pollution sources upon the indoor air quality in houses

This report presents the results of investigations on the indoor air quality of common Japanese detached houses. It is necessary to control the emission rates from the interior materials and the ventilation rates to keep indoor concentration of VOC enough low. And it is also necessary to consider the influence of the pollution sources in the concealed spaces for better indoor air quality in some kinds of building structures and some kinds of ventilation systems. In this study the influences of the concealed pollution sources upon the indoor concentrations of pollutants were investigated using three detached houses with four ventilation systems and the following results were obtained. When the ventilation system was changed from the air-supply type to the air-exhaust type, the indoor concentrations of formaldehyde increased. The infiltration ratios: the ratios of the infiltration rate to the indoor space toward the emission rate of a pollutant in the concealed space were measured using the tracer-gas method. The ratios from the beam spaces and the partition were about 100% in most cases. The ratios from the crawl space under the first floor and the truss space under the roof were lower than those from the beam space and partitions in most cases, because those spaces have ventilation openings. But the ratio from the crawl space reached about 100% in the house without ventilation openings at the crawl space. And even in the house with ventilation openings at crawl space, the ratio reached 50% in the house with the exhaust-ventilation system. Therefore, it became clear that the use of the medicine to prevent the deterioration of the wooden structure and the white ants in the crawl spaces must be limited. The ratio from the envelope wall was changed with the pressure difference between inside and outside. These results showed that it is necessary to prevent infiltration from the concealed spaces and to control the emission rate from the concealed pollution sources.     

Evaluation of simplified ventilation system with direct air supply through the facade in a school in a cold climate

Many educational buildings in industrialised countries have poor indoor climate, according to today’s knowledge about the impact of indoor climate on well-being and productivity. Budget restrictions and practical limitations such as lack of space for central air handling units and ventilation ducts, have motivated the application of simplified ventilation systems in some schools, such as taking unconditioned supply air directly from the facade. One such school was recently evaluated in Norway.On cold days, thermal comfort in the classroom deteriorated due to cold downdraught from the supply outlet. In addition, moist and fertile conditions for microbiological growth were observed in the air supply ductwork. On the other hand the same pupils are more satisfied with the school and have less sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms during winter than summer. An improved control strategy with a temperature-compensated CO₂ set-point for controlling the airflow is suggested. This could improve thermal comfort and reduce energy use without compromising perceived air quality (PAQ) during cold weather. Furthermore it could improve indoor air quality (IAQ) during warm weather with only a slight increase of energy use. Further evaluation of an improved solution is needed before such a ventilation concept can be recommended in cold climates.     

办公楼的室内空气品质与新风

根据对上海市区7幢甲级办公楼的室内空气品质和新风量的现场测试结果，试图分析办公楼的室内空气品质和新风量的关系，以及室外空气品质对室内空气品质的影响。     

Categories of indoor environmental quality and building energy demand for heating and cooling

Maintaining suitable indoor climate conditions is a need for the occupants’ well being, while requiring very strictly thermal comfort conditions and very high levels of indoor air quality in buildings represents also a high expense of energy, with its consequence in terms of environmental impact and cost. In fact, it is well known that the indoor environmental quality (IEQ), considering both thermal and indoor air quality aspects, has a primary impact not only on the perceived human comfort, but also on the building energy consumption. This issue is clearly expressed by the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2002/92/EC, together with the most recent 2010/31/EU, which underlines that the expression of a judgment about the energy consumption of a building should be always joint with the corresponding indoor environmental quality level required by occupants. To this aim, the concept of indoor environment categories has been introduced in the EN 15251 standard. These categories range from I to III, where category I refers to the highest level of indoor climate requirement. In the challenge of reducing the environmental impact for air conditioning in buildings, it is essential that IEQ requirements are relaxed in order to widen the variations of the temperature ranges and ventilation air flow rates. In this paper, by means of building energy simulation, the heating and cooling energy demand are calculated for a mechanically controlled office building where different indoor environmental quality levels are required, ranging from category I to category III of EN 15251. The building is located in different European cities (Moscow, Torino and Athens), characterized by significantly different wheatear conditions. The mutual relation between heating and cooling energy demand and the required levels of IEQ is highlighted. The simulations are performed on a typical office room which is adopted as a reference in validation tests of the European Standard EN 15265 to validate calculation procedures of energy use for space heating and cooling.     

The ventilation of multiple-bed hospital wards in the tropics: A review

Hospital and healthcare facilities have diverse indoor environment due to the different comfort and health needs of its occupants. Currently, most ventilation studies revolve around specialised areas such as operating rooms and isolation rooms. This paper focuses on the ventilation of multiple-bed hospital wards in the tropical climate, taking into account the design, indoor conditions and engineering controls. General ward layouts are described briefly. The required indoor conditions such as temperature, humidity, air movements and indoor air quality in the ward spaces are summarized based on the current guidelines and practices. Also, recent studies and engineering practices in the hospital indoor environment are elaborated. Usage of computational fluid dynamics tools for the ventilation studies is discussed as well. As identified during the review, there is an apparent knowledge gap for ventilation studies in the tropics compared with temperate climates, as fact studies have only been published for hospital wards in countries with a temperate climate. Therefore, it is highlighted that specific tropical studies along with novel engineering controls are required in addressing the ventilation requirements for the tropics.     

Housing quality as environmental inequality: the case of Wallonia,Belgium

First in the USA and then in many other countries, scholarship on environmental inequality has sought to shed light on the unequal environmental conditions borne by poor people and ethnic minorities, and to challenge public policies and their unjust impacts on those target groups. Housing quality, especially the indoor characteristics of homes, offers an innovative perspective in this field of research. In previous research on environmental inequality in the Walloon context, housing quality has been proven to be a major determinant of quality of life and environmental well-being. This paper analyses housing quality through a twofold approach: indoor characteristics on the one hand, and outdoor subjective and objective externalities on the other. It reveals the disparities between the most deprived and the wealthiest segments of the population. The evidence for this study is based on a housing quality survey carried out in 2012 and 2013 on 6018 households in Wallonia (Belgium). The key findings are that poor people are found to live in housing of lower quality, in densely populated neighbourhoods and those with mixed use, with compensating amenities provided at the local level. Moreover, consistent with environmental inequality scholarship, deprived households are found to bear the burden of environmental degradation outside the home. People live in areas with poorer air quality, but are found to benefit from greater access to green spaces. The results of the survey reveal an interesting point concerning the environmental inequality literature; the interior features of housing are found to differ more widely between deprived and wealthier people than the surrounding environment does.     

A numerical investigation of the potential effects of e-cigarette smoking on local tissue dosimetry and the deterioration of indoor air quality

Electronic (e)-cigarette smoking is considered to be less harmful than traditional tobacco smoking because of the lack of a combustion process. However, e-cigarettes have the potential to release harmful chemicals depending on the constituents of the vapor. To date, there has been significant evidence on the adverse health effects of e-cigarette usage. However, what is less known are the impacts of the chemicals contained in exhaled air from an e-cigarette smoker on indoor air quality, the second-hand passive smoking of residents, and the toxicity of the exhaled air. In this study, we develop a comprehensive numerical model and computer-simulated person to investigate the potential effects of e-cigarette smoking on local tissue dosimetry and the deterioration of indoor air quality. We also conducted demonstrative numerical analyses for first-hand and second-hand e-cigarette smoking in an indoor environment. To investigate local tissue dosimetry, we used newly developed physiologically based pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic models that reproduce inhalation exposure by way of the respiratory tract and dermal exposure through the human skin surface. These models were integrated into the computer-simulated person. Our numerical simulation results quantitatively demonstrated the potential impacts of e-cigarette smoking in enclosed spaces on indoor air quality.     

建筑室内空气质量标准研究及修正建议

目前室内空气质量是国际社会关注的热点问题，为了有效地控制室内空气质量，不同国家和地区建立了各自的标准，文章对目前各国室内空气质量标准进行了对比，并对其目的和产生背景、实施方法等进行了阐述，从而论证了《民用建筑工程室内环境污染物控制规范》（GB 50325-2001）在制定后对室内空气质量控制所起的积极意义。     

室内空气中有机污染物处理的研究进展

概述了室内空气污染的类型,全面介绍了目前各种室内空气净化技术及其进展,并分析了各技术的优缺点,提出了今后的研究方向,以解决室内空气的污染问题,从而改善室内空气质量。     

Indoor Air Pollution: A Public Health Perspective

In developed and developing countries, indoor air pollutionis gaining increasing prominence as a public health problem. Time-activity studies and exposure surveys have shown the dominant contributions of indoor environments to population exposures for many pollutants. Mounting epidemiological evidence documents adverse health effects of indoor pollutants and risk assessments indicate that indoor carcinogens may contribute substantially to the population's burden of lung and other cancers. Unacceptable indoor air quality has also been identified as a common cause of symptoms. This paper addresses the public health problem posed by indoor air pollution, offering a schema for categorizing adverse health effects of indoor air pollution, and considers the complexiry of estimating the full scope of the problem     

居住实态对居住建筑供暖空调负荷的影响

家庭结构、生活习惯及经济水平的差异决定了居住实态的多样性。针对多种居住实态,选取重庆地区居住建筑,模拟计算了不同居住实态下冷热负荷特征。影响负荷的主要因素为舒适度、空调使用时间及内扰,舒适度影响最大,空调使用时间次之,内扰最小。     

Ventilation and energy performance of partitioned indoor spaces under mixing and displacement ventilation

Large variation in indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort can occur in partitioned office spaces due to heterogeneous air mixing. However, few published studies examined IAQ, thermal comfort, and energy performance of partitioned occupied spaces, which are commonly found in today’s buildings. The objective of this study is to evaluate indoor environmental quality and air conditioning performance of a partitioned room under two typical ventilation modes: (1) mixing ventilation and (2) displacement ventilation. For a total of six representative air-conditioning scenarios, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed to examine temperature distribution, ventilation effectiveness, energy consumption, and local thermal comfort for two partitioned spaces. Simulation results indicate that temperature distribution in a partitioned room is a strong function of ventilation strategy (mixing vs. displacement), but marginally affected by diffuser arrangements. Local age-of-air (air freshness) significantly varies with both diffuser arrangement and ventilation strategy. Regarding energy consumption, displacement ventilation can achieve an indoor set-point temperature in the partitioned spaces about two times faster than mixing ventilation. Under mixing ventilation, the time to achieve a set-point temperature was notably reduced when each partitioned space is served by its own diffuser. For the same supply airflow rate, displacement ventilation can generate local draft risk at ankle level, while mixing ventilation may result in a draft sensation in wider areas around an occupant. Overall, the results suggest that mixing ventilation system can save energy if each partitioned zone is served by its own diffuser such as a multi-split air conditioning. However, when multiple partitioned zones are served by only one diffuser, displacement ventilation is more energy-efficient and can achieve higher ventilation effectiveness than mixing ventilation.