Volatile Organic Compound Adsorption-Desorption properties in Various Materials
Date
8-12-2020 1:30 PM
Abstract
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are the primary pollutants in indoor air, which has become a growing concern in the community. VOCs volatilize into the air from a variety of sources including construction materials, cleaning products, and cooking ingredients. Studies have shown that the effect of VOCs on indoor air quality may impose severe risks on human health and the environment due to the toxicity of these compounds. VOCs exist within large surface areas in indoor environments. These surfaces interact with organic compounds and the present in indoor air in ways that remain uncharacteristic. Thus, understanding interactions between organic compounds and indoor surfaces is necessary to inform human exposure to indoor air pollution. Water vapor is present in every indoor environment, and the amount of sorbed water present in common indoor surfaces is not well-characterized. It is assumed that water vapor plays an important role in governing sorption of organic species to surfaces. Understanding partitioning of organic compounds surfaces, the research purpose is to investigate water vapor adsorption behavior of several materials common to indoor environments and measure the pH of the water present that is present in sorbed materials. A diffusion system connecting a temperature sensor, a relative humidity (RH) sensor, and a proton transfer reactionmass spectrometer will be used to investigate the adsorption and desorption properties of monoterpene compounds.
Biographies
Franklyn Santos
Major: Civil Engineering
Franklyn Santos is an undergraduate majoring in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering. He is part of the Green Building Research Lab at the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer science at Portland State University. He is a McNair and BUILD EXITO Scholar. He is dedicated to studying built environments and how they affect indoor and urban environmental quality. He is also interested in developing environmental solutions to solve environmental problems that we face in today’s society. He is committed to protecting natural resources and the natural beauty of nature for future generations. He is planning to pursue a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering after he graduates from Portland State University, and perhaps a PhD after that.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elliot Gall
Dr. Elliott Gall is an assistant professor at Portland State University in the department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Dr. Gall's research and teaching seeks to improve the sustainability of the built environment through an understanding of the intersection of indoor air quality, urban air pollution, and human exposure to air pollutants. Research areas include: i) laboratory and field studies of air pollutant transport and transformation, ii) air pollution exposure assessment through modeling and personal exposure studies, and iii) evaluation of building technology and design with respect to indoor environmental quality. Active research includes application of chemical ionization – time of flight – mass spectrometry to the study of indoor environments. A current focus is measurement of source, sink, and transformation processes from traffic related air pollution, indoor materials, and air-cleaning systems. Previously, Dr. Gall received a B.S.E in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida, an M.S. degree in Environmental & Water Resources Engineering from the University of Texas, and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas. From 2013 to 2016, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Singapore as part of a joint research program between UC Berkeley, NUS, and NTU, where he studied the indoor air quality of buildings in tropical climates. He has authored or co-authored over thirty peer-reviewed journal publications. Dr. Gall was acknowledged with the 2018 Yaglou Award from the International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate for his work on indoor ozone chemistry. His work at Portland State has been featured in local and national media, including The Atlantic, National Geographic, The Seattle Times, the Willamette Week, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and he has been interviewed on the nationally syndicated Top of Mind radio program.
Disciplines
Engineering | Materials Science and Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33591
Volatile Organic Compound Adsorption-Desorption properties in Various Materials
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are the primary pollutants in indoor air, which has become a growing concern in the community. VOCs volatilize into the air from a variety of sources including construction materials, cleaning products, and cooking ingredients. Studies have shown that the effect of VOCs on indoor air quality may impose severe risks on human health and the environment due to the toxicity of these compounds. VOCs exist within large surface areas in indoor environments. These surfaces interact with organic compounds and the present in indoor air in ways that remain uncharacteristic. Thus, understanding interactions between organic compounds and indoor surfaces is necessary to inform human exposure to indoor air pollution. Water vapor is present in every indoor environment, and the amount of sorbed water present in common indoor surfaces is not well-characterized. It is assumed that water vapor plays an important role in governing sorption of organic species to surfaces. Understanding partitioning of organic compounds surfaces, the research purpose is to investigate water vapor adsorption behavior of several materials common to indoor environments and measure the pH of the water present that is present in sorbed materials. A diffusion system connecting a temperature sensor, a relative humidity (RH) sensor, and a proton transfer reactionmass spectrometer will be used to investigate the adsorption and desorption properties of monoterpene compounds.