Research Focus
- Develop model-based practical test methods for characterizing the VOC emissions from building materials, furnishings, and office equipments
- Develop advanced mechanistic models for predicting the VOC emissions and transport in materials and systems as well as for extrapolating short-term laboratory test results to long-term emissions in real environments
- Develop similarity theory and correlations between the moisture and VOC transport in porous media
- Develop practical tools for assessing the impact of material emissions and indoor sinks (adsorption/desorption materials) on indoor air quality
- Develop a database of material emissions for use in the CHAMP simulation environment
Our Research Facilities
- Two full-scale environmental chambers for air cleaner testing and evaluation in accordance with ASTM D6670
- Eight small-scale environmental chambers of material emission testing in accordance of ASTM D5116
- Dual-chamber system for measuring VOC diffusion and partition coefficients of building materials
- VOC extraction apparatus for determining the initial VOC contents and composition in material specimens
- Tracer analytical chemistry lab equipment including ATD-GC/MS, ATD-GC/FID, PTR-MS and HPLC
The Research Team
- Dr. Jensen Zhang (Team Leader)
- Ms. Beverly Guo
- Dr. Kwanghoon Han
Other active collaborating faculty and researchers:
- Dr. Jiping Zhu, Health Canada
- Dr. Yinping Zhang, Professor, Department of Building Science and Technology, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University
- Dr. Ying Xu, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. John Little, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Active Projects
- Emission database – development of a comprehensive VOC emission database
- Emission and sorption characteristics of green materials
- Effects of humidity and temperature on VOC emissions and transport
- Similarity between VOC and moisture transport
Past Projects
- Standard Test Methods – Development of standard test methods for BIFMA and Xerox (J. Zhang)
- VOC Extraction – Development of a novel method for VOC extractions (J. smith)
- Office environment – Characterization of VOC sources in the the office environment (I. Berrios)
- Residential environment – Field measurements of VOC concentrations in low-income residential homes – AUDIT-VOC (Z. Zhang)
- Sorption of air freshening compounds on building materials