A literature review investigating the impact of temperature and humidity on volatile organic compound emissions from building materials

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from building materials can have a detrimental impact on indoor air quality. Temperature and humidity are influential factors that affect VOC emissions from building materials. This study reviewed the individual and coupling effects of temperature and humidity on VOC emissions from building materials. Experimental data, mechanism explanations, and correlations between emission parameters with temperature and humidity were collected. The constants in the correlations were regressed based on available literature data. Formaldehyde and artificial wood-based panels were identified as the primary VOCs and building materials of interest in this research endeavor. In general, both temperature and humidity positively influence VOC emissions from building materials, with temperature exhibiting a more pronounced effect. The logarithm of equilibrium concentration (Cequ), steady-state emission rates (E), initial emittable concentration (C0), diffusion coefficient (Dm), and partition coefficient (K) exhibit a linear relationship with temperature, characterized by an average slope of 0.10, 0.11, 0.04, 0.13, -0.08 respectively. C0 increases with humidity while the influence of humidity on Dm is considered negligible. The applicability of exponential and linear relationships between C0 and humidity was found to be comparable in this investigation. The data compiled in this study could provide valuable support for indoor VOC simulations under varying conditions. Further theoretical studies focusing on the effect of humidity as well as coupling effects on Dm and K are warranted.