{"id":7005,"date":"2021-11-12T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T08:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.breeze-technologies.de\/?p=7005"},"modified":"2021-11-11T00:00:59","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T23:00:59","slug":"volatile-organic-compounds-voc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.breeze-technologies.de\/de\/blog\/volatile-organic-compounds-voc\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)<\/span><\/a> are a group of organic chemical substances emitted into the air from various products and processes in both indoor and outdoor environments. Despite them not being included in many standard air quality guidelines, such as the <\/span>World Health Organization\u2019s<\/span><\/a>, we at Breeze Technologies consider it vital to be monitored. Our <\/span>sensors<\/span><\/a> are thus calibrated to measure volatile organic compounds, and it is found in both our <\/span>indoor<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>outdoor<\/span><\/a> air quality indexes (AQI) due to their impact on air quality and human health. Read on to find out more.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

What are volatile organic compounds?<\/h2>\n

Volatile organic compounds<\/span><\/a> refer to a large group of carbon-containing substances including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, and organic acids but excluding carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides, carbonates, and ammonium carbonate. Their composition makes it possible for them <\/span>to evaporate under normal atmospheric conditions<\/span><\/a> of temperature and pressure. The European Union (EU) thus defines VOCs as any organic compound with an initial boiling point that is less than or equal to 250\u00b0C\u00a0 at an atmospheric pressure of 101.3 kPa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Distinctions are drawn between VOCs, very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs), and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). The sum of the concentrations of all VOCs gives the TVOC value (total volatile organic compounds), which is what is <\/span>used in Breeze Technologies\u2019 indoor air quality index (AQI)<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is a table detailing the <\/span>classification of VOCs<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Description<\/strong><\/td>\nBoiling Point Range (\u00b0C)<\/strong><\/td>\nExample Compounds<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Very volatile organic compounds (VVOC)<\/span><\/td>\n<0 to 50-100<\/span><\/td>\nPropane, butane, methyl chloride<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Volatile organic compounds (VOC)<\/span><\/td>\n50-100 to 240-260<\/span><\/td>\nFormaldehyde, d-Limonene, toluene, acetone, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) 2-propanol (isopropyl alcohol), hexanal<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC)<\/span><\/td>\n240-260 to 380-400<\/span><\/td>\nPesticides (DDT, chlordane, plasticizers (phthalates), fire retardants (PCBs, PBB)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In addition, there is a specific term for VOCs that do not contain methane, which is <\/span>non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs)<\/span><\/a>. They have an even higher aspiration to combine with nitrogen dioxide (NO2<\/sub>) to form ground level ozone (O3<\/sub>) and contribute to the formation of secondary particulate matter (PM2.5<\/sub>).<\/span><\/p>\n

VOCs are also a major component of <\/span>photochemical smog<\/span><\/a> when it reacts with sunlight and nitrogen oxides (NOx<\/sub>) in the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are sources of volatile organic compounds?<\/h2>\n

Volatile organic compounds <\/span>are volatilized or released into the atmosphere outdoors<\/span><\/a> by incomplete combustion processes, using everyday products and materials, as volatile commercial and industrial byproducts, and through biological processes (plant metabolism, putrefaction, and decomposition).<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is a list of <\/span>common urban VOCs<\/span><\/a> and their characteristic sources:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Compound<\/strong><\/td>\nApproximate Atmospheric Lifetime<\/strong><\/td>\nSources<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ethane<\/td>\n1.5 months<\/td>\nNatural gas, biomass burning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Acetylene<\/td>\n15 days<\/td>\nVehicle emissions, biomass burning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Methanol<\/td>\n12 days<\/td>\nPlants, VOC oxidation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Propane<\/td>\n11 days<\/td>\nLiquefied petroleum gas, natural gas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Benzene<\/td>\n10 days<\/td>\nIndustrial emissions, vehicle emissions, biomass burning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Isobutane \/ N-butane<\/td>\n5 days<\/td>\nVehicle emissions, liquefied petroleum gas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ethanol<\/td>\n4 days<\/td>\nPlants biofuel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Isopentane \/ N-pentane<\/td>\n3 days<\/td>\nVehicle emissions, gasoline evaporation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Toluene<\/td>\n2 days<\/td>\nSolvents, vehicle emissions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ethene<\/td>\n1 day<\/td>\nVehicle emissions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Formaldehyde<\/td>\n1 day<\/td>\nVOC oxidation, biomass burning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Isoprene<\/td>\n3 hours<\/td>\nPlants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

VOCs are particularly concentrated indoors due to <\/span>internal sources from interior products and building materials<\/span><\/a> that contain them. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n