Influence of temperature on formaldehyde emission parameters of solvent-based coatings

Temperature affects the emission behavior of formaldehyde from coatings. Initial emittable concentration (C0), diffusion coefficient (Dm) and partition coefficient (K) are three key parameters for characterizing the formaldehyde emission from coatings. However, recent research concerning temperature effect on volatile organic compound (VOC) emission from coatings mainly focused on the influence on gas-phase concentration or emission rate, and few studies were conducted on the correlation between temperature and key emission factors (C0, Dm and K). In this work, formaldehyde emission from a solvent-based coating was measured at 10, 15, 20 and 25°C in a 30 L environmental chamber. From 10 to 25°C, C0 increased by 2.35-fold, and positive linear correlation was observed between ln(C0*T0.5) and 1/T. An empirical equation characterizing temperature effect on K was derived. Temperature effects on Dm were negligible. Through the obtained equations that can characterize the correlation between temperature and the key parameters, C0 and K at different temperatures from this work can be easily calculated. This study would be useful for predicting emission behavior of formaldehyde from solvent-based coatings and better understanding the influence of temperature.