Sorption of volatile organic compounds on typical carpet fibers

Measurements of adsorption isotherms for three volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (toluene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane) on polyacrylonitrile carpet fibers over the temperature range 25-45degreesC were carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Linear isotherms were observed in all cases with values of the Henry coefficient ranging from 0.063 to 0.941 mm. The results of additional experiments carried out in a simple test chamber containing a single source of VOC showed that the carpet fibers acted as a significant sink causing a prolonged elevation of VOC concentration in the air within the chamber. An unsteady-state model is presented, which adequately described the adsorption and desorption phenomena occurring in the test chamber and yielded realistic values of the adsorption and desorption rate constants. There was good agreement between the equilibrium and kinetic constants obtained in the TGA and test chamber experiments. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.