Very Low Concentration Adsorption Isotherms of Trichloroethylene on Common Building Materials

Building materials that are found in the indoor environment can play an important role in determining indoor air quality. Previous studies have recognized that building materials are potential sinks/sources of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but their uptake under extremely low concentrations has not been extensively studied. This study has characterized the capacities of various building materials for adsorption of trichloroethylene (TCE), which is a contaminant of significant concern in vapor intrusion scenarios. The capacities of more than 20 building materials were established at a TCE concentration of 1.12 ppbv (and for selected materials at concentrations up to 12.5 ppbv). This was achieved using a thermal desorption method. Room temperature isotherms for glass wool, polyethylene, nylon carpet, drywall, printer paper, leather, and cinderblock were measured. The results showed that the sorptive capacities of the building materials were at nanograms per gram levels; cinderblock had the largest sorption capacity among all the building materials tested and this is believed to indicate that solid carbon content of materials plays a significant role during the sorption process. TCE desorption from selected building materials was also investigated at room temperature and 100°C.