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Low-VOC fibreglass evaluation
Are these types of fibreglass actually better than their predecessors?
Introduction
Fibreglass is an essential production component in manufacturing products for water treatment, water supply, drainage and pool equipment.
For producing filter housings, for instance, the question arose as to what degree harmful and odorous VOC are given off at elevated temperatures in standard use.
Why determine the VOC content?
Determining the VOC makes it possible to identify which specific components are exempted in order to then link them to identified odour nuisance and/or harmfulness to health.
The variant of fibreglass providing the best result in terms of VOC emissions can then be further investigated to see if it is a more sustainable alternative.
The fibreglass
The filter housing is constructed of fibreglass with a protective resin coating. The analysis of this fibreglass is representative of the entire pipeline. The fibreglass itself exists in different varieties and so these varieties are analysed to find the fibreglass the lowest VOC emission.
Three types of fibreglass were analysed. The first is a standard type of 13 µm fibreglass. The other two fibreglass types (11 and 13 µm), indicated as being low-VOC, and thus should give better results towards exemption of VOC compared to the standard.
How do we capture the VOC released by fibreglass?
In the lab, a certain amount of fibreglass is weighed out and transferred into an Erlenmeyer flask. This is placed in an oven, to which an inert gas stream is connected.
First, the product is heated at the predetermined temperature for one hour, so that the VOC are released, and a static headspace is created.
An inert gas stream is then passed through the pipes, carrying the VOC into a sampling bag. From this bag, the collected air is loaded onto an absorption cartridge and finally analysed with a TD-GC-MS for the VOC present.
What does the analysis teach us?
When contrasting the results of the 3 analyses, there are only a few differences in the composition of VOC released. The greatest differences can be attributed to a difference in quantity.
The 13 µm and low-VOC fibreglass has an emission of 473 mg/m³. This is followed by the standard 11 µm fibreglass and VOC poor (325 mg/m³). Finally, we have the standard fibreglass which has a VOC emission of 222 mg/m³.
Best of the test
In terms of VOC emission, the two fibreglass types, which are said to be VOC poor, do not score as well as standard fibreglass. Looking at the VOC important for odour formation, trimethylamine – detected only in the standard fibreglass – can provide an unpleasant fish odour. This means the other two fibreglass types had different VOC that contribute significantly to the odour, but have a more pleasant odour.
How can we help?
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