Measuring material emissions

For the test, the material or product to be tested is placed in an emission test chamber (e.g. made of glass or stainless steel). The chamber itself can be used to control important boundary parameters that can influence the emission behavior of the sample. These include temperature, relative humidity, air exchange rate, air velocity and the product loading factor, i.e. the mass or surface area of the material to be tested in relation to the volume of the test chamber.

Test chamber methods

Emission testing in a test chamber is a conventional procedure that largely eliminates interference from other sources or parameter fluctuations and ensures the comparability of test values, provided the test parameters are the same. The performance of emission tests, including sample preparation and the measurement of various target substances, is therefore internationally standardized in the DIN ISO 16000 series. The European test standard DIN EN 16516, which is also based on the DIN ISO 16000 series, was developed specifically for testing the emissions of building products. Test chambers can have different volumes, from "micro-chambers" (a few cubic centimeters) to "small chambers" (a few liters to cubic meters) to walk-in "large chambers" (several cubic meters). The analysis enables qualitative and quantitative detection of the target substances (see Measuring air pollutants).

Alternative emission test systems

In addition to the test chamber, there are other alternative emission test systems that allow, for example, on-site testing of installed materials or a quick overview analysis. These include emission test cells as well as thermal desorption and extraction methods. A test cell can only be placed on flat surfaces, and the surface to be examined serves as the chamber floor. Samples can also be thermally treated and the released compounds can be analyzed directly. However, this method often only provides qualitative results.

Assessment of construction product emissions

Various national assessment methods currently exist in Europe for the assessment of chemical construction product emissions. However, efforts are already underway to harmonize emission assessment at European level. In addition to the national emission requirements, there are also a number of voluntary product labels for particularly low-emission construction products.