Comparative Methods for the Determination of Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) Content in Water Based and Non-Water Based Systems

摘要

Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is of growing concern in a variety of industries including adhesives, sealants, paints, and paper. Relatively well defined protocols exist for the monitoring of specific VOCs, especially those strictly regulated by federal, state, and/or local governmental agencies. The measurement of Total Volatile Organic Compound content (TVOC) is not nearly as well defined. Historically, EPA Method 24 has been the default standard, but this method is highly suspect in the measurement of low TVOC formulations. To address this deficiency, EPA and ISO are investigating gas chromatography based (GC) methods for TVOC measurements in water-borne coatings. This paper details the use of the various TVOC measurement methods and their applicability to various paint, adhesive, and emulsion polymer samples.