Measurement of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol emitted from flooring materials and adhesives

Abstract

It has been reported that 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H) was emitted through hydrolysis between di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate used as plasticizer in flooring material and moisture generated from a strongly alkaline material such as concrete slab. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between diffusion of 2E1H in flooring material and 2E1H emission rate from floor surface. In this study, we measured 2E1H emitted from floor paper, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) tile, cushion floor and carpet for 200, days and effective diffusion coefficients for 2E1H in various flooring materials were measured. Effective diffusion coefficients of 2E1H for cushion floor and PVC tile were 115 × 10⁻⁹ and 7.8 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s, respectively. Emission rate of 2E1H emitted from flooring material significantly depends on the kind and shape of flooring materials and was influenced by the effective diffusion coefficient for 2E1H of flooring material. Emission rates of 2E1H from floor surface varied with the amount of 2E1H and resin present in the adhesive. When carpet was attached to the flooring material with high water content using adhesive, emission of 2E1H significantly increased. The results show that primary and secondary emissions of 2E1H from the adhesive influence the emission rate of 2E1H for flooring material.

Keywords:

• adhesive
• flooring materials
• emission test

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea Government (MEST) (No. 2011-0020027, No. 2012-0003618).