VOC emissions from wet toner photocopy machines
- ERM-Southwest, Inc., Austin, TX (United States)
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
- Egli and Gomps, Inc., Baltimore, MD (United States)
Indoor air pollution in office buildings affects millions of American workers every day. Potential sources of office indoor air pollution are photocopiers which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during operation. A photocopier`s toner and dispersant contain heavy-treated naphtha, a mixture consisting primarily of decane, which is known to be toxic to humans. An experimental study was completed to characterize VOC emissions from a photocopier located on campus at the University of Texas at Austin. Experiments were completed to estimate the air turnover rate in the room, the VOC concentration in the room during photocopier operation, and a typical daily concentration profile. Based on these experiments, two emissions models were developed: (1) a mass balance on VOC concentration in the room, and (2) a mass balance on the amount of toner and dispersant used per copy. Room ventilation rate was determined to be approximately 1.5 air exchanges per hour. Photocopier emission rates were measured to be from 2 g/min to 9 g/min based on VOC concentration in the room, and were calculated to be 5.4 g/min based on toner and dispersant consumption. These high emission rates of potentially harmful VOCs indicate a need for implementation of measures to protect the health of those utilizing wet toner photocopy machines on a regular basis.
- OSTI ID:
- 351004
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970677--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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