Whether it's home decoration or purchasing furniture, the most talked about issue among friends is "formaldehyde"

1. Can formaldehyde really be converted into carbon dioxide and water?

I'm sure it can. Formaldehyde does not directly decompose into water and carbon dioxide, but under specific catalyst conditions, formaldehyde and oxygen can generate carbon dioxide and water. For example, the Photocatalysis formaldehyde removal technology decomposes water and oxygen in the air into Hydroxide ion ions and oxygen anion under the light environment, thus decomposing formaldehyde into carbon dioxide and water that are harmless to human body.

2. Is the pungent smell in the room the 'formaldehyde smell'?

Formaldehyde is a colorless and irritating gas, but it does not have the characteristic odor of benzenes. In addition, individual olfactory differences make it difficult to determine the presence of formaldehyde based on the odor.

High concentrations of formaldehyde give people a more intuitive feeling of eye irritation, sore throat, nausea, headaches, etc. So it is not possible to determine whether formaldehyde at home exceeds the standard based on the presence or absence of odor. The pungent smell you smell is likely TVOC, which is also the main pollutant in indoor decoration.

3. Can you put some green plants to remove formaldehyde?

Plants are effective against formaldehyde, as long as you make your home a forest. For example, a 100 square meter house may require 400 pots of green apples to be placed at home in order to lower the formaldehyde concentration in the room. Even if you don't care that there is no place to get feet at home, the humidity of 400 pots of green apples will make you doubt life. Do you want to try this humidity?

4. Does Photocatalysis, biological enzyme and other aldehyde removal sprays have any effect?

Although merchants may provide various test reports on the effectiveness of formaldehyde removal, formaldehyde is a long-term release process, and even if it is truly effective, it cannot be achieved once and for all. If you need to spray formaldehyde removal spray every few months, why not choose to directly open windows for ventilation?

5. Can ozone remove formaldehyde?

Yes, many air purifiers and air conditioners use this technology. Ozone is a highly oxidizing gas, and high concentrations of ozone can react with substances such as formaldehyde in the air. But it is precisely the strong oxidizing nature of ozone that indoor air quality standards have set clear limits on ozone concentration. Exposure to environments with excessive ozone levels can have an impact on human health.

6. Can activated carbon remove formaldehyde?

Activated carbon has a well-developed pore structure and can adsorb formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and indoor odors in the air. Activated carbon without chemical treatment is pure physical adsorption and has the problem of adsorption saturation. It needs to be regularly exposed to sunlight or replaced to avoid the harm caused by secondary release.

7. How do cars remove formaldehyde?

When using a car, you can first open the window and discharge the harmful substances that have evaporated from the car's sealed interior for a long time outside. The small space in the car can achieve air replacement in a short period of time. Secondly, activated carbon (which needs to be replaced regularly as above) and car air purifiers can be used to remove formaldehyde from the air.

8. Is there a reliable way to remove formaldehyde without spending money?

If you want to save money, then stick to opening windows and ventilation. It's truly economical and effective!

9. Would it be better to close the windows for a few days and then open them for ventilation to remove formaldehyde?

Except for winter, continuous ventilation is the best choice (see the experimental comparison data in the figure). In winter, households with heating can choose one or two windows and open them at a third or appropriate angle. This ensures a certain amount of ventilation, promotes indoor formaldehyde emissions, and does not significantly reduce indoor temperature. Finally, regularly open all windows and doors for thorough ventilation.

If there is no heating, it is recommended to use the "suffocation method", which prioritizes ensuring indoor temperature. However, the "suffocation" time needs to be shortened (with a time that can be determined based on indoor temperature changes) to achieve the best effect.

10. Open the window and turn on the fan, how to arrange the fan for the best effect?

It is recommended to place the fan farthest from the window in the room, blow towards the window, and try to maximize the air volume. The flow of wind can be clearly felt at the opening of the window.

11. Can formaldehyde be eradicated through treatment?

Plate is the main source of formaldehyde release, and the adhesives used in the plate (such as urea formaldehyde resin adhesive and phenolic resin adhesive) will continuously release residual formaldehyde. At the same time, in high temperature and humidity environments, urea formaldehyde resin adhesive will continue to decompose to produce formaldehyde, so formaldehyde requires a long release cycle.

Air purifiers or other formaldehyde removal products mainly target formaldehyde that has already evaporated or delay the release of formaldehyde, which cannot be eradicated. The decoration should start from the root, and try to choose environmentally friendly materials to avoid the problems caused by formaldehyde. With the release of the GB/T 39600-2021 Classification of Formaldehyde Emission from Engineered wood and Their Products, the concept of environmental protection of Engineered wood will be further advanced, which is good for consumers.

12. How to remove TVOC?

TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) is composed of multiple substances, making it difficult to catalyze the decomposition or degradation of all substances. The porous structure of activated carbon can be used to physically adsorb TVOC, or direct window ventilation can be used to reduce indoor TVOC concentration.

13. My home has been living for 5 or 6 years, do you still need to worry about excessive formaldehyde?

It is often expected that the air pollutants in new houses exceed the standard, and over time, the situation of indoor formaldehyde exceeding the standard will be alleviated. However, according to the 2020 National Household Environmental Protection Report released by China, 8.3% of houses still exceed the standard even after being renovated for more than 5 years. On the one hand, it is due to the long cycle of formaldehyde release, and on the other hand, house renovations and new furniture may also lead to excessive formaldehyde levels in old houses.

14. How to accurately and low-cost detect formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde detectors below 1000 yuan on the market are mainly electrochemical detectors, with poor selectivity and susceptibility to interference from other organic compounds. Additionally, it is difficult for purchased instrument users to calibrate, resulting in low accuracy and significant errors in detection results. It is recommended to choose a formaldehyde analyzer using photoelectric photometry.

15. Opening the window to test for formaldehyde content is normal, but closing the window to test for excessive formaldehyde. Can you enter?

Unable to enter, formaldehyde testing requires sealing. The "Indoor Air Quality" standard is formulated by the Ministry of Health, and the testing requires sealing for 12 hours, with indoor formaldehyde concentration not exceeding 0.1 ℓ/m3. This standard refers to the World Health Organization's limit standards for indoor formaldehyde concentration and is the minimum standard for the health of living environments. Therefore, when the window is opened for testing, the formaldehyde has been blown away, and testing for formaldehyde is meaningless.