Emission and odor testing of materials, semi-finished products and building components.

In recent years, the subject of indor air quality has gained increasing importance in the development of modern material solutions for cars and the home. For this reason, an extensive portfolio of emission and odor test methods has been compiled in close cooperation with the Bayer Industry Services' Analytics department and external partners. It covers all the tests normally used in the construction and automotive industries. The portfolio covers the entire development chain – from material development in the laboratory, through optimization of the processing technology in our pilot plants, to the manufacture of the part by our customers.

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The picture shows the 1 m³ emissions testing chamber of the Physical Testing department in the Polyurethanes Business Unit in Leverkusen. With this unit, the VOC emissions (VOC: volatile organic compounds) from large-area and/or large-volume semi-finished and finished parts can be measured under simulated service conditions (temperature, humidity, air change, vs. time).

By comparing the results from the testing chamber (here: an instrument panel in the form of a multi-layer composite system) with the data from the relevant material emission tests, the emission-related parameters can be identified. This makes it possible to specifically minimize VOC emissions. The procedure for minimizing product odors is similar. The first step is to identify the odorous substances contained in the material or part. Then, odor sources have to be located and eliminated in close cooperation with the materials developers and processing technicians.