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Estimation of indoor air pollutant during photocopy/printing operation: a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based study

Environmental Geochemistry and Health volume 42, pages 3543–3573 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Population form a homeostat with environment where they live and exchange continuous gas for their respiration, which is the primary pathway for the pollutants to enter into human metabolism. The pollution present indoor is due to multiple sources like electronic and electrical equipment, clothes, furniture and other anthropogenic activity. The concentration of these pollutants changes with time and depends mainly on source type (continuous/intermittent), time of the operation and release/ventilation/wind velocity/pollutant dispersion and anthropogenic activity. It has been observed that equipment like printers, printing machines, photocopiers, etc., releases several pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone (O3), semi-volatile organic compounds, benzene (C6H6), toluene and suspended particulate matter during operation. This work represents the emissions of VOCs, benzene, and toluene during photocopy. The numerical validation of results was done using Fluent, which is an application-based software which helps in physical modeling describing air flow and effect of multiple parameter on it like temperature and no of printing/photocopy (in proposed experiment) with respect to time. It has been observed from the results that the emissions of VOCs, benzene, and toluene increase from 0.09 to 1.13 PPM, 0.17 to 1.87 PPM and 30 to 235 PPM, respectively, as the operating duration, temperature (35–40 °C) and rate of printing/photocopying increase (120–200/h), and it is because printer/photocopy machine uses heat and pressure to fix an image on the paper surface which subsequently result in higher emission. Multiple adverse health, safety and environmental impacts due to operation of photocopy/printing call for in-depth study, guidance, and monitoring of the workers occupationally associated with this operation for their well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India

    Abhishek Nandan, Nihal Anwar Siddiqui & Pankaj Kumar

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  1. Abhishek Nandan
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  2. Nihal Anwar Siddiqui
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  3. Pankaj Kumar
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Correspondence to Abhishek Nandan.

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Nandan, A., Siddiqui, N.A. & Kumar, P. Estimation of indoor air pollutant during photocopy/printing operation: a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based study. Environ Geochem Health 42, 3543–3573 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-020-00589-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-020-00589-0

Keywords

  • Indoor air pollution
  • Photocopy operation
  • Occupational health
  • VOC emission