Institue for energy- and environmental technology e. V. (IUTA) in Duisburg

Formaldehyde is one of the most common gaseous pollutants in indoor spaces*. Air cleaners with activated carbon filters can make a significant contribution to reducing the concentration in polluted rooms. In order to reproducibly determine how effectively these devices remove formaldehyde from the air, the Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik (IUTA) e. V. (Institute for Energy and Environmental Technology) in Duisburg has been testing air purifiers for many years in accordance with the Chinese test standard GB/T 18801:2015. For this purpose, a defined initial concentration of formaldehyde is introduced into a 30 m³ test chamber and the exponential decrease over time without and with operation of the air cleaner is measured. From this, the so-called Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) can be determined as a measure of the purification performance. The AL 4021 formaldehyde monitor is used for the measurements. It covers the entire relevant concentration range and, in contrast to discontinuous sampling, enables the decay curves to be recorded with high time resolution. The device is also used in the context of measurements accredited by the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS) according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018.

* Birmili et al. Indoor Air 32 e12927 (2022)