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Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2024) | Viewed by 31504

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ying Sheng

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Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Interests: indoor air quality; air cleaning; ventilation engineering; air conditioning; building technology; energy saving
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Chunxiao Su

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Guest Editor

School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: indoor air quality; UV disinfection; air cleaning; indoor radon exposure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ventilation is the most common method of indoor air quality control in practice. The outdoor air supply rate prescribed by existing ventilation standards and guidelines is in the range of 2.5~10 L/s per person. It has been reported that around 40% of building energy is used for ventilation and associated air conditioning. Some studies have found that a higher ventilation rate (over 25 L/s per person) would be required to minimize the prevalence of SBS symptoms. This is hardly acceptable from an energy point of view. Some suitable strategies are implemented to assure both indoor air quality and affordable energy performance, such as the coupling operation of ventilation and air cleaning. Climate change requires that the built environment is decarbonized, and advanced technologies with energy efficiency are encouraged to assure the indoor air quality. Sustainability provides an important platform to share emerging knowledge and technologies directed to environmental control in buildings. Therefore, this Special Issue will focus on the research works using innovative technologies to build a sustainable future for indoor air quality in the built environment.

Potential topics for this Special Issue include, but will not be limited to, the following topics:

(1) Energy-saving air-cleaning technologies;

(2) Innovative ventilation modes;

(3) Pollution source control;

(4) Simulation of air cleaning and ventilation;

(5) Novel technologies for indoor air monitoring;

(6) Indoor exposures and ventilation.

Dr. Ying Sheng
Dr. Chunxiao Su
Guest Editors

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Keywords

indoor environment quality
energy saving
air cleaning
ventilation
pollution source control
indoor exposure

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 149 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings

by Ying Sheng

Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 6901; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16166901 - 12 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1125

Abstract

With the improvement of living standards and the enhancement of health awareness, Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has become a hot topic of concern for the public and researchers [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

16 pages, 1606 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards Sustainable Living through Thermoneutral Temperature Management in Subtropical Steppe Climates

by Salar Salah Muhy Al-Din, Hourakhsh Ahmad Nia and Rokhsaneh Rahbarianyazd

Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5699; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135699 - 3 Jul 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1135

Abstract

This study addresses the critical interplay between sustainable living and thermal comfort within residential buildings in subtropical steppe (BSh) climates, particularly in Northern Iraq. With the global imperative to enhance energy efficiency and occupant well-being, this research emphasizes the identification of thermoneutral indoor air temperature ranges that both support sustainable energy use and ensure the occupants’ thermal comfort. By analyzing the acceptable temperature limits across different building orientations during summer and winter, the study utilizes the predicted mean vote–predicted percentage dissatisfied (PMV-PPD) index approach to establish thermal comfort thresholds. The findings reveal that the optimal summer and winter indoor air temperatures are 29.2 °C and 19.4 °C, respectively, with variations across orientations highlighting the significant influence of building directionality on achieving thermoneutral conditions. A wider range of accepted temperatures exists in the eastward orientation in summer (between 26.6 °C and 29.2 °C). The study advances our understanding of sustainable thermal comfort practices, proposing orientation-specific temperature ranges as a cornerstone for reducing energy consumption without compromising occupant comfort in subtropical steppe climates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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23 pages, 10771 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research Optimizing Building Ventilation Performance through the Application of Trombe Walls in Regions with Hot Summers and Cold Winters: A Case Study in China

by Zechao Sheng, Guoyi Zhang, Xiaojun Luo, Chenle Ye, Jinhe Lin and Zhonggou Chen

Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3107; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083107 - 9 Apr 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1488

Abstract

The hot-summer and cold-winter climate zone spans a large latitude, where the passive means of retrofitting the Trombe wall (TW) can be utilized to effectively improve the indoor wind environment and thermal comfort. In this study, a public building in Wenzhou, China, was selected as the object, and CFD numerical simulations and the wind environment data in spring, summer, and fall were collected through field experimental measurements. Comparative analyses were carried out to explore the adaptive strategy and effectiveness of the application of the Trombe wall on the local wind environment and climate and to quantify the improvement effect of the application of the Trombe wall on the Indoor environment. The results showed that the application of the Trombe wall in spring and fall in hot-summer and cold-winter regions could obviously increase the average indoor wind speed and the wind speed at the building outlet by 0.2–0.8 m/s and 0.9–3.6 m/s, respectively. This further effectively prolongs the indoor thermal comfort hours in spring and fall, which is a relatively applicable season, while the ventilation performance in summer is poor compared to spring and fall seasons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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16 pages, 4123 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental and Modeled Results Describing the Low-Concentration Acetone Adsorption onto Coconut Shell Activated Carbon

by Ying Sheng, Qiang Ren and Qingqing Dong

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14803; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014803 - 12 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1522

Abstract

Polar VOCs represented by ketones deteriorate indoor air quality and affect human health. Adsorption by activated carbons can effectively remove harmful gases, but relatively little is known about the adsorption capacity of polar VOCs at a low concentration level. So, this paper adopted acetone as the typical polar VOC to test its adsorption on the coconut shell activated carbon and developed a prediction model to estimate the breakthrough time. The results will help users master the acetone adsorption behavior under realistic conditions and thus estimate the service life of the filters. The adsorption test of acetone with concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 ppm was carried out. Four adsorption isotherms, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich, and Temkin, were used to fit the data. The Freundlich model fitted best when was used to determine the equilibrium capacity of acetone. An approach based on the Thomas model was proposed to predict the acetone breakthrough curve. The mass transfer coefficient of acetone adsorption with a relatively high concentration (1.0–4.0 ppm) was calculated based on the Thomas model, and the relationship between the mass transfer coefficient and acetone inlet concentration was established to obtain the mass transfer coefficient of acetone at the predicted concentration. The equilibrium capacity and mass transfer coefficient were substituted into the Thomas model to predict the breakthrough curve of acetone at a lower concentration. The results showed that the shape of the predicted curve was much closer to the measured data of acetone adsorption. The relative deviation between the predicted service life and measured data was 10%, indicating that the Thomas model was suitable for predicting acetone adsorption at low concentrations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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17 pages, 728 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adaption and Tolerance in Built Environment—An Evaluation of Environmental Sensation, Acceptance and Overall Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in a Subtropical Region

by Tsz-Wun Tsang, Kwok-Wai Mui and Ling-Tim Wong

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11094; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411094 - 16 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1615

Abstract

The relationship between environmental sensations and acceptance in the indoor environment has yet to be fully explored or quantified. This study is the first in the literature that examines these relationships in thermal comfort, indoor air quality, aural comfort, visual comfort, and overall indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Using a regional IEQ database, the relationship between occupants’ sensation and acceptance of individual environmental aspects was investigated. The results suggest that building occupants had high tolerances towards indoor air quality and aural and visual discomforts, while cold sensations tended to elicit environmental discomfort. Furthermore, the study developed machine learning models with imbalanced data treatment to predict overall IEQ acceptance based on both sensation and acceptance of individual IEQ domains. These models accounted for the influence of environmental adaptation and tolerance on overall IEQ satisfaction determination. They accurately predicted unseen data, indicating high model generalizability and robustness. Overall, the study has practical implications for improving building performance and provides insights to better understand the relationship between environmental sensations and occupants’ acceptance, which should be considered in building design and operation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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21 pages, 3686 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Study and Experimental Validation on the Applicable Refrigerant for Space Heating Air Source Heat Pump

by Jinzhe Nie, Kaiqiao Wang, Xiangrui Kong, Han Zhang and Shuai Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9420; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129420 - 12 Jun 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1933

Abstract

The air source heat pump (ASHP) is developing rapidly and is widely used for space heating due to its potential for increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The choice of appropriate low global warming potential (GWP) alternative refrigerants is one of the challenges that ASHP systems face. Alternative refrigerants also affect the energy performance of these systems. Thus, it is essential to evaluate the performance of ASHP using environmentally friendly refrigerants to facilitate reasonable refrigerant selection. A theoretical model for simulating ASHP performance with different refrigerants is developed in this study. Experiments are conducted to validate the theoretical model. The simulation and the experimental results are found to be in good agreement. The ASHP performance indices, such as compression ratio (CR), discharging temperature (DT) and coefficients of performance (COP), are investigated using R22, R417A, R410A, R134a, R152a, R161 and R1234yf as working fluids. The results show that R152a has an average COP of 2.7% higher than R22, and R161 has an average COP of 1.4% higher than R22. R152a and R161 also have a higher CR but a lower DT than R22 under the same design conditions. In addition, R152a and R161 have ozone depletion potentials (ODP) of zero and extremely low GWPs; thus, they can be candidates to replace R22 in ASHP heating systems. This research provides a reference on refrigerant replacements for ASHP heating systems in North China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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19 pages, 8262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study of Indoor Air Quality in a University Professor’s Office

by Guillermo Efren Ovando-Chacon, Sandy Luz Ovando-Chacon, Abelardo Rodríguez-León and Mario Díaz-González

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4221; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054221 - 26 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2194

Abstract

Indoor air conditioning is currently a topic of much interest, not only to save energy but also due to public health issues such as pandemics. This study focuses on the thermal comfort and air quality of a closed, air-conditioned space located in an extremely hot climate. Due to noise and weather conditions, the door and window of the space are kept closed at all times. The study uses computational fluid dynamics techniques and the finite element method. Average temperatures and CO₂ concentrations, as well as effectiveness for temperature and concentration distribution, are calculated for the analysis. Results indicate that supplying air away from hot walls improves air quality and thermal comfort. Furthermore, there is an optimal Reynolds number that depends on the number of people inside the space. Due to the above, it is possible to find an ideal configuration that simultaneously allows for efficient energy use, helps to avoid the adverse effects of CO₂ on daily activities such as working or studying, and supports people’s health and comfort. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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15 pages, 4072 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Environment Control at Deep Intelligent Coal Mines in China Based on Human Factors

by Qiaoyun Han, Debo Lin, Xiaojie Yang, Kongqing Li and Wei Yin

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3193; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043193 - 9 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3514

Abstract

Mechanical cooling of the entire mining tunnel, widely used in deep coal mines, has a significant energy-intensive consumption, particularly for intelligent mining tunnels. Therefore, localized cooling would benefit the intelligent mining industry. Current studies on the temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity under localized cooling for working protection are still unclear. A modified predicted heat strain model that is appropriate for warm and humid conditions is presented in this article and calculated using MATLAB. Results reveal that air temperature was the primary factor affecting underground miners’ safety. Increasing air velocity would improve the working environment when the thermal humidity index is lower than 32. Reducing total working time and wet bulb temperature would benefit underground miners’ security. For the cooling of intelligent mining tunnels, the recommended air velocity would be 2 m/s, and the maximum wet bulb temperature would be 28 °C for the 6-h working period and 26 °C for the 8-h working period. Results would be beneficial to the cooling of intelligent mining in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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13 pages, 2856 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on Fan Aerodynamic Noise Variation Characteristics under Non-Proportional Variation Law

by Xiangyang Dong, Shiqiang Chen, Zhenlin Lei, Zhulong Zhu and Yihan Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2025; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032025 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2330

Abstract

This paper presents the noise characteristics of axial fans in the process of variable frequency adjustment, so as to clarify the basis of frequency adjustment and high-risk area division for practical purposes. In the aerodynamic performance experiment, 11 kinds of operating conditions (OC) were divided into 3 groups, and the air flow rate and power consumption were measured. At the same time, an aerodynamic noise experiment was carried out, and nine measuring points were selected to test the noise of the air inlet and shell. The data showed that the aerodynamic performance parameters have the characteristics of non-proportional law. The maximum ventilation coefficient of OC2, OC7, OC11 is 3.9%, and its noise always has a negative growth rate. Furthermore, the typical OC were selected from all experiments, and broadband noise and discrete noise analyses were performed. The results indicated that the fan noise of the changes under variable frequency adjustment may come from boundary layer noise and shedding noise. In addition, the fundamental frequency sound pressure level of discrete noise is the highest in the whole frequency band. At the high-speed condition, the contribution of higher harmonics to the fan overall noise increases, but the broadband noise is still the dominant noise. Finally, the noise rating was introduced, and the high-risk noise index was divided for the noise of the air inlet and the shell. It was found that the main noise variation index of typical OC mostly exceeded the high-risk noise index, and the main target frequency band of noise control is 250–4000 Hz. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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16 pages, 2710 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction for the Adsorption of Low-Concentration Toluene by Activated Carbon

by Ying Sheng, Qingqing Dong, Qiang Ren and Mingyang Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021555 - 13 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2930

Abstract

Activated carbon filters are widely used to remove gaseous pollutants in order to guarantee a healthy living environment. The standard method for evaluating the adsorption performance of filters is conducted at ~100 ppm. Although this accelerates the test and avoids the high requirements of the test device, it is still far from the contaminant concentration in the indoor environment, and adsorbents in practical application may show different capabilities. Therefore, this study compared several methods for predicting the adsorption performance of activated carbon and recommended a procedure based on the Wheeler–Jonas model to estimate the breakthrough curve at low concentrations using experimental data at high concentrations. The results showed that the Langmuir model and Wood–Lodewyckx correlation were the most suitable for obtaining the equilibrium adsorption capacity and mass transfer coefficient, which are critical parameters in the Wheeler–Jonas model. The predicted service life was derived from the breakthrough curve. A modification method based on a relationship with inlet gas concentration was proposed to reduce the prediction deviation of the service life. After modification, the maximum deviation was within two hours and the relative deviation was no more than 7%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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17 pages, 9581 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Odor from Building Air Conditioners: Emission Characteristics, Odor Compounds and Influencing Factors

by Jingjing Pei and Luyao Sun

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021495 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3123

Abstract

The odor generated by air conditioners is an important factor influencing the perceived air quality in buildings. In this study, different types of air conditioners and air filters were investigated to study the level of odor emission related to the operation state of the compressor, to identify the odor compounds and to analyze the cooling setpoint temperature on emitted odor intensity. Results show that the odor from constant frequency air conditioner use is periodic and stronger than that from variable frequency air conditioner use due to the different operation strategies of the compressor, which affect the evaporation of condensed water on the surface of the cooling coil. Ethyl acetate, acetic acid, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, acetaldehyde, hexanal, nonanal, toluene and n-hexane are identified as odor compounds by Odor Active Value (OAV), Gas Chromatography/Olfactory/Mass Spectrometry (GC/O/MS) and Flavornet methods. The higher cooling setpoint temperature would lead to stronger odor, due to greater release of hydrophilic odorous compounds from condensed water. In our opinion, reducing the residual condensed water in air conditioners may be the key to control odor emission before purification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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18 pages, 22639 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment Model (IEQ) for Houses

by Felipe Quesada-Molina and Sebastián Astudillo-Cordero

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021276 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4769

Abstract

Housing and its indoor environment influence its inhabitants’ comfort, productivity, and health. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to investigate the factors that affect indoor environmental quality. Thus, numerous sustainability assessment systems have been developed to evaluate building performance. This paper presents a model for evaluating the indoor environment of housing located in the Biobio region of Chile, integrating aspects that influence its overall quality. The research methodology proposes a strategy to identify appropriate evaluation criteria and contextualized standards. The application of the model made it possible to identify the level of performance of studio dwellings for each category, namely air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and lighting, as well as the overall evaluation of the IEQ. The results reflect that the lowest levels of performance in the three houses were with respect to the acoustic evaluation criteria, while the highest levels of performance were for the air quality evaluation criteria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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Review

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23 pages, 3183 KiB

Open AccessReview

Literature Review on the Indoor Air VOCs Purification Performance of Metal–Organic Frameworks

by Kaiqiao Wang, Jinzhe Nie, Honghao Huang and Fuqun He

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12923; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712923 - 27 Aug 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2555

Abstract

Controlling the indoor air (volatile organic compound) VOCs concentration plays an important role in creating a healthy and comfortable living environment. Comparing several VOCs purification measures, solid adsorption is found to be a promising air cleaning method for civil buildings, which have diverse VOCs pollutants. For solid adsorption technology, absorbance is the key to its air-cleaning performance. Compared with traditional adsorbent materials, (metal–organic frameworks) MOFs have excellent physical parameters and are promising adsorbent materials. In this paper, the synthesis and adsorption mechanisms underlying several metal–organic frameworks are summarized. The exploration and experiment measurements of VOCs adsorption performance according to the metal–organic frameworks are summarized. The exploration of these materials’ stability during air cleaning is reviewed. Finally, some application examples of metal–organic frameworks for VOCs adsorption are given. This literature review demonstrates that metal–organic frameworks can be promising adsorbents for indoor air cleaning. The green synthesis methods, stability, adsorption performance under low concentration and diverse VOCs conditions, and application methods for metal–organic frameworks should be further researched before their large-scale application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Indoor Environment Quality in Sustainable Buildings)

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