Procedure for measuring formaldehyde liberation from formaldehyde-based resins

A method is described for measuring formaldehyde released as vapor from formaldehyde-containing solids (e.g. cured urea-formaldehyde resins or model compounds) rather than formaldehyde released from solids slurried in aqueous systems. Solid particles of ground material are placed into a closed vessel that contains a separate vessel of sulfuric acid, which both controls humidity and efficiently absorbs formaldehyde released from the solid particles. The method is simple and straightforward, and it permits formaldehyde liberation to be determined as a function of time, temperature, humidity, and resin structure and composition. Major findings and conclusions from the study reported here: 1) reproducibility of the method is satisfactory; 2) particle size between 180 ?m and 45 ?m did not significantly affect liberation rate; 3) sample size can affect measured liberation rate, particularly with high emission-rate materials; 4) complete recovery of liberated formaldehyde can be achieved; and 5) for the materials reported on here, hydrolytic degradation, not simple desorption, was the major source of liberated formaldehyde.

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