USE OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL IN CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL, CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR AIR PURIFICATION

Abstract

The present invention the use of a composite material in construction material or a decorative object, construction material or a decorative object comprising composite material, a method for air purification and a process for the manufacture of construction material or a decorative object capable of air purification.

Claims

1. A method comprising applying a composite material comprising at least one polymer (P) and at least one compound (C) selected from the group consisting of mineral oxides, silicoaluminates and activated carbon as a component of a construction material or of a decorative object capable of reducing odors and/or hazardous substances in the gas phase.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite material has a number median particle size of at least 100 m and a pore volume (Vd1), constituted of pores of diameter ranging from 3.6 to 1000 nm, of at least 0.2 cm.sup.3/g.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer (P) is selected from the group consisting of: cellulose, cellulose derivatives, starch, starch derivatives, alginate or alginate derivatives, polyethylene, guars, guar derivatives, polyvinyl alcohols and derivatives of polyvinyl alcohols, preferably wherein the at least one polymer (P) is cellulose acetate.

4. The method use according to claim 1, wherein the at least one compound (C) is selected from the group consisting of silicas, aluminas, zirconium oxides, titanium oxides, iron oxides, cerium oxides, aluminosilicates and activated carbon, preferably wherein the at least at least one compound (C) comprises precipitated silica, active carbon or both precipitated silica and active carbon.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite material has a median particle size of at least 200 m.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite material has a pore volume (Vd1), made up of pores of diameter ranging from 3.6 to 1.000 nm, of at least 0.2 cm.sup.3/g.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite material has an average pore diameter, for pores of diameter ranging from 3.6 and 1.000 nm, of greater than 9 nm.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite material has a BET specific surface area of at least 50 m.sup.2/g.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composite material has a polymer (P) content of from 10 percent to 95 percent, and a compound (C) content of from 5 percent to 90 percent.

10. A Construction material or a decorative object comprising composite material comprising at least one polymer (P) and at least one compound (C) selected from the group consisting of mineral oxides, silicoaluminates and activated carbon.

11. The Construction material or a decorative object according to claim 10, wherein the composite material has a number median particle size of at least 100 m and a pore volume (Vd1), constituted of pores of diameter ranging from 3.6 to 1000 nm, of at least 0.2 cm.sup.3/g.

12. The Construction material or a decorative object according to claim 10, wherein the at least one polymer (P) is selected from the group consisting of: cellulose, cellulose derivatives, starch, starch derivatives, alginate or alginate derivatives, polyethylene, guars, guar derivatives, polyvinyl alcohols and derivatives of polyvinyl alcohols, preferably wherein the at least one polymer (P) is cellulose acetate.

13. The Construction material or a decorative object according to claim 10, wherein the at least one compound (C) is selected from the group consisting of silicas, aluminas, zirconium oxides, titanium oxides, iron oxides, cerium oxides, aluminosilicates and activated carbon, preferably wherein the at least at least one compound (C) comprises precipitated silica, active carbon or both precipitated silica and active carbon.

14. A method for air purification comprising removing odours or hazardous gaseous substances from air by applying a construction material or a decorative object comprising at least one composite material comprising at least one polymer (P) and at least one compound (C) selected from the group consisting of mineral oxides, silicoaluminates and activated carbon to an object, in particular a building or a vehicle.

15. A process for the manufacture of a construction material or a decorative object capable of air purification comprising removing odours or hazardous gaseous substances from air by incorporating at least one composite material comprising at least one polymer (P) and at least one compound (C) selected from the group consisting of mineral oxides, silicoaluminates and activated carbon into the construction material or the decorative object.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0042] 10 g of Rhodia FilterSorb are mixed with 100 mL of polystyrene perls (for example Theraline EPS perls, diameter 0.5-1.5 mm) and inserted into a bag of air permeable polyester fabric. The bad is placed in a closed glass testing box of about 5 Liter volume. The air in the glass box is spiked with 0.15 g/m.sup.3 formaldehyde. GC measurements show that the formaldehyde concentration in the air is significantly reduced after about 8 hours until almost all formaldehyde is removed from the gas phase.

Example 2

[0043] Example 1 is repeated, but the Rhodia FilterSorb/polystyrene perl mixture is inserted in the bad into a cartridge connected to a ventilator in the glass box, such that the air in the glass box is forced through the cartridge. The reduction of the formaldehyde in the air is significantly faster than in example 1.

Example 3

[0044] A chip board is manufactured according to standard technologies, by mixing wood particles with an amino-formaldehyde based resin, forming a layer, adding another layer wherin wood particles, maize granulate and Rhodia FilterSorb are mixed with an amino-formaldehyde based resin, and adding a final layer comprising wood particles with an amino-formaldehyde based resin.

[0045] The chip board is then compressed under usual conditions, for example by applying 2 MPa and 140 C. A piece of this chip board is then subjected to headspace monitoring as applied in example 1 and 2, and compared to a chip board manufactured by the same method, but without Rhodia FilterSorb. The chip board comprising Rhodia FilterSorb displays a significantly reduced amount of formaldehyde in the headspace compared with the chip board not comprising Rhodia FilterSorb.

Example 4

[0046] Rhodia FilterSorb is added to commercial dispersion paint at a load of 5 w % and applied to a piece of wallpaper. After drying, a piece of 10 cm10 cm is cut and placed into the glass box as in example 1. The air is spiked with 0.15 g/m.sup.3 formaldehyde. GC measurements show that the formaldehyde concentration in the air is significantly reduced after about 24 hours. Using the dispersion paint without Rhodia FilterSorb, no reduction of formaldehyde is observed in a wallpaper sample.