Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds from leathers by 20L small chamber method

Analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from the grain surface of leathers was carried out according to JIS A 1901 (Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds and aldehydes for building products - Small chamber method) for the first time. The emission rates (mug/m(2.)h) of five designated chemical substances (toluene, xylene, ethyl benzene, styrene, n-tetradecane) and the total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were determined. In this study, there were a few leathers for which toluene was detected, but the emission rate was small. In the finishing process, many kinds of finishing agent, such as waterborne polyurethane resin, an auxiliary and so on, are usually used, so that the TVOC in some leathers contained a large amount of alcohols, ketones and esters.