Chemical Engineering Project Topics

Production of Liquid and Vapourised Air Freshener From Local Raw Materials

Production of Liquid and Vapourised Air Freshener From Local Raw Materials

Production of Liquid and Vapourised Air Freshener From Local Raw Materials

Chapter One

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The project is aimed and designed to evaluate the production of liquid and vaporized air freshener with an attempt to show the key ingredient used in the production of liquid and vaporized air freshener. The study reveals that air freshener is a product designed to mask or remove unpleasant room odors. These products typically deliver fragrance and other odor counteractants into the air. Other objectives of these studies are stated below:

  1.     To provide liquid and vaporized air freshener formulation that is easy to manufacture and does not require high temperature casting.
  2.     It is provide liquid and vaporized air freshener formulation that includes greater than 10% fragrance.
  3.     To provide liquid and vaporized air freshener that is stable and does not experience significant fragrance weeping across normal transportation temperatures of up to 30-50° C.
  4.     To provide liquid and vaporized air freshener that is easily dissolvable in water, and creates a clear liquid composition that is free of large particles and clumps.

Other objectives, aspects and advantages of this research will be apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the following disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

Major efforts have been made to address current indoor air problems since daily societal activities are mostly performed in confined environments. Consequently, people are exposed to a large variety of pollutants from chemical, biological, or physical origins (Weschler 2001). The scientific community has focused its attention on chemical pollutants, principally volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are defined as organic compounds with lower boiling points ranging from 50 to 100 °C and upper boiling points ranging from 240 to 260 °C (Brown et al. 1994; World Health Organization 2010).

Sources of indoor contaminants that might affect human health can be divided into three main categories:

(i) infiltration from outdoor air,

(ii) building materials and furnishings, and

(iii) indoor human activities (Missia et al. 2012). The concen- trations of these pollutants can vary widely with time as the values are driven by four different parameters, known as in- door air determinants.

These determinants are

(i) the emission rates of primary sources,

(ii) the air exchange rate (AER) be- tween indoor and outdoor environments,

(iii) interactions with surfaces, and

(iv) homogeneous and heterogeneous reactivity (Weschler 2004). This fourth determinant should not be ruled out since pollutants can react with other compounds or oxi- dants, forming secondary species that are otherwise absent from indoor environments (Weschler and Shields 1997b).

Among indoor sources of pollutants, the main sources of chemical contaminants are linked to the activities of occu- pants, such as interior renovation or decoration, smoking, cooking, and cleaning activities (Kirchner et al. 2001). Cleaning is performed by the population to increase hygiene, improve esthetics, and preserve materials (Wolkoff et al. 1998). Furthermore, among the thousand available and marketed products, scented products are appealing because a pleasant odor provides the sensation of a cleaner environment. Despite all the benefits involved in cleaning activities, such products present many associated risks.

Essential oils are a group of odorous or fragrant chemicals extracted from plants that can contain hundreds of molecules, mainly belonging to the terpene chemical family (Zuzarte and Salgueiro 2015). Terpenes and terpenoids are large classes of chemicals, all derivatives of the isoprene (C5H8) and produced from biosynthesis by a large diversity of plants. Terpenes are strictly hydrocarbons of general molecular formula (C5H8)n, whereas terpenoids contain additional functional groups, mainly O-containing such as terpenes alcohols. Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are respectively constituted with 2 and 3 isoprenic units and are divided into acyclic, mono-, bi-, and tri-cyclic compounds. Essential oils promise a decrease in microorganism activity and an increase in indoor air quality due to their antibacterial properties (Koukos et al. 2000; Danh et al. 2012; Teixeira et al. 2013; Harkat-Madouri et al. 2015; Luís et al. 2016; Said et al. 2016). To these ends, essential oils are widely used in the formulation of household products to (i) naturally scent the products, (ii) enhance the purifying performance, and (iii) refresh and “purify” indoor environments with a “natural” claim.

Currently, as indoor air quality has become a major concern for human health, air purifiers, antibacterial air fresheners, and “naturally scented” cleaning products have become trend and market leaders among household products. However, based on the ambiguity of the words “purifying” and “natural,” consumer products formulated with essential oils have benefited from skillful marketing strategies. Indeed, products containing essential oils take advantage of “natural” or “green” formula- tions to promote an increase in indoor air quality by purifying and reducing synthetic chemical emissions.

 

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN

This study made use of the experimental research design. This design also has to do with expository analysis using secondary data and qualitative tools of analysis. This design is suitable for this study as it involves review of peer articles, journals and publications as well as experts in the subject matter on production of liquid and vaporized air freshener from local raw materials (terpenes).

DATA ANALYSIS

Sampling strategies primarily refer to

(i) the duration of tests,

(ii) the duration of sampling,

(iii) the frequency of sampling, and

(iv) the interval of time between samplings. Likewise, analytical strategies mainly refer to instrumental methodologies for qualitative and quantitative analyses. Both sampling and analytical strategies must be developed and optimized depending on the species of interest and the emission dynamics. The main chemical compounds targeted in emissions from essential oil-based household products are terpenes. Thus, depending on the chemical and physical properties of terpenes, sampling and analytical strategies must be adapted.

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

RESULTS

Formation of secondary pollutants: gases and particulate matter

Based on reviewed studies, Table 1 reports the formation yields of products obtained from the reaction of the three main indoor oxidants with (i) nine monoter- penes, (ii) one sesquiterpene, and (iii) three terpene alcohols. The formation yields of products are generally expressed in moles of reaction product generated per mole of oxidant, usually considered the limiting reactant. NS in Table 17 corresponds not to reported yields but to confirmed secondary products. Similarly, NQ corresponds to species with formation yields under the detection limits. Among the stable and volatile oxidation products detected and quantified in the studies reviewed to create Table 1, formaldehyde is of particular interest because of its toxicity.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

CONCLUSION

The perception of essential oils as ingredients of natural origin tends to obscure the potential impacts of these chemical species on IAQ when they are extensively used in housecleaning products and air fresheners. Essential oils mostly consist of complex mixtures of terpenes and terpenoids. The physical and chemical properties of TerVOCs lead to their direct transfer from the liquid phase to the gas phase, increasing inhalation exposure to allergens and pollutants. Moreover, TerVOCs can lead to sensitization and subsequent induction of allergic symptoms in the respiratory tract. Despite the possible health concerns related to the ubiquitous use of scented household products, no specific regulation is proposed. More restrictive requirements must be satisfied by household product manufacturers for the products to be certified as organic and/or green since the ecolabeling of products is based on the evaluation of their environmental impact and hazards to human health throughout their life cycles. However, whether conventional or eco-certified, fragranced products can contain a range of hazardous air pollutants, and only a few such pollutants are revealed to the public through product labels. As a consequence, consumers do not have adequate information concerning potential exposure to risks, and a fictitious perception of safety when buying “natural” household products is possible.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Although cleaning activities are performed to improve IAQ and hygiene, the reaction of terpenes with indoor oxidants might produce significant amounts of secondary air pollutants. Among such pollutants, formaldehyde and secondary organic aerosols might be generated in substantial amounts and may increase the exposure of occupants, exceeding relevant health standards and guidelines. The results reported in the literature related to outdoor chemistry provide relevant background information to understand the homogeneous reactivity of indoor TerVOCs. Nonetheless, homogeneous reactivity does not pre- clude that adsorbed terpenes do not react with indoor oxidants. In contrast, the formation yields of secondary pollutants are enhanced when TerVOCs are in the adsorbed phase, suggesting a predominant impact of heterogeneous processes on IAQ. The homogeneous and heterogeneous reactive behaviors of TerVOCs in the indoor environment reveal a further need to understand their indoor physics and chemistry.

REFERENCES

  • Afnor Certification (2012) Règles générales de la marque NF environnement (in French)
  • ANSES (2017) Identification et analyse des différentes techniques d’épuration d’air intérieur émergentes. ANSES, France (in French)  Arey J, Atkinson R, Aschmann SM (1990) Product study of the gas-phase reactions of monoterpenes with the OH radical in the presence of NOx. J Geophys Res 95:18539–18546. https://doi.org/10.1029/
  • jd095id11p18539
  • Atkinson R, Arey J (2003) Gas-phase tropospheric chemistry of biogenic volatile organic compounds: a review. Atmos Environ 37:197–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(03)00391-1
  • Babu KGD, Singh B, Joshi VP, Singh V (2002) Essential oil composition of Damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) distilled under different pressures and temperatures. Flavour Fragr J 17:136–140. https:// doi.org/10.1002/ffj.1052
  • Bartzis J, Wolkoff P, Stranger M, Efthimiou G, Tolis EI, Maes F, Nørgaard AW, Ventura G, Kalimeri KK, Goelen E, Fernandes O (2015) On organic emissions testing from indoor consumer prod- ucts’ use. J Hazard Mater 285:37–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jhazmat.2014.11.024
  • Baughman AV, Gadgil AJ, Nazaroff WW (1994) Mixing of a point source pollutant by natural convection flow within a room. Indoor Air 4: 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.1994.t01-2-00006.x
  • Bayrak A, Akgül A (1994) Volatile oil composition of Turkish rose (Rosa damascena). J Sci Food Agric 64:441–448. https://doi.org/10.1002/ jsfa.2740640408