Efficacy of a titanium dioxide nanoparticles - based indoor anti-odor product as assessed by electronic nose and gaschromatography - mass spectrometry

Indoor air pollutants and odorants may have psychological and physical impact on exposed individuals and the unpleasant room air is considered as one of the factors associated with sick building syndrome comprising general symptoms such as headache and lethargy. Approaches for improving the quality of indoor air are thus important as support for human health and well-being. Photo-oxidation catalyzed by titanium dioxide (TiO2), is one of the methods used for elimination of volatile organic compounds, which are the cause of odor nuisance in indoor and outdoor air. In the present investigation, the efficacy of an experimental anti-odor air freshener based on TiO2nanoparticles was estimated by testing its ability in removing from a small air chamber (200 mL) the odor of triethylamine solutions (50 uL at concentrations between 0.700 to 700 mM), used as a model volatile molecule for simulating fish-like unpleasant indoor environment. The evaluation was performed by electronic nose which provided a holistic and objective data on the efficacy of the product, demonstrating that the effects of triethylamine even at the highest tested concentrations can be completely removed by application of 3.0 g of the product at 25% TiO2 nanoparticles concentration. The obtained results were confirmed by gaschromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis addressed to the quantitative determination of residual triethylamine in the environment after treatment by the anti-odor product.