Indoor Air Quality
Energy Environment
“Indoor Environmental Quality” (IEQ) theme
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) integrates the study of comfort parameters (temperature, humidity, noise, light) and the composition of air breathed in closed environments (homes, workplaces, transport, etc.) in order to guarantee occupants’ well-being and health. IEQ reconciles energy transition challenges, working to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and systems, with occupant comfort and health issues.
Motivated by public heath challenges and socioeconomic expectations, IEQ research activities aim to provide information on and understand determinants in order to identify catalysts to guarantee occupants’ environmental health and comfort. The purpose of the research is also to assist stakeholders with the construction, renovation and management of buildings; and to inform, raise awareness, recommend and guide public authorities and populations.
The IEQ thematic focus integrates questions relating to both wide-ranging indoor environments but also their occupants and activities. The scientific strategy involves experimental actions and advanced data analysis focusing on all components of IEQ: materials, construction, ventilation, sanitary and heat treatment of air, aerothermal components, exposure, well-being, comfort and environmental health.
Our aim is to bring together communities to develop a USP multidisciplinary approach guaranteeing the operability of the results recorded. Our expertise is focused on analytical physical chemistry, heterogeneous physical chemistry, materials sciences, and energy efficiency. We prioritize interactions with the following related disciplines: data sciences, human sciences, toxicology and public health via flagship projects funded at regional, national and European levels.
Contacts :
Our projects cover a wide range of areas of application: building, sanitary and heat treatment of indoor environments, occupants and activities, and materials and processes.
The main questions that guide research activities concern:
- Understanding determinants of fluid-material interactions that govern (i) sanitary and heat treatment of indoor environments; (ii) metrological performance of air quality sensors.
- Characterization of sources of pollution, evaluation of exposure and demonstration of relationships between measured exposure and exposure perceived by occupants.
- Taking account of the impact of climate change and societal transitions on indoor environmental quality.
QUESTION 1: FLUID-MATERIAL INTERACTIONS
Gas-surface interactions are determinants of indoor air quality both on a local scale (close to the material) and on room scale. These interactions govern exchanges of pollutants between materials and indoor air. Understanding and accurate modeling of these exchanges are crucial because they ultimately impact occupants’ exposure; they require development of multi-scale experimental devices to determine interaction parameters as well as implement high-fidelity digital simulations permitting better modeling of mechanisms in the presence of anisothermal and thermal fields.
The purposes are wide-ranging: formulation of new so-called depolluting materials, improvement of detection of gas species by sensitive surfaces, design of aerothermal components with a depolluting function to improve indoor environmental comfort.
QUESTION 2: SOURCES OF POLLUTANTS AND EXPOSURE
The development of metrological and methodological tools to identify sources of pollution and evaluate exposure constitutes a USP area of expertise for the IEQ Thematic Focus. These skills are based on (i) metrological expertise, focused on analysis of indoor air pollutants including emerging pollutants (microplastics, odorous compounds, emissions from bio-based – recycled materials); (ii) experimentation on a 1 : 1 scale to realistically take account under controlled conditions of exposure relating to materials, consumer products and occupants’ activities; (iii) advantageous positioning in relation to the data science and human science communities with a view to providing an informed opinion on the value of metrological data and its formatting to develop quality indices intended for the general public.
The purposes can be: (i) suggesting ways to improve formulations of bio-based or recycled materials to limit their emissions without compromising their functional properties; (ii) designing master protocols for evaluation of remedial solutions; (iii) participating in raising awareness among the general public and assisting the public authorities with the issue of indoor air quality.
QUESTION 3: INFLUENCE OF THE OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT
The environmental context guides our research trajectory to take account of the impact of climate change and societal transitions on indoor environmental quality. The research questions posed are as follows: what innovative aerothermal components should be used to guarantee the comfort of indoor environments and improve energy efficiency and comfort? What are the impacts of thermal renovation and solutions adopted to tackle extreme climate episodes? What are the impacts of climate change on sources of pollutants identified in indoor environments?
Our approach firstly focuses on (i) design of new aerothermal components directly integrated into buildings’ ventilation to provide an additional or main heating and/or cooling solution; (ii) development of a MONICA multi-instrumented thermal manikin for simultaneous characterization of thermal comfort and exposure near the human body.
Our scientific approach is based both on an analytical metrology basis, methodological development, and digital simulation tools:
- Physical chemical instrumentation and gas and particulate pollutant sensors
- 40m3 IRINA experimental room to study IAQ on a 1:1 scale under controlled conditions
- MONICA multi-instrumented manikin for simultaneous evaluation of thermal comfort and individual exposure to pollutants
- High-fidelity simulation of gas-surface interactions on different scales influencing sanitary and thermal treatment of air
- estaMINez sensory panel trained for objectivized olfactory evaluation of odorous atmospheres in indoor environments and materials emissions
PROJECTS
AIRCLEAN
AIRCLEAN
AIRCLEAN project (development of cabin air quality equipment for all aircraft segments) The French AIRCLEAN project was selected as part of the Single Inter-Ministerial Fund’s 22nd call for projects (FUI-22) with the goal of treating aircraft cabin air to ensure…
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