Field test and energy analysis on the application of thermal catalytic technology in wood buildings for contributing zero carbon buildings

Abstract

Wood buildings, with their exceptional carbon sequestration capabilities, show immense potential in achieving carbon neutrality. However, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from these structures pose significant health risks. To address this issue, this paper proposed an innovative thermal catalytic Trombe wall (TC-T-Wall), designed with architectural aesthetics in mind. Experiments were conducted on a wood building equipped with the TC-T-Wall to evaluate its thermal performance and air purification efficiency. Heat and mass transfer models were developed and validated, and the system's performance was analyzed under varying TC-T-Wall areas. Additionally, energy consumption in wood buildings with TC-T-Wall was examined in different regions. Key findings were as follows: (1) Experimental results showed that the indoor temperature of the wood building increased from 18 °C to 41 °C, and formaldehyde concentration dropped from 1.826 ppm to zero within three hours. (2) As the TC-T-Wall area increased, the formaldehyde degradation rate rose from 67% to 93%, and the total volume of clean air produced increased from 112.89 m³ to 309.88 m³. (3) Energy consumption analysis across different regions revealed that the TC-T-Wall system performed especially well in Nanjing. In January, energy consumption was reduced by 53.69%, and in July by 19.11%, with the system producing 9,212 m³ of clean air in January and 7,259 m³ in July