Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer
Currently, widely available three-dimensional (3D) printers are very popular with the public. Previous research has shown that these printers can emit ultrafine particles (UFPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Several studies have examined the emissivity of filaments from 3D printing, except...
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doaj-c9db6dd7f6864ba2964173f32a781eb02021-01-22T00:06:13ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012021-01-011892992910.3390/ijerph18030929Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D PrinterSarka Bernatikova0Ales Dudacek1Radka Prichystalova2Vit Klecka3Lucie Kocurkova4Department of Fire Protection, Faculty of Safety Engineering, VSB—Technical University of Ostrava, CZ708 00 Ostrava, Czech RepublicDepartment of Fire Protection, Faculty of Safety Engineering, VSB—Technical University of Ostrava, CZ708 00 Ostrava, Czech RepublicDepartment of Occupational and Process Safety, Faculty of Safety Engineering, VSB—Technical University of Ostrava, CZ708 00 Ostrava, Czech RepublicDepartment of Fire Protection, Faculty of Safety Engineering, VSB—Technical University of Ostrava, CZ708 00 Ostrava, Czech RepublicDepartment of Occupational and Process Safety, Faculty of Safety Engineering, VSB—Technical University of Ostrava, CZ708 00 Ostrava, Czech RepublicCurrently, widely available three-dimensional (3D) printers are very popular with the public. Previous research has shown that these printers can emit ultrafine particles (UFPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Several studies have examined the emissivity of filaments from 3D printing, except glycol modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) and styrene free co-polyester (NGEN) filaments. The aim of this study was to evaluate UFP and VOC emissions when printing using a commonly available 3D printer (ORIGINAL PRUSA i3 MK2 printer) using PETG and NGEN. The concentrations of UFPs were determined via measurements of particle number concentration and size distribution. A thermal analysis was carried out to ascertain whether signs of fiber decomposition would occur at printing temperatures. The total amount of VOCs was determined using a photoionization detector, and qualitatively analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total particle concentrations were 3.88 × 10<sup>10</sup> particles for PETG and 6.01 × 10<sup>9</sup> particles for NGEN. VOCs at very low concentrations were detected in both filaments, namely ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene. In addition, styrene was identified in PETG. On the basis of our results, we recommend conducting additional measurements, to more accurately quantify personal exposure to both UFPs and VOCs, focusing on longer exposure as it can be a source of potential cancer risk.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/3/929ultrafine particles3D printingVOCsexposure |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sarka Bernatikova Ales Dudacek Radka Prichystalova Vit Klecka Lucie Kocurkova |
spellingShingle |
Sarka Bernatikova Ales Dudacek Radka Prichystalova Vit Klecka Lucie Kocurkova Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ultrafine particles 3D printing VOCs exposure |
author_facet |
Sarka Bernatikova Ales Dudacek Radka Prichystalova Vit Klecka Lucie Kocurkova |
author_sort |
Sarka Bernatikova |
title |
Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer |
title_short |
Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer |
title_full |
Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer |
title_fullStr |
Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer |
title_full_unstemmed |
Characterization of Ultrafine Particles and VOCs Emitted from a 3D Printer |
title_sort |
characterization of ultrafine particles and vocs emitted from a 3d printer |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1661-7827 1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Currently, widely available three-dimensional (3D) printers are very popular with the public. Previous research has shown that these printers can emit ultrafine particles (UFPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Several studies have examined the emissivity of filaments from 3D printing, except glycol modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) and styrene free co-polyester (NGEN) filaments. The aim of this study was to evaluate UFP and VOC emissions when printing using a commonly available 3D printer (ORIGINAL PRUSA i3 MK2 printer) using PETG and NGEN. The concentrations of UFPs were determined via measurements of particle number concentration and size distribution. A thermal analysis was carried out to ascertain whether signs of fiber decomposition would occur at printing temperatures. The total amount of VOCs was determined using a photoionization detector, and qualitatively analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total particle concentrations were 3.88 × 10<sup>10</sup> particles for PETG and 6.01 × 10<sup>9</sup> particles for NGEN. VOCs at very low concentrations were detected in both filaments, namely ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene. In addition, styrene was identified in PETG. On the basis of our results, we recommend conducting additional measurements, to more accurately quantify personal exposure to both UFPs and VOCs, focusing on longer exposure as it can be a source of potential cancer risk. |
topic |
ultrafine particles 3D printing VOCs exposure |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/3/929 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT sarkabernatikova characterizationofultrafineparticlesandvocsemittedfroma3dprinter AT alesdudacek characterizationofultrafineparticlesandvocsemittedfroma3dprinter AT radkaprichystalova characterizationofultrafineparticlesandvocsemittedfroma3dprinter AT vitklecka characterizationofultrafineparticlesandvocsemittedfroma3dprinter AT luciekocurkova characterizationofultrafineparticlesandvocsemittedfroma3dprinter |
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