Numerical analysis applied to wood materials selection for museums based on acetic acid and formic acid emissions

Acetic acid and formic acid, emitted from wood and wood-based building materials, are important agents of metal corrosion and discoloration in museum artifacts. The use of low-emission wood-based materials in the design and construction of display cases or storage facilities offers a straightforward approach to mitigating such chemical emissions. In this study, we applied an established mathematical model to analyze the emission behavior of acetic acid and formic acid from wood-based materials, with consideration of their non-uniform and time-dependent characteristics. The applicability of the double-exponential model for acetic acid and the first-order decay model for formic acid was examined using plywood, solid wood, and wood flooring specimens. Furthermore, through numerical analysis, we developed a method to compare the relative emission amounts of different materials. Our findings provide insights into the long-term emission characteristics of acetic acid and formic acid and offer useful indicators for selecting appropriate materials for museum environments.