Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613

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Applied Thermal Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apthermeng

Research Paper

Experimental study on moisture migration process of zeolite-based

composite humidity control material
Bo Zhou, Juan Shi, Zhen qian Chen ⇑
IIUSE, Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, China

h i g h l i g h t s

The zeolite-based humidity control material (2# ZBHCM) was developed.

The porous structure and spectrum distribution of 2# ZBHCM were characterized.

Effects of temperature and humidity on performance of materials were examined.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper proposes a new method for the modification of zeolite by microwave-assisted NH4Cl solution,
Received 27 May 2017 and develops a new humidity control material: Zeolite-based humidity composite control material (2#
Revised 7 August 2017 ZBHCM). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), FT-IR spectroscopy and N2 adsorption measurement are
Accepted 28 August 2017
adopted to characterize the microscope pore morphology and spectrum distribution analysis of natural
Available online 31 August 2017
zeolite before and after modifications, respectively. In view of the humidity control characteristics of
the 2#ZBHCM, the author designs and constructs a humidity control test system, and conducts experi-
Keywords:
mental study of the humidity control performance of the material and its effect on indoor air temperature
Zeolite
Composite material
and relative humidity when applied indoors. The experimental results show that: the 2#ZBHCM has an
Moisture migration unobvious effect on indoor temperature but a significant impact on indoor humidity; the relative indoor
Humidity control air humidity varies in a smaller range if the wall is coated with the 2#ZBHCM on the inside instead of
ordinary plates, offering indoor staff with better thermal comfort.
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction humidity adjusting characteristics of a type of compound silica-

As an important indicator of the comfort of the indoor environ-
ment, air humidity plays an important role in human health, pro-
duct manufacturing and article protection [1]. The exact criterion
of air humidity is necessary, especially in hospital, gallery and
museum. Thus, it is of great significance and engineering value to
develop a wall humidity control material that has good moisture
absorption and desorption performance to detect and automati-
cally adjust the relative air humidity.
Since the use of a HCM was initially proposed by a Japanese
scholar [2], it has received considerable interest, both at home
and abroad. Various HCMs were developed, including biomass
HCM [3], inorganic HCM [4], and organic HCM [5]. For years, scien-
tists have been working on improving performance of humidity-
controlling materials. Relle and Hallensleben [6–7] studied the
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: zqchen@seu.edu.cn (Z.qian Chen).
gel hygroscopic material in a closed small environment box. Hase-
gawa [8] obtained the charcoal by charring wood at 400–1000 °C
and found that compared with wood fiber material, the hydro-
scopic property of the charcoal was greatly improved. Zhen et al.
[9] studied the hygrothermal performances of three types of
diatomite-based humidity control building materials and the
effects of porosity, ambient temperature and relative humidity
on the humidity control performance. Ding et al. [10] filled phos-
phas and aluminium oxide into the pores of sepiolite and obtained
the composite material with the favorable moisture compatibility
about 1.2 g/g in the average temperature of 25 °C. Du et al. [11]
studied the humidity control performance optimization of kaolin
clay by calcining and found that the hygroscopic moisture content
changed faster when the relative ambient humidity remains stable
in the range of 50–75%. Based on the structural design of porous
resin, Yang et al. [12] carried out the CMC-g-PAM/PAAS resin by
means of twice produced porous and tested the moisture adsorp-
tion isotherms and maximum air humidity content of resin under

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.08.138
1359-4311/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613 605

Nomenclature

d moisture content (kg/kg) bireduction b value of the temperature reduction process in the i-th
mq mass of water vapor (kg) cycle
mg mass of dry air (kg)
/ relative humidity (%) Subscripts
pB local atmospheric pressure (Pa) q water vapor
pS partial pressure of saturated water vapor (Pa) g dry air
b b value B local atmospheric pressure
x absolute humidity (kg/m3) S saturated water vapor
X0 initial value of the absolute ambient humidity (kg/m3) 0 initial value
X (t) absolute humidity at the ambient temperature (kg/m3) i i-th cycle
t ambient temperature (°C) rising temperature rising process
biri sin g b value of the temperature rising process in the i-th reduction temperature reduction process
cycle

the low and high humidity condition, characterized the microscope assisted NH4Cl solution activation, prepares a new humidity con-
pore morphology and spectrum distribution analysis of resin by trol material with natural mordenite with good heat stability and
using the TG, SEM, FTIR . Yang et al. [13] prepared the composite acid resistance as the base material, and conducts experimental
humidity controlling material by the cooperation between poly- study of the humidity control performance of the material and
mer’s carboxylic acidic groups, sepiolite and acrylics and adopted its effect on indoor air temperature and relative humidity when
to describe the pore structure and the surface of the particles by applied indoors.
using SEM and FTIR.
The research studies described above experimentally character-
2. Preparation of zeolite-based composite humidity control
ized the HCM on the macroscopic scale and tested the performance
material (2# ZBHCM)
of HCM by a static weighting system, the optimal treatment and
the best mixed portions of raw materials, HCM as well as the
2.1. Optimized modification of zeolite filler
humidity control performance measurement of the HCM. As typi-
cal wall humidity control material with engineering value, the
In view of the various cations, absorbed water and organic
application and the further testing on the moisture buffering
impurities in the pores of natural zeolite, the modification of the
effects at room level are of great significance [14]. To the best of
zeolite sample was performed by microwave heating, which
our knowledge, there are only a small number of reports describing
removed the non-porous adsorbed water from the surface of natu-
research in this area. Simulation has been applied to evaluate the
ral zeolite, took away the organic impurities in the pores, and
moisture buffering effects at room level. Zhang Huibo et al. [15]
expanded the pores to a certain extent. The re-modification of
designed and investigated in a climate-controlled test chamber
the sample was achieved by microwave-assisted NH4Cl solution.
with different parameters such as loading ratio of hygroscopic
After entering the zeolite pores, NH+4 replaced the Na+, K+ and other
material, moisture load, and air change rate and got the humidity
metal cations in the molecular sieve, and drove them into the solu-
variation and distribution in a hygroscopic material fur-nished
tion. Under the microwave radiation, the NH+4 in the pores moved
room. Using the transient moisture transfer (TMT) facility, Prabal
in the electric field towards the zeolite skeleton. The ensuing colli-
Talukdar et al. [16]tested with a single step change in humidity
sion and friction produced a thermal effect, under which some of
and tested with different flow rates as well as adsorption/desorp-
the Al3+ were stripped off from the zeolite skeleton and replaced
tion cyclical tests (three cycles) on spruce plywood and cellulose
by NH+4. In this way, the natural zeolite was modified as the NH+4-
insulation.
type zeolite. See Fig. 1 for the modification process.
Among these studies, the concept of moisture buffering value
Fig. 2(a)–(c) shows the SEM images of the surface microstruc-
based on material level tests has been widely adopted. However,
ture of the sample of natural zeolite, the sample of modified zeo-
the material buffering properties may not be directly representa-
lite and the sample of re-modified zeolite. Fig. 2(d)–(e) shows the
tive of the material buffering performance at room level because
images of the surface of the sample of natural zeolite and the
the moisture buffering effects are affected by room factors such
sample of the re-modified in normal scale. The sample of modi-
as ventilation conditions, indoor humidity and temperature, and
fied zeolite was obtained by heating up the natural zeolite in a
indoor environment initial conditions. Owing to its excellent prop-
variable frequency microwave oven at 100 W for 3 min. The sam-
erties, zeolite is one of the most viable options in inorganic mate-
ple of re-modified zeolite was prepared by treating the modified
rials. In theory, the maximum amount of water it absorbs weighs 2
zeolite with 3% NH4Cl solution and 3 min of 100 W microwave
to 3 times its own mass. Due to existence of water and impurities
irradiation. As is shown from the figures, the average pore size
in the pores and the poor interconnections, however, the actual
on the surface of natural zeolite was 33.8 nm. After the zeolite
absorptivity of natural zeolite fails to reach the theoretical value.
sample was re-modified by microwave-assisted NH4Cl, the sur-
It is necessary to modify the natural zeolite so as to improve the
face of the re-modified zeolite became loose and large pores
humidity control performance. The modified zeolite might have
appeared on the surface, putting the average pore size at
an influence on the humidity control performance. Ranging from
72.8 nm. The pore size expansion is explained as below. First,
acid activation to heat activation, chemical methods are commonly
the microwave heating of the zeolite sample removes the non-
used to modify zeolite at home and aboard [17–20]. Nevertheless,
porous adsorbed water from the surface of natural zeolite, takes
the methods are constrained by the complex operations and envi-
away the organic impurities in the pores. That will expand the
ronmental unfriendliness. In this background, this paper presents a
pores to a certain extent and make the pores more unobstructed.
novel method for the modification of zeolite by microwave-
Second, when the modified zeolite sample is re-modified by
606 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613

Fig. 1. The modification method of natural zeolite by microwave assisted ammonium chloride.

Fig. 2. SEM images of zeolite samples: (a) Natural zeolite; (b) Modified zeolite; (c) Re-modified zeolite; (d) Natural zeolite in normal scale; (e) Re-modified zeolite in normal
scale.

microwave-assisted with 3%NH4Cl solution, some of the NH+4
replaced the Na+, K+ and other metal cations in the molecular
sieve. Then some of the Al3+ are stripped off from the zeolite
skeleton and replaced by NH+4 under the microwave radiation,
and the natural zeolite is eventually modified as the NH+4-type
zeolite, which has a large average pore size.
In this paper, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is
used to analyze the surface of the porous material. It can be seen
from Fig. 3 that the infrared spectra of natural zeolite and modified
zeolite are basically the same, indicating that microwave modifica-
tion has neither affected the structure of porous media nor intro-
duced new bonds and functional groups. The absorption peaks of
lattice water appear at 3400 cm1 and 1637 cm1 [21], which is
the absorption peak of lattice water, 560 cm1 is the bending vibra-
tion of AlAO bond [12], while 1127 cm1 and 836 cm1 are the
antisymmetric stretching vibration and symmetrical stretching
vibration of external connections of silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons
[12]. Compared with the modified zeolite curve, the re-modified
zeolite curve has an obvious difference: the characteristic peak of
NH+4 deformation vibration appears near 1425 cm1 [22]. This phe-
nomenon proves that microwave-assisted NH4Cl treatment of zeo-
lite has removed the Al3+ from the molecular sieve and introduced
NH+4 to form the NH+4-type zeolite. The NH+4-type zeolite has smaller
mass per unit cell, larger pore size per unit mass, and larger
adsorption capacity than the natural zeolite. Therefore, it boasts
stronger adsorption capacity of water molecules.
Figs. 4 and 5 show the isothermal adsorption and desorption
analysis and pore size distribution of zeolite samples treated with
nitrogen as the adsorbent. It can be seen from Fig. 4 that the
adsorption and desorption isotherms and the hysteresis loops of
the three samples are quite similar and fall within Type IV iso-
therms [23], which shows that the pore structures and distribu-
tions of the three samples are quite similar, and that the three
samples are ideal humidity controlling material. However, the
nitrogen adsorption capacities of the modified and re-modified
samples are larger than that of the natural zeolite sample, and that
of the re-modified sample is the largest; in other words, the effec-
tive pore volume of the re-modified sample is the largest, indicat-
ing that the modification by the microwave-assisted NH4Cl can
significantly increase the effective pore volume of the zeolite sam-
ple. Fig. 5 shows that the modification process makes the pore size
distribution of the sample change. Because of the modification pro-
 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613
Fig. 3. FTIR spectra image of the natural zeolite, the natural zeolite after first
modifying, the natural zeolite after twice modifying.
Fig. 4. Isothermal adsorption and desorption analysis of the natural zeolite, the
natural zeolite after first modifying, the natural zeolite after twice modifying.
cess, NH+4 replaced the Na+, K+ and other metal cations in the
molecular sieve and filled into the small pores, making the pore
size smaller. As a result, the peaks of the pore distribution curves
of the modified and re-modified samples at 10 nm shift to the left
slightly; at the same time, through microwave pretreatment of the
samples, the pore size can be enlarged, so the number of large
pores in the zeolite samples is increased, and that is why a large
number of 40–60 nm pores and a small number of 100 nm pores
have emerged in the re-modified samples. From this, it can be con-
cluded that the specific surface area, average pore size and pore
volume of the zeolite samples modified by microwave-assisted
NH4Cl are all increased.
607
Fig. 5. Pore size and distribution of the natural zeolite, the natural zeolite after first
modifying, the natural zeolite after twice modifying.
2.2. Preparation of 2# ZBHCM
The main components of the zeolite-based humidity control
material (ZBHCM) are zeolite, acrylic acid, sodium silicate, sodium
hydroxide, titanium dioxide and auxiliaries. Among them, acrylic
acid is a macromolecular material containing strong hydrophilic
groups and a 3D cross-linked network structure of the polymer
electrolytes. It does well in water retention, but poorly in moisture
liberation. Sodium silicate solution is a mineral binder. During
impregnation, it penetrates into the material via cracks and pores,
thus improving the density of the material. It also has the effect of
bonding and reinforcement. Sodium hydroxide solution is used to
adjust the acidity of the material. Titanium dioxide serves as a pig-
ment and anti-mildew agent. Auxiliaries include thickener, disper-
sant, defoamer, wetter, etc. Last but not the least, zeolite is the
main humidity control component of the ZBHCM. The zeolite filler
in this research is re-modified zeolite. The zeolite-based composite
humidity control material was prepared in the following steps: put
alcohol ester-12, defoamer and dispersant into a reaction kettle,
add water, and stir; drip sodium silicate solution slowly into the
reaction kettle; heat up the mixed solution to 60 °C and let it react
for 20 min; relocate the solution to a grinder, together with the
zeolite filler and titanium dioxide, to obtain the sizing agent; add
alkalescent butyl acrylate emulsion and the sizing agent into a
mixer, stir the mixture well, and add an appropriate amount of
water; relocate the mixture into a kneader. The resulting paste is
the zeolite-based composite humidity control material.
3. Experimental study on the humidity control process of the
2#ZBHCM
3.1. Experimental sample and test system
In accordance with ASTM1498 standards [24], the samples
should be dried sufficiently and between two continuously mea-
sured masses (at an interval of 24 h) was less than 0.1% and the
measuring accuracy of weight should meet the requirement for
101g. Therefore, the 2#ZBHCM sample was evenly coated on an
1200 mm  800 mm EPS board, placed in a ventilated place, dried
for 1 week, and weighed regularly until it reached the stable status,
i.e. the continuous mass difference was below 0.1% by using an GX-
8K type electronic balance (with the measuring accuracy of 101
g). Due to the small water vapor diffusion coefficient of the
2#ZBHCM, the thickness of the experimental coating was mini-
mized so that the sample could reach equilibrium as soon as pos-
608 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613

sible. Besides, an uncoated EPS board of the same specifications

was prepared as the control sample. The physical parameters and
dimensions of 2#ZBHCM and EPS were shown in Table1 [25].
The test system consisted of climate chambers, air parameter
measurement and control system (temperature and humidity data
acquisition), air dehumidification and control system (refrigeration
unit), and temperature control system (heater) (Fig. 6). The exper-
imental system was able to supply treated air with variable humid-
ity, temperature and flow to the climate simulation chamber. The
air duct and speed control system was divided into a lot of sections,
making the flow resistance bigger, and the whole experimental
system is divided into the upper and lower parts, so when design-
ing the test bed, we first calculated the air duct system resistance
and fan performance curve. The heating and temperature control
system was used to heat the cooled and dewatered air stream so
that the temperature of the air close to the dew point could be
restored to the set test ambient temperature. When the air humid-
ity is close to the saturation humidity, heating can make the
humidity to the test ambient humidity. On top of the air duct in
the air parameter test section, open three round holes in a row
and insert the Pitot tube, the thermocouple and the hygrometer
probe, respectively. The air parameters were monitored and
adjusted by the system. The climate simulation chamber was not
confined, and it was heated or cooled with circulating air at a speed Fig. 6. Photo of the chamber of the dynamic humidity control experiment.
of 0–10 m/s. The ambient relative humidity adjustment range was
30–90%.
There were two climate chambers (Fig. 7) of exactly the same
specifications: 1.5 m  1.5 m  2.5 m. One of them was the exper-
imental chamber, and the other was the control chamber. The
chambers simulated the indoor environment conditions of a nor-
mal room through the control of ambient temperature and humid-
ity and periodical forced draft. The coated/uncoated samples were
put up on the walls in the chambers. The temperature and humid-
ity measurement points were located at: (1) 0.75 m above ground
on the center vertical axis of the internal space; (2) 0.05 m, 0.5 m
and 1.50 m above ground and 0.05 m below the roof on the center
vertical axis of the internal space; (3) 0.75 m and 1.5 m above
ground on each of the vertical line1.0 m away from the two adja-
cent walls (in total, there were 13 measuring points in each cham-
ber) (Fig. 8). The indoor temperature and humidity were collected
by HOBO U10-003 temperature and humidity sensor.

3.2. Experimental process

The experiment was carried out from July 21 to July 28, 2016
(summer) in Nanjing, China. The outdoor temperature and humid-
ity during the experiment are shown in Fig. 9. The average daily
temperature was 31.4 °C. In a few of the days, the maximum tem-
perature exceeded 35 °C. With an average daily relative humidity Fig. 7. Arrangement of the experimental chamber.
of 65.1%, the relative humidity stayed on a high level. It also varied
in a broad range for the average relative humidity during daytime
was 61.3%, and that during night time was increased to 72.2%. between two continuously measured masses (at an interval of
There was no rainy day during the experiment and the tempera- 24 h) was less than 0.1%. 3 dried 1200 mm  800 mm 2#ZBHCM
ture and humidity changed quite stably. samples were put up on the inside of a wall in the experimental
Since the ordinary wall material should not be dried with high chamber. After the temperature and humidity probes were
temperature or desiccants, the 2#ZBHCM samples were air dried arranged, the doors and windows of the experimental chamber
for one week. It was considered as fully dried when the difference were closed. The 2#ZBHCM samples were placed in the climate

Table 1
The physical parameters and dimensions of 2#ZBHCM and EPS.

Sample Dimension/mm  mmmm Dry density/kg/m3 Thermal conductivity coefficient/W/(m K) Specific heat/J/(kg K)
2#ZBHCM 1200  800  2 666.7* 0.7* 1436*
EPS 1200  800  2 34.0* 0.04* 1210*
*
The physical parameters of 2#ZBHCM and EPS in Table1 come from Ref. [25].
 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613
Fig. 8. Arrangement of temperature and humidity measuring points in the
experimental chamber.
chamber for 7 days. During the period, the indoor temperature and
relative humidity were recorded once every 10 min, and the aver-
age of the measured values of the 13 temperature and humidity
probes were taken as the measured result. In the control chamber,
three 1200 mm  800 mm uncoated ordinary EPS plates were
arranged. After the temperature and humidity probes were
arranged, the doors and windows of the control chamber were
closed. The indoor temperature and relative humidity were also
recorded once every 10 min for comparison with those in the
experimental chamber.
The experiment measured the relative air humidity of the
experiment chamber and the control chamber. We can obtain the
moisture content d in the two chambers by formulas (1) and (2)
[26], and the air moisture difference between the two chambers
Fig. 9. Outdoor temperature and humidity from July 21 to July 28, 2016.
609
signifies the amount of moisture absorbed or released by the
humidity control material.
mq /ps
d ¼ 1000 ¼ 622 ð1Þ
mg pB  /ps
4039:558
ln ps ¼ 12:062  ð2Þ
t þ 235:79
where mq is the mass of water vapor; mg is the mass of dry air; / is
the relative humidity; pB is the local atmospheric pressure; pS is the
partial pressure of saturated water vapor at the same temperature.
4. Experimental results and analysis
4.1. Effect of the 2#ZBHCM on indoor air temperature
Fig. 10 illustrates how the indoor air temperature changes with
time in the experimental and control chambers from July 21 to July
28, 2016. It can be seen from the Fig. 10 that the two chambers
have almost the same temperature trends albeit a few time delay.
This is because the ambient temperature had little effect on the
humidity-controlling properties of porous medium, in turn, the
humidity-controlling materials had a negligible effect on the ambi-
ent temperature. Meanwhile the 2#ZBHCM sample was evenly
coated on a 1200 mm  800 mm EPS board and the dimension of
samples was limited. Compared to the control chamber, the exper-
imental chamber has a smaller fluctuation in the mean tempera-
ture. The phenomenon is mainly attributable to the moisture
release from the pores by the 2#ZBHCM under the rising temper-
ature and low relative humidity in daytime. As the moisture
escapes from the pores, it absorbs the latent heat of vaporization,
resulting in lower indoor temperature. On the contrary, the
2#ZBHCM absorbs the water vapor in the air under the low tem-
perature and high relative humidity at night. As the water vapor
condenses in the pores, the release of latent heat of vaporization
causes the increase of indoor temperature. Over all, the
humidity-controlling materials had a negligible effect on the ambi-
ent temperature.
610 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613

Fig. 10. Effect of the 2#ZBHCM on indoor air temperature.

4.2. Effect of the 2#ZBHCM on indoor air relative humidity
Fig. 11 describes how the indoor air relative humidity varies
with time in the experimental and control chambers from July 21
to July 28, 2016. As shown in the Fig. 11, the relative indoor air
humidity in the experimental chamber, in which the 2#ZBHCM is
put up on the inside of the wall, is obviously less fluctuating than
that in the control chamber, that is, the relative indoor air humidity
in the experimental chamber is less affected by outdoor tempera-
ture and absolute humidity changes.
The time variations in indoor air moisture content in the exper-
imental and control chambers (Fig. 12) is calculated according to
the temperature and relative humidity of the two chambers from
July 21 to July 28, 2016 and in reference to the chart of saturated
water vapor. It can be inferred from Fig. 12 that the two chambers
have similar trends of time variations in indoor relative humidity
and indoor moisture content in view of the small difference in
indoor ambient temperature and in the partial pressure of satu-
rated water vapor at corresponding temperatures. In the experi-
ment, the 2#ZBHCM sample was 2 mm in thickness, and
1280.1 g in total mass. When the average indoor air temperature
was 30 °C., the maximum equilibrium moisture content of the
2#ZBHCM was 0.18 kg/kg and the moisture capacity was 238.5 g.
There were 7 moisture absorption and release cycles in the exper-
iment. In each cycle, the average cumulative moisture pickup and
release of the 2#ZBHCM were 22.1 g and 18.6 g, respectively. The
moisture pickup only accounts for 9.64% of the moisture capacity,
while the moisture release takes up 16% of the moisture capacity.
In the static isothermal moisture absorption and desorption exper-
iment at the ambient temperature of 26 °C, the moisture pickup
and moisture release are about 16% and 9% of the moisture capac-
ity of the ZBHCM, respectively. The material fails to reach the equi-

Fig. 11. Effect of the 2#ZBHCM on indoor air relative humidity.

 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613
Fig. 12. Effect of the 2#ZBHCM on indoor air moisture content.
librium of moisture adsorption and desorption because the natu-
rally dried 2#ZBHCM sample is not completely dehydrated and
the outdoor air temperature and humidity are constantly changing.
The reason that the moisture adsorption is less efficient than mois-
ture release lies in the high moisture content of the material. After
being placed indoor for a period of time, the humidity control
material accumulates a lot of moisture inside due to the lack of
dehumidification treatment. In short, in the case of outdoor
weather conditions and humidity load changes, the relative indoor
air humidity varies in a smaller range if the wall is coated with
2#ZBHCM on the inside instead of ordinary plates.
4.3. Analysis of humidity control effect of the 2#ZBHCM
The advantages and disadvantages of the humidity control
effect of the material are evaluated by its moisture absorption
and desorption properties. There are four main evaluation methods
of humidity control: (1) water vapor diffusion coefficient – maxi-
mum equilibrium moisture content method; (2) unit surface area
absorption and desorption method; (3) equilibrium curve of
adsorption and desorption method; (4) B value method [26]. The
first three methods are limited to the closed environment that
has reached static heat and humidity equilibrium. Based on the
equilibrium or quasi equilibrium of heat and humidity, the B value
method applies to the cases of slowly changing external tempera-
ture. If the thickness and surface area of the humidity control
material remain the same, the B value can reflect how the humidity
control effect changes with the type and amount of the humidity
control material [27]. As a result, this paper uses the B value
method to evaluate the humidity control effect of different materi-
als. The absolute humidity X refers to the weight of the humid air
per m3 of air under the standard conditions, i.e. the water vapor
density. It is calculated by formula (3) [26]. When the ambient
temperature changes, there is a nearly linear relationship between
the logarithm of the absolute ambient humidity log X and the
ambient temperature t, as shown in formula (4) [26]. The log x
(t), or the slope of the straight line b, changes with the temperature
t. In other words, the greater the value of b, the faster the absolute
ambient humidity changes with the temperature and the better
the humidity control properties of the material. When the material
611
does not have any humidity control function, the value of b is 0
[27].
1 /ps
X¼ ¼ 2:169 ð3Þ
Vn 273:15 þ t
log XðtÞ ¼ log X 0 þ bt ð4Þ
where x0 is the initial value of the absolute ambient humidity; xðtÞ
is the absolute humidity at the ambient temperature t; / is the rel-
ative humidity; P S is the partial pressure of saturated water vapor at
the same temperature; t is the ambient temperature.
Fig. 13 depicts the relationship between ambient temperature
and absolute humidity for the 2#ZBHCM in the first absorption
and desorption cycle. According to the figure, the b value is related
to the temperature rising and temperature reduction during the
absorption and desorption cycles in the experiment, and the b
value varies from cycle to cycle. Under natural ventilation, the
dynamic humidity control test of the 2#ZBHCM lasted 7 cycles.
We take the arithmetic mean of the b values of the rising and
reduction processes of temperature in all 7 cycles by formula (5)
to get the average b value (Table 2). As shown in Table 2, we found
out that the average b value of 2#ZBHCM is greater than that of
EPS, indicating that the humidity control effect of the 2#ZBHCM
is superior to that of EPS.
b ¼ b1ri sin g þ b1reduction þ b2ri sin g þ b2reduction þ   biri sin g þ bireduction
ð5Þ
Where biri sin g is the b value of the temperature rising process in the
i-th cycle, and bireduction is the b value of the temperature reduction
process in the i-th cycle.
When we cross-reference Fig. 11 with Table 2, we can see that
the relative indoor air humidity in the experimental chamber, in
which the 2#ZBHCM samples are used, is obviously less fluctuating
than that in the control chamber, in which the ordinary EPS sam-
ples are used. This means the 2#ZBHCM samples intensify the vari-
ation in absolute indoor air humidity with the temperature in the
experimental chamber, so that the relative indoor air humidity
reaches the equilibrium faster in this chamber than the control
chamber. In the meantime, the indoor air temperature fluctuations
are reduced slightly thanks to the superior humidity control effect
612 B. Zhou et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 128 (2018) 604–613

Fig. 13. Absolute humidity of the 2#ZBHCM in the first cycle.

Table 2
B value of the 2#ZBHCM and EPS in 7 cycles.

Sample Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4 Cycle 5 Cycle 6 Cycle 7 Average

B value B value B value B value B value B value B value B value
2#ZBHCM Temperature rising 0.02117 0.0211 0.0223 0.0244 0.0241 0.0233 0.0208 0.0208
Temperature reduction 0.01936 0.0193 0.0187 0.0215 0.0210 0.0197 0.0188
EPS Temperature rising 0.0087 0.0091 0.0093 0.0099 0.0096 0.00110 0.0089 0.0083
Temperature reduction 0.0069 0.0071 0.0068 0.0081 0.0085 0.0080 0.0068

of the 2#ZBHCM than the ordinary EPS. The 2# ZBHCM absorbs
and releases more moisture in the unit time than the ordinary
EPS of the same size, and absorbs and releases more heat than
the later during the moisture adsorption and desorption process.
However, the effect on indoor air temperature is not obvious
because the humidity and temperature in the natural environment
and the chambers are constantly changing, and the latent heat
absorption and release is restricted by the size of the humidity con-
trol material.
instead of ordinary plates, offering indoor staff with better thermal
comfort.
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by National Natural
Science Foundation of China (No. 51676037) and Program of Inter-
nation Science and Technology Cooperation (No. 2011DFA60290).

Appendix A. Supplementary material

5. Conclusion Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in

This paper proposes a new method for the modification of zeo-
lite by microwave-assisted NH4Cl solution, and develops a new
humidity control material. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM),
FT-IR spectroscopy and N2 adsorption measurement are adopted
to characterize the microscope pore morphology and spectrum dis-
tribution analysis of natural zeolite before and after modifications,
respectively. The modification of zeolite can effectively improve its
pore volume and the formation of tiny pores, thereby the humidity
control performance of zeolite also improved. Moreover, the
author designs and constructs a humidity control test system,
and probes into the humidity control performance of the material
and its relationship with the environmental conditions (tempera-
ture and humidity). The findings include: the 2#ZBHCM has an
unobvious effect on indoor temperature but a significant impact
on indoor humidity; the relative indoor air humidity varies in a
smaller range if the wall is coated with the 2#ZBHCM on the inside
the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.
2017.08.138.
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