Influence of bathroom ventilation rates and toilet location on odor removal

This paper presents an experimental model of odor dispersion from a toilet in a mock-up bathroom. A bathtub, a sink, and a toilet were arranged in the bathroom. A hypothetical odor (SF6 tracer gas) was emitted from a person sitting on the toilet in the bathroom. A new negative pressure wall-exhaust ventilation system, different from a traditional ceiling-exhaust system, was employed in the bathroom. The impacts of ventilation rates of 6.5, 8.5, 17, and 24 ACH (air changes per hour) and the location of the toilet on the concentration distribution of repugnant odors in the bathroom were evaluated. Local air quality index, QI, and odor removal efficiency, ORE, were introduced to evaluate the effectiveness of odor removal in the bathroom. Based on the results of our experiment, a quantitative assessment of odor removal in the bathroom is addressed in this paper.