Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

The Role of Non-Volatile Organic Compound Paints in Green Buildings for a Sustainable Environment

Year 2026, Volume: 9, - , 29.01.2026

Abstract

Non-volatile organic compound (non-VOC) paints, characterized by minimal or zero emissions of volatile organic compounds, have emerged as a cornerstone of sustainable construction practices, particularly in the development of green buildings. These environmentally friendly coatings contribute to improved indoor air quality (IAQ), reduced environmental impact, and enhanced occupant health, aligning with the principles of sustainable architecture. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of non-VOC paints in green buildings, exploring their chemical composition, manufacturing processes, performance characteristics, and socio-economic benefits. Through a mixed-methods approach, including experimental data analysis, life cycle assessments (LCA), and case studies, this study evaluates the efficacy of non-VOC paints in reducing indoor pollutants, their durability compared to conventional paints, and their contribution to achieving green building certifications such as LEED and BREEAM. The findings demonstrate that non-VOC paints significantly lower health risks associated with indoor air pollution, reduce carbon footprints, and support resource conservation, though challenges such as cost, scalability, and regional availability persist. This research underscores the critical role of non-VOC paints in fostering sustainable environments and provides actionable insights for architects, builders, and policymakers to advance green building practices

References

  • Jiao, C., Sun, L., Shao, Q., Song, J., Hu, Q., Naik, N., & Guo, Z. (2021). Advances in waterborne acrylic resins: synthesis principle, modification strategies, and their applications. ACS omega, 6(4), 2443-2449.
  • Arjmandi, A., Bi, H., Nielsen, S. U., & Dam-Johansen, K. (2024). From Wet to Protective: Film Formation in Waterborne Coatings. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 16(43), 58006-58028.
  • H. Nakashima, D. Nakajima, Y. Takagi, and S. Goto, S, (2007) “Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Analysis and Anti-VOC Measures in Water-Based Paints,” J. Heal. Sci., vol. 53, pp. 311-319
  • Ramos-Fernández, J. M., Guillem, C., Lopez-Buendía, A., Paulis, M., & Asua, J. M. (2011). Synthesis of poly-(BA-co-MMA) latexes filled with SiO2 for coating in construction applications. Progress in Organic Coatings, 72(3), 438-442.
  • McDonald, B. C., De Gouw, J. A., Gilman, J. B., Jathar, S. H., Akherati, A., Cappa, C. D., ... & Trainer, M. (2018). Volatile chemical products emerging as largest petrochemical source of urban organic emissions. Science, 359(6377), 760-764.
  • Ma, Y., Fu, S., Gao, S., Zhang, S., Che, X., Wang, Q., & Jiao, Z. (2021). Update on volatile organic compound (VOC) source profiles and ozone formation potential in synthetic resins industry in China. Environmental Pollution, 291, 118253.
  • H.M. de Oliveira, G.P. Dagostim, A.M. da Silva, P. Tavares, L.A. da Rosa, and V.M. de Andrade, (2011) “Occupational Risk Assessment of Paint Industry Workers,” Indian J. Occup. Environ. Med., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 52.
  • Di Crescenzo, M. M., Zendri, E., Sánchez-Pons, M., Fuster-López, L., & Yusá-Marco, D. J. (2014). The use of waterborne paints in contemporary murals: Comparing the stability of vinyl, acrylic and styrene-acrylic formulations to outdoor weathering conditions. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 107, 285-293.
  • Márquez, I., Paredes, N., Alarcia, F., & Velasco, J. I. (2022). Influence of acrylonitrile content on the adhesive properties of water-based acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives. Polymers, 14(5), 909.
  • Gadhave, R. V., & Vineeth, S. K. (2023). Synthesis and characterization of starch stabilized polyvinyl acetate-acrylic acid copolymer-based wood adhesive. Polymer Bulletin, 80(9), 10335-10354.
  • O. Awodele, T.D. Popoola, B.S. Ogbudu, A. Akinyede, H.A.B. Coker and A. Akintonwa, (2014) “Occupational Hazards and Safety Measures Amongst the Paint Factory Workers in Lagos, Nigeria,” Saf. Health. Work., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 106-111.
  • Jain, A., & Babu, K. A. (2024). Role of Green Buildings in the sustainable development of Tier-II cities in India. Archives for Technical Sciences, 2(31), 368-378 https://doi.org/10.70102/afts.2024.1631.368.
  • A. Datta and L. Philip, (2012) “Biodegradation of Volatile Organic Compounds from Paint Industries,” Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol., vol. 167, pp. 564-580.
  • S. Varma, D. Sarode, S. Wakale, B.A. Bhanvase and M.P. Deosarkar, (2013) “Removal of Nickel from Waste Water Using Graphene Nanocomposite,” Int. J. Chem. Physc. Sci., vol. 2, pp. 132-139.
  • Jain, A., & Babu, K. A. (2024). An Examination of Cutting-Edge design and construction methods concerning green architecture and renewable energy efficiency for Tier-II cities of India. Archives for Technical Sciences, 2(31), 57–69. https://doi.org/10.70102/afts.2024.1631.057
There are 15 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Urban Aesthetics, Urban Planning and Health
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Anshul Jain 0000-0002-7263-7188

Dr. Ananda Babu K. 0000-0001-8808-2116

Submission Date June 30, 2025
Acceptance Date January 23, 2026
Publication Date January 29, 2026
Published in Issue Year 2026 Volume: 9

Cite

APA Jain, A., & Babu K., D. A. (2026). The Role of Non-Volatile Organic Compound Paints in Green Buildings for a Sustainable Environment. International Journal of Environmental Pollution and Environmental Modelling, 9. https://izlik.org/JA73KE26RE

Aim & Scope

Journal welcomes the high-quality papers. Original research papers, review papers and technical notes are invited for publication.

  • Municipal and Industrial Solid Wastes and Waste Disposal, Management
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Environmental Modeling
  • Environmental Modeling and Software
  • Environmental Science
  • Environmental Education
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Environmental Health
  • Environmental Economics
  • Climate Change
  • Biomass, Agricultural Residues
  • Ecology
  • Renewable Energy Sources
  • Hazardous Emissions, Incineration
  • Environmental Protection Topics included experimental, analytical, industrial studies
  • Hydrological Recycling
  • Drinking Water Treatment
  • Waste Water Treatment
  • Air Pollution
  • Gas Removal and Disposal
  • Noise Pollution and Control
  • Fuzzy Logic in Environmental Sciences
  • Artificial Neural Networks
  • Earthquake Environmental Effects

Suitable topics are also included regarding the efficient environmental management and use of air, water and land resources.

All manuscripts should be written according to the template given below.

Template for Autors ( https://ijepem.com/doc/IJEPEM-Template-for-Autors.docx )


Copyright form file must be signed by all authors and uploaded to the system.

Copyright Form File ( https://ijepem.com/doc/ijepem-copyright.pdf )

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

International Journal of Environmental Pollution and Environmental Modelling have an application for membership of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). As such, this journal follows the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers.

In addition, as a journal that follows the ICMJE’s Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, it is expected of authors, reviewers and editors that they follow the best-practice guidelines on ethical behavior contained therein.

A selection of key points is included below, but you should always refer to the three documents listed above for full details.

Duties of Editors

Fair play and editorial independence

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit (importance, originality, study’s validity, clarity) and its relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy or institutional affiliation. Decisions to edit and publish are not determined by the policies of governments or any other agencies outside of the journal itself. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the entire editorial content of the journal and the timing of publication of that content.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff will not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Editors and editorial board members will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the authors’ explicit written consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained by editors as a result of handling the manuscript will be kept confidential and not used for their personal advantage. Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies or institutions connected to the papers; instead, they will ask another member of the editorial board to handle the manuscript.

Publication decisions

The editors ensure that all submitted manuscripts being considered for publication undergo peer-review by at least two reviewers who are expert in the field. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to the journal will be published, based on the validation of the work in question, its importance to researchers and readers, the reviewers’ comments, and such legal requirements as are currently in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Involvement and cooperation in investigations

Editors (in conjunction with the publisher and/or society) will take responsive measures when ethical concerns are raised with regard to a submitted manuscript or published paper. Every reported act of unethical publishing behavior will be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication. AP-SMART editors follow the COPE Flowcharts when dealing with cases of suspected misconduct. If, on investigation, the ethical concern is well-founded, a correction, retraction, expression of concern or other note as may be relevant, will be published in the journal.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with authors, may assist authors in improving their manuscripts. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication and lies at the heart of scientific endeavor. AP-SMART shares the view of many that all scholars who wish to contribute to the scientific process have an obligation to do a fair share of reviewing.

Promptness

Any invited referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should immediately notify the editors and decline the invitation to review so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must be treated as such; they must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by the Editor-in-Chief (who would only do so under exceptional and specific circumstances). This applies also to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation.

Standards of objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively and observations formulated clearly with supporting arguments so that authors can use them for improving the manuscript. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.

Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that is an observation, derivation or argument that has been reported in previous publications should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also notify the editors of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other manuscript (published or unpublished) of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Any invited referee who has conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies or institutions connected to the manuscript and the work described therein should immediately notify the editors to declare their conflicts of interest and decline the invitation to review so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the authors. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for the reviewer’s personal advantage. This applies also to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards

Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and the results, followed by an objective discussion of the significance of the work. The manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Review articles should be accurate, objective and comprehensive, while editorial 'opinion' or perspective pieces should be clearly identified as such. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Data access and retention

Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study together with the manuscript for editorial review and should be prepared to make the data publicly available if practicable. In any event, authors should ensure accessibility of such data to other competent professionals for at least 10 years after publication (preferably via an institutional or subject-based data repository or other data centre), provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and legal rights concerning proprietary data do not preclude their release.

Originality and plagiarism

Authors should ensure that they have written and submit only entirely original works, and if they have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the work reported in the manuscript should also be cited. Plagiarism takes many forms, from "passing off" another's paper as the author's own, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another's paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple, duplicate, redundant or concurrent submission/publication

Papers describing essentially the same research should not be published in more than one journal or primary publication. Hence, authors should not submit for consideration a manuscript that has already been published in another journal. Submission of a manuscript concurrently to more than one journal is unethical publishing behavior and unacceptable.

The publication of some kinds of articles (such as clinical guidelines, translations) in more than one journal is sometimes justifiable, provided that certain conditions are met. The authors and editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must reflect the same data and interpretation of the primary document. The primary reference must be cited in the secondary publication.

Authorship of the manuscript

Only persons who meet these authorship criteria should be listed as authors in the manuscript as they must be able to take public responsibility for the content: (i) made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, or analysis/interpretation of the study; and (ii) drafted the manuscript or revised it critically for important intellectual content; and (iii) have seen and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication. All persons who made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript (such as technical help, writing and editing assistance, general support) but who do not meet the criteria for authorship must not be listed as an author, but should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgements" section after their written permission to be named as been obtained. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate coauthors (according to the above definition) and no inappropriate coauthors are included in the author list and verify that all coauthors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Authors should—at the earliest stage possible (generally by submitting a disclosure form at the time of submission and including a statement in the manuscript)—disclose any conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation in the manuscript. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed include financial ones such as honoraria, educational grants or other funding, participation in speakers’ bureaus, membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest, and paid expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements, as well as non-financial ones such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. All sources of financial support for the work should be disclosed (including the grant number or other reference number if any).

Acknowledgement of sources

Authors should ensure that they have properly acknowledged the work of others, and should also cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately (from conversation, correspondence or discussion with third parties) must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Authors should not use information obtained in the course of providing confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, unless they have obtained the explicit written permission of the author(s) of the work involved in these services.

Hazards and human or animal subjects

If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the authors must clearly identify these in the manuscript. If the work involves the use of animals or human participants, the authors should ensure that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) has approved them; the manuscript should contain a statement to this effect. Authors should also include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human participants. The privacy rights of human participants must always be observed.

Peer review

Authors are obliged to participate in the peer review process and cooperate fully by responding promptly to editors’ requests for raw data, clarifications, and proof of ethics approval, patient consents and copyright permissions. In the case of a first decision of "revisions necessary", authors should respond to the reviewers’ comments systematically, point by point, and in a timely manner, revising and re-submitting their manuscript to the journal by the deadline given.

Fundamental errors in published works

When authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their own published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editors or publisher and cooperate with them to either correct the paper in the form of an erratum or to retract the paper. If the editors or publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error or inaccuracy, then it is the authors’ obligation to promptly correct or retract the paper or provide evidence to the journal editors of the correctness of the paper.

Duties of the Publisher

Handling of unethical publishing behavior

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification or, in the most severe case, the retraction of the affected work. The publisher, together with the editors, shall take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, and under no circumstances encourage such misconduct or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place.

Access to journal content

The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and ensures accessibility by partnering with organizations and maintaining our own digital archive.

Article submission/process management is free.

Editor

Environmental Engineering

Editorial Assistant

Environmental Engineering, Air Pollution Modelling and Control, Nanomaterials
Econometrics, Applied Microeconometrics, Ecological Economics, Political Economy Theory, Growth, Development Economics - Macro, Environmental Economy, Applied Statistics
Sustainable Architecture

Editorial Advisory Board

Freshwater and Marine Ecology
Environmental Assessment and Monitoring, Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds, Agricultural Biotechnology Diagnostics
Microbial Ecology, Ecological Applications
Natural Resource Management, Environmental Engineering, Waste Management, Reduction, Reuse and Recycling, Environmental Pollution and Prevention, Soil Pollution and Control, Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility, Soil Sciences and Ecology, Soil Ecology, Conservation and Improvement of Soil and Water Resources
Human Impacts of Climate Change and Human Adaptation, Urban Economics, Rural and Regional Geography, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Urban Geography in Regional Planning, Regional Analysis and Development, Urban History, City and Regional Planning, Strategic, Metropolitan and Regional Planning, Cultural Heritage Tourism, Visitor and Audience Studies, Cultural Heritage and Conservation, Watershed Management
Animal Cell and Molecular Biology
Engineering, Aerospace Materials, Air Pollution Processes and Air Quality Measurement, Meteorology
Environmental Education and Extension, Environmental Management (Other), Ecological Applications
Microbiology
Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (Other), Environmentally Sustainable Engineering, Air Pollution Modelling and Control, Life Cycle Assessment and Industrial Ecology
Environmental Assessment and Monitoring, Climate Change-Impact and Adaptation, Air Pollution Modelling and Control, Air Pollution and Gas Cleaning , Renewable Energy Resources
Food Microbiology, Soil Ecology, Soil Microbiology

Publisher

Information and Computing Sciences, Deep Learning, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering
 ❤ IJEPEM.