Industry: Environmental
Instrument: AUTOCan 12 Whole Air Autosampler/Concentrator
Concentration of Air Toxics from SUMMA® Canisters on a Solid Sorbent Trap
Volatile organic air toxics analyses are routinely performed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS.) With this technique the sample, taken from a SUMMA passivated canister must be concentrated in order to achieve the required detection limits. Historically, the analytes have concentrated on a glass bead packed, cryogenic cooled trap due to inertness and retentive characteristics.
Two major issues limit these traps. While glass beads are an effective mechanism for trapping volatile organic compounds (VOCs), they also concentrate interferences such as carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic gases. Without a means for removal, these interferences can affect data quality, especially for the early eluting VOCs. Additionally, cryogenic fluids are required to cool the trap. These cryogens, commonly liquid nitrogen, are expensive and can be cumbersome.
The focus of this work is to show an alternative to a glass bead packed, cryogenic trap. The experimentation is tailored to mimic Compendium Method TO-14. Representative calibration and chromatographic data will be shown to illustrate the effectiveness of this trap for air toxics analyses.
|
