Filtration efficiency validation of glass wool during thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometer analysis of fine atmospheric particles

Application of thermal desorption methods for airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon measurement: A critical review

Thermal desorption (TD) is a universal solvent-free pre-concentration technique. It is often used to pre-concentrate semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds in various sample types. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread contaminants from incomplete combustion of organic matter and fossil fuel, which have carcinogenic effects on human health. Conventional methods for determining PAHs, represented by solvent extraction, are gradually being replaced by solvent-free methods, typically the TD technique, because of TD's many advantages, including time savings and environmentally friendly treatment. This work presents an extensive review of the universal methods used to determine PAHs in the atmosphere based on the TD technique. The methods currently used for collection and detection of both gas- and particle-phase PAHs in the air are critically reviewed. In addition, the operating parameters of the TD unit are summarized and discussed. The design shortcomings of existing studies and the problems that researchers should address are presented, and promising alternatives are suggested. This paper also discusses important parameters, such as reproducibility and limit of detection, that form a crucial part of quality assurance. Finally, the limitations and the future prospects of the TD technique for use in airborne PAH analyses are addressed. This is the first review of the latest developments of the TD technique for analysis of PAHs and their derivatives in the atmosphere.

Recovery and reactivity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons collected on selected sorbent tubes and analyzed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

This article describes the optimization of methodology for extending the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to increasingly heavier polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with a detailed focus on recent sorbent tube technology. Although PAHs have lower volatility than compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes, these semi-volatile compounds can be detected in air and breath samples. For this work, PAHs were captured on sorbent tubes and subsequently analyzed using automated thermal desorption gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (ATD-GC/MS). While many different sorbent tubes are commercially available, optimization for airborne PAH sampling using sorbent tubes has not been previously considered. Herein, several commercially available sorbent tubes, including Carbograph 2 TD/1TD, Tenax TA, XRO-440, and inert-coated PAH tubes are compared to determine the relative recovery for eight PAHs commonly found in the environment. Certain types of sorbent materials were found to be better suited for PAH recovery during thermal desorption, and PAH reaction products were observed on several types of sorbent tubes, including graphitized carbon black sorbents with stainless steel tube materials. As such, selection of sorbent tube media should be carefully considered prior to embarking on a PAH study.

Improving thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography using a dual-trap design

Thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography (TAG) is an effective tool for in situ analysis of particulate organic molecules. However, the performance of current TAG is limited by the detectability of low volatile compounds and the matrix effect. In this study, a dual-trap TAG system was developed to address these issues. Thermally desorbed effluent is focused by a weakly retained trap (for low volatile compounds) in a 1 m capillary column conditioned in the GC oven, followed by a strongly retained trap (for high volatile compounds). Then, the focused analytes are desorbed in a reverse flow into the GC column for analysis. Detection over a wide volatility range from C10 to C40 n-alkanes is achieved using the dual-trap TAG. We show that it has lower discrimination of injection, better linearity and higher detectability of n-alkanes. The dual-trap TAG was applied for in-situ measurement of ambient fine particles (PM_2.5) in Beijing. Repeatable retention time of n-alkanes was demonstrated during a continuous measurement over two weeks.

Quartz filter-based thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry for in-situ molecular level measurement of ambient organic aerosols

Thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography (TAG) is an effective technique for online chemical characterization of organics in atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on the molecular level. Unlike the previously reported impactor- or metal filter-based TAG, in this study, a replaceable quartz filter-based TAG (Q-TAG) was developed to achieve online measurement of organic constituents in ambient PM_2.5. A homemade device for automatic online sampling and pretreatment of aerosols was developed and coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) by a 4-port valve. Performance of the Q-TAG system was evaluated using C7 - C40 n-alkanes to cover a wide range of volatility. C11 - C40 could be measured by Q-TAG. The response of their peaks depends on their volatility and thermal desorption conditions (the desorption time and the flow rate). Under the optimized conditions, good precision (<12%), acceptable linearity (R²> 0.98) and high sensitivity (detection limits from 0.02 to 0.01 ng) of C13 - C40 were obtained. The developed Q-TAG system was applied for online analysis of organic species in ambient PM_2.5. The Q-TAG is suitable for detection of semi and low volatile organic species in particulate matter, and its filter can be easily changed, making it a useful tool in molecular characterization of ambient organic aerosols.