Sunday, 4 May 2025

Emerging Pollutants in Environment (POPs, VOCs, PAHs PFAS, Microplastics)

 Emerging Pollutants in Environment (POPs, VOCs, PAHs PFAS, Microplastics)


How to sample air for the analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) using thermal desorption technology.


The Markes International's application note ( may be downloaded from their website) focuses on the analysis of VOCs in ambient air, sampled using sorbent tubes and a cryogen-free thermal desorption system. The note covers various aspects, including 

sampling methods, instrumentation, and data analysis. 

Sampling Methods and Instrumentation includes:

1. Sorbent Tubes:

Air samples are collected using sorbent tubes, which capture a wide range of VOCs

2. Thermal Desorption (TD):

The captured VOCs are desorbed from the sorbent tubes using a thermal desorption system.

3. Gas Chromatography (GC) and Mass Spectrometry (MS):

The desorbed VOCs are then analyzed by GC-MS, which separates and identifies the different compounds. 


Application Note Highlights:

1. Quantitative Re-collection:

The note demonstrates the quantitative re-collection of split flows, allowing for repeat analysis and recovery checks. 

2. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Air:

The application note also investigates the performance of TD systems for the analysis of PAHs in air. 

3. Microplastics in environment:

A separate application note addresses the challenges of microplastic characterization using TD-GC-MS, providing information-rich VOC profiles for identifying and quantifying plastics. 

4. PFAS in environment:

Another application note focuses on the analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in air using TD-GC-MS/MS. 


Key Takeaways:

 TD systems offer a versatile approach for the analysis of VOCs in air. 

Sorbent tube sampling and thermal desorption preconcentration provide a robust method for capturing and analyzing a wide range of volatile and semi-volatile compounds. 

The use of GC-MS allows for the accurate identification and quantification of various POPs and other pollutants in air samples.

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