Determination of recovery rates of adsorbents for sampling very volatile organic compounds (C1C6) in dry and humid air in the sub-ppb range by use of thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
The reliable measurement of very volatile organic compounds (VVOC) in indoor air by use of thermal desorption gas chromatography (TD-GC) in order to include them into evaluation schemes for building products even nowadays is a great challenge. For capturing these small molecules with carbon numbers ranging from C1C6, strong adsorbents are needed. In the present study, recovery rates of nine suitable adsorbents of the groups of porous polymers, graphitised carbon blacks (GCB) and carbon molecular sieves (CMS) are tested against a complex test gas standard containing 29 VVOC. By consideration of the recovery and the relative humidity (50% RH), combinations of the GCB Carbograph 5TD, the two CMS Carboxen 1003 and Carbosieve SII as well as the porous polymer Tenax® GR were identified to be potentially suitable for sampling the majority of the VVOC out of the gas mix. The results reveal a better performance of the adsorbents in combination than being used alone, particularly under humid sampling conditions. The recovery rates of the chosen compounds on each adsorbent should be in the range of 80-120%.
['Richter|Matthias|M|', 'Juritsch|Elevtheria|E|', 'Jann|Oliver|O|']
D000327:Adsorption D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor D002244:Carbon D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry D005740:Gases D006813:Humidity D011108:Polymers D013696:Temperature D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
Recovery rate Thermal desorption VVOC Gas chromatography Indoor air: Adsorbent performance