Analysis of Malodorous Sulfur Gases and Volatile Organometalloid Compounds in Landfill Gas Emissions Using Capillary Gas Chromatography with Programmed Temperature Vaporization Injection and Atomic Emission Detection |
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Authors: | Suwannee Junyapoon Keith Bartle Andrew Ross Michael Cooke |
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Institution: | 1. School of Chemistry , University of Leeds , Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;2. Department of Fuel and Energy , University of Leeds , Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;3. Centre for Chemical Sciences, Royal Holloway , University of London , Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK |
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Abstract: | Volatile compounds containing Group V and Group VI elements in landfill gases are of concern as a source of toxic pollutants and unpleasant odors. Conventional analytical techniques for these compounds e.g. ICP-MS, ICP-AES are complicated, expensive and time consuming. The use of a simple programmed temperature vaporization injection (PTV) technique coupled to gas chromatography with atomic emission detection (GC-AED) has been successfully demonstrated to identify compounds containing arsenic, antimony, and sulfur in landfill gas. With an adapted PTV injection system (using a combination of a ten-port and a six-port Valco valves), problems associated with AED discharge tube damage due to high carrier gas flow rate during sample loading can be overcome. The gas samples generated from both a laboratory biowaste digester and a domestic landfill site were characterized using these techniques. Large sample gas volumes were adsorbed onto a cooled sorbent trap containing Porapak Q, followed by rapid liberation onto a porous layer open tubular column (PLOT) using programmed thermal desorption. Arsenic and antimony were also detected in the landfill leachate collected from the same landfill site using hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (Hy-AAS). The efficiency of different traps has also been compared. |
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Keywords: | Programmed Temperature Vaporization (PTV) Gc-AED Landfill Gas Arsenic Antimony Sulfur |
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