Evaluation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes as an adsorbent for trapping volatile organic compounds from environmental samples

A type of purified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PMWCNTs) prepared by catalytic decomposition of methane, with a surface area of 98 m2/g, was evaluated as an adsorbent used for tapping volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The performance in evaluation was based on breakthrough volumes (BTVs) and recoveries of selected VOCs. PMWCNTs were also used as a trap packing material to adsorb VOCs purged from spiked water sample. Due to their porous structure, PMWCNTs were found to have much higher BTVs than that of Carbopack B, a graphitized carbon black with the same surface area as PMWCNTs. The recoveries of the tested VOCs trapped on PMWCNTs ranged from 80 to 110%, and not affected by the humidity of purge gas. The results indicate that PMWCNTs are a potential useful adsorbent for direct trapping VOCs from air samples and may be a supplement to VOCARB 3000, a commercially available trap, in purge-and-trap system to preconcentrate VOCs from water samples.     

富勒烯烟炱的吸附性及其在大气挥发性有机物分析中的应用

研究了富勒烯烟炱对挥发性有机物(VOCs)的吸附作用.17种VOCs气体在烟炱上的比保留体积V_g²⁰为17.4～2634L/g.富勒烯烟炱充填的吸附管对VOCs气体的吸附-热脱附回收率在40.8%～117%之间,大部分为(100±20)%.结果表明,富勒烯烟炱能够用于吸收和富集大气中痕量的VOCs     

生物质炭的制备、改性以及在挥发性有机物吸附方面的应用

挥发性有机物（VOCs）是大气中重要的污染源之一,对环境和人类健康产生严重的危害。吸附法是工业中最常用的去除VOCs的方法,吸附剂是吸附技术的关键,生物质炭是一种由生物质基材料在高温下热解活化等工艺制得的炭材料,具有较高的比表面积、丰富的孔隙结构和化学活性表面,在环境污染控制领域具有广泛应用。基于最近的研究,本文系统地综述了常用于去除VOCs的生物质炭的制备和改性方法,以及生物质炭在吸附VOCs的应用研究。本文首要目标是评估生物质炭去除VOCs的能力,特别是经过各种改性和活化工艺后,评价生物质炭作为吸附剂去除VOCs的适用性;确定改性和活化后对VOCs吸附能力的影响;揭示生物质炭对VOCs可能存在的吸附机理。最后,文章也对生物质炭的再生提出了建议和展望。     

Oral malodor,assessed by closed-loop,gas chromatography,and ion-trap technology

A method is described for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in saliva and tongue coating samples. The techniue is based on an off-line preconcentration step by means of a closed-loop trapping system followed by gas chromatography-ion trap detection. With the closed-loop technique, the volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are released from the matrix and trapped on an adsorbent without interference of water. The VOCs are released from the adsorbent into the gas chromatograph by thermdesorption. After separation, identification of the compounds is performed by ion trap technology. By this technique 82 compounds could be demonstrated in saliva and tongue coating samples. The technique is also used to demonstrate the formation of volatile bacterial fermentation compounds when a protein substrate is added to tongue coating samples. It is considered a very promising tool in further research on oral malodor.     

荧光衍生化-磁分散固相萃取/高效液相色谱检测池塘水与蔬菜中3种挥发性异味物质

以6-碳酰氯左氧氟沙星(LFC-Cl)为衍生试剂,磁性氧化石墨烯(MGO)为吸附剂,建立了2-甲基异莰醇(2-MIB)、土臭素(GSM)和3-甲基-1-丁醇(3-MB)的高效液相色谱荧光检测(HPLC-FLD)分析方法。在浓度为0.05 mol/L的4-二甲氨基吡啶(DMAP)乙腈溶液中,衍生温度60℃,反应时间90 min,超声波辅助条件下,可完成上述3种醇类挥发性异味物质(VOCs)的衍生化。在吸附剂用量20 mg、萃取时间20 min、解吸剂为乙腈(含1%甲酸)、解吸时间3 min条件下,能实现3种异味物质衍生物的富集和净化。在优化的HPLC条件下,15 min内可实现3种衍生物的基线分离和高灵敏检测。方法检出限(LOD)为0.020~0.95 ng/L,定量下限(LOQ)为0.10~3.3 ng/L,线性、精密度和回收率良好。与已报道的方法相比,该方法具有灵敏度高、样品前处理简单、仪器普适性好等优势,可用于池塘水、蔬菜中VOCs的快速、定量测定,为食品和环境水样监测提供了一种新方法。     

A micro gas preconcentrator with improved performance for pollution monitoring and explosives detection

This paper presents the optimization of a micro gas preconcentrator based on a micro-channel in porous and non-porous silicon filled with an adequate adsorbent. This micro gas preconcentrator is both applicable in the fields of atmospheric pollution monitoring (Volatil organic compounds—VOCs) and explosives detection (nitroaromatic compounds). Different designs of micro-devices and adsorbent materials have been investigated since these two parameters are of importance in the performances of the micro-device. The optimization of the device and its operation were driven by its future application in outdoor environments. Parameters such as the preconcentration factor, cycle time and the influence of the humidity were considered along the optimization process. As a result of this study, a preconcentrator with a total cycle time of 10 min and the use of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as adsorbent exhibits a good preconcentration factor for VOCs with a limited influence of the humidity. The benefits of using porous silicon to modify the gas desorption kinetics are also investigated.     

Fast volatile organic compound recovery from soil standards for analysis by thermal desorption gas chromatography

The development of high-throughput environmental screening assays are needed to meet high-specification data quality objectives (DQOs) that require large numbers of samples to be taken and analysed rapidly. The acquisition and stabilisation of the sample is a key technical and operational challenge in analytical sequences associated with the determination of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination of soils. Further the development of miniaturised and embedded analytical systems for environmental conditioning monitoring requires the development of new sampling techniques. A proof-of-concept study is described that shows how pressurised gas, in this case carbon dioxide, may be used to recover reversibly-bound VOCs from soil into an adsorbent sampler, and then analysed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography. The effects of the volume of the pressurised gas, the gas flow rate and the mass of the soil sample on the recovery efficiency and breakthrough from the adsorbent trap were investigated in a preliminary characterisation study. Two distinct approaches were identified. The first involved ventilation of the voids within the soil matrix to displace the soil-gas headspace, a rapid screening approach. The second involved a more prolonged purge of the matrix to strip reversibly bound species into the gas phase and hence pass them into the adsorbent trap, a purge and trap approach. The shortest possible sample processing time required to yield analytically useful responses was 5 s with the use of the headspace approach. In this case n-octane, benzene and toluene were recovered from conditioned spiked soil samples at concentrations in the range 42 to 1690 mg kg(-1). The limit of detection for the system was estimated to be no greater than 1.2 mg kg(-1). Using the purge and trap variant enabled recovery efficiencies greater than 93% to be achieved with liquid spikes of n-octane onto soil samples. These preliminary studies showed that a system based on this approach would need to balance recovery efficiency, time and analyte breakthrough from the adsorbent trap.     

δD and δ13C analyses of atmospheric volatile organic compounds by thermal desorption gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry

This paper describes the establishment of a robust method to determine compound specific δD and δ(13)C values of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a standard mixture ranging between C(6) and C(10) and was applied to various complex emission samples, e.g. from biomass combustion and car exhaust. A thermal desorption (TD) unit was linked to a gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometer (GC-irMS) to enable compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of gaseous samples. TenaxTA was used as an adsorbent material in stainless steel TD tubes. We determined instrument settings to achieve a minimal water background level for reliable δD analysis and investigated the impact of storage time on δD and δ(13)C values of collected VOCs (176 days and 40 days of storage, respectively). Most of the standard compounds investigated showed standard deviations (SD)<6‰ (δD) when stored for 148 days at 4 °C. However, benzene revealed occasionally D depleted values (21‰ SD) for unknown reasons. δ(13)C analysis demonstrated that storage of 40 days had no effect on VOCs investigated. We also showed that breakthrough (benzene and toluene, 37% and 7%, respectively) had only a negligible effect (0.7‰ and 0.4‰, respectively) on δ(13)C values of VOCs on the sample tube. We established that the sample portion collected at the split flow effluent of the TD unit can be used as a replicate sample for isotope analysis saving valuable sampling time and resources. We also applied TD-GC-irMS to different emission samples (biomass combustion, petrol and diesel car engines exhaust) and for the first time δD values of atmospheric VOCs in the above range are reported. Significant differences in δD of up to 130‰ were observed between VOCs in emissions from petrol car engine exhaust and biomass combustion (Karri tree). However, diesel car emissions showed a high content of highly complex unresolved mixtures thus a baseline separation of VOCs was not achieved for stable hydrogen isotope analysis. The ability to analyse δD by TD-GC-irMS complements the characterisation of atmospheric VOCs and is maybe used for establishing further source(s).     

Novel adsorbent based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes bonding on the external surface of porous silica gel particulates for trapping volatile organic compounds

A novel adsorbent, 3-amino-propylsilica gel-multi-walled carbon nanotubes (APSG-MW), was prepared by chemical bonding multi-walled carbon nanotubes on silica gel. The surface area of APSG-MW was 98 m²/g, and the particle size was between 60 and 80 mesh with the average size of 215.0 μm. The adsorption capability of the new adsorbent to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was measured. The effect of water to the adsorbent and its stability during storage were also investigated. Duplicate precision (DP) and distributed volume pair (DVP) on the basis of the EPA TO-17 criteria were estimated. The results showed that the sampling precision of the adsorbent was more superior compared to the MWCNTs because of the better air permeability. The new adsorbent was successfully applied in the determination of VOCs in ambient indoor air.     

Adsorbent materials commonly used in air analysis for adsorptive enrichment and thermal desorption of volatile organic compounds

A review is given dealing with commonly used adsorbent materials in ambient air analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The adsorbents covered in the paper are selected in consideration of their compatibility with thermal desorption. Initially, we discuss the requirements that an adsorbent should fulfill, and useful parameters for the selection and evaluation of an appropriate material. Then, the most important materials are presented considering their properties, advantages, and drawbacks. A few applications are given, but a complete review of sampling techniques and applications dealing with adsorptive enrichment and thermal desorption is beyond the scope of this paper.     

Evaluation of VOCs Emitted from Biomass Combustion in a Small CHP Plant: Difference between Dry and Wet Poplar Woodchips

The combustion of biomass is a process that is increasingly used for the generation of heat and energy through different types of wood and agricultural waste. The emissions generated by the combustion of biomass include different kinds of macro- and micropollutants whose formation and concentration varies according to the physical and chemical characteristics of the biomass, the combustion conditions, the plants, and the operational parameters of the process. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of biomass moisture content on the formation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the combustion process. Wet and dry poplar chips, with a moisture content of 43.30% and 15.00%, respectively, were used in a cogeneration plant based on a mobile grate furnace. Stack’s emissions were sampled through adsorbent tubes and subsequently analyzed by thermal desorption coupled with the GC/MS. The data obtained showed that, depending on the moisture content of the starting matrix, which inevitably influences the quality of combustion, there is significant variation in the production of VOCs.     

In Vitro and In Vivo Human Body Odor Analysis Method Using GO:PANI/ZNRs/ZIF−8 Adsorbent Followed by GC/MS

Among various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from human skin, trans-2-nonenal, benzothiazole, hexyl salicylate, α-hexyl cinnamaldehyde, and isopropyl palmitate are key indicators associated with the degrees of aging. In our study, extraction and determination methods of human body odor are newly developed using headspace-in needle microextraction (HS-INME). The adsorbent was synthesized with graphene oxide:polyaniline/zinc nanorods/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (GO:PANI/ZNRs/ZIF−8). Then, a wire coated with the adsorbent was placed into the adsorption kit to be directly exposed to human skin as in vivo sampling and inserted into the needle so that it was able to be desorbed at the GC injector. The adsorption kit was made in-house with a 3D printer. For the in vitro method, the wire coated with the adsorbent was inserted into the needle and exposed to the headspace of the vial. When a cotton T-shirt containing body odor was transferred to a vial, the headspace of the vial was saturated with body odor VOCs. After volatile organic compounds were adsorbed in the dynamic mode, the needle was transferred to the injector for analysis of the volatile organic compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The conditions of adsorbent fabrication and extraction for body odor compounds were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). In conclusion, it was able to synthesize GO:PANI/ZNRs/ZIF−8 at the optimal condition and applicable to both in vivo and in vitro methods for body odor VOCs analysis.     

Thermal analyses of four adsorption materials for environmental pollution by DSC and TG

In view of loss prevention and hazard control, traditional engineers use adsorbents to adsorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the semiconductor, photonics, and petrochemical industries. To save funds and promote green energy application, industries usually apply a zeolite processing desorption step under high temperature in the zeolite rotor-wheel system. Many thermal runaway accidents and flame incidents have occurred in the desorption step. Zeolite has been used to adsorb VOCs and applied in the processing desorption step in a reactor without considering oxygen concentration situation, which could easily lead to a flame followed by thermal explosion. Nitrogen is a critically important purge gas regarding passive action for avoiding an accident. Home-made zeolite was investigated for the best manufacturing ratio, which was 20. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller of zeolite (Si/Al = 20) was analyzed to be 400 m² g^?1, which is easy for adsorbing pollutants. According to our previous studies, home-made zeolite has prominent adsorption capacities on VOCs. Zeolite rotor-wheel system was developed to desorb the pollutants of interest. Zeolite was applied to analyze the thermal stability, runaway reaction under various oxygen concentrations, reuse rates, etc. Zeolite is a thermally stable material under room temperature to 650 °C. An endothermic reaction (30–100 °C) of home-made zeolite was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyzer. Clearly, water has a significant effect on deteriorating for the zeolite adsorption. Home-made zeolite is a suitable adsorbent and catalyst in the petrochemical and environmental industries. As far as pollution control and loss prevention are concerned, versatility in the analysis of recycled adsorbents is required and is useful for various industrial applications.     

Determination of complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds in ambient air: an overview

This article reviews developments in the sampling and analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air since the 1970s, particularly in the field of environmental monitoring. Global monitoring of biogenic and anthropogenic VOC emissions is briefly described. Approaches used for environmental monitoring of VOCs and industrial hygiene VOC exposure assessments are compared. The historical development of the sampling and analytical methods used is discussed, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of sorbent and canister methods are identified. Overall, there is considerable variability in the reliability of VOC estimates and inventories. In general, canister methods provide superior precision and accuracy and are particulary useful for the analysis of complex mixtures of VOCs. Details of canister methods are reviewed in a companion paper. C. C. Austin is an Invited Scientist of the National Research Council of Canada.     

Perovskite-type Mixed Oxides Catalyst for Complete Oxidation of Acetone

The catalytic oxidation of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) is an attractive subject in the field of environmental protection now. Furthermore, most countries have made out regulations m controlling the maximum content of VOCs in some places. Presently, the leading way of domestic and foreign means to eliminate VOCs is to completely oxidize VOCs into carbon dioxide and water in presence of noble metal catalyst. But noble metal is expensive for lack of resource[2]. So it is insistent to research a low-cost catalyst for removal of VOCs. In this work, we have used some base metals (such as La, Sr, Ce, Ni, Cu) to synthesize mixed oxides catalyst supported on γ-A12O3. We have investigated the catalytic properties in the complete oxidation of acetone over the catalyst prepared and achieved an exciting result.     

便携式气相色谱-质谱仪测定空气中挥发性有机污染物的准确性

便携式气相色谱-质谱仪(便携式GC-MS)能同时对多组分复杂有机物进行定性定量分析,在环境监测尤其是事故现场应急监测中发挥越来越重要的作用。本文比较了便携式GC-MS与EPATO-14A方法分析测定环境空气中低浓度挥发性有机物(VOCs)的性能,并探讨了利用定量环(loop环)模式测定高浓度VOCs的准确度。结果表明,采用内标标准曲线定量,HAPSITE便携式GC-MS测定空气中VOCs的检出限与EPATO-14A方法相当,准确度和精密度略低,但均符合环境监测分析的要求。利用loop环可对大部分10-6级的高浓度VOCs样品进行较为准确的测定,在突发性环境污染事故中可以得到基本准确的结果。     

Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) on Oxygen-rich Porous Carbon Materials Obtained from Glucose/Potassium Oxalate

To investigate the effects of oxygen-containing functional groups on the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with different polarity, oxygen-rich porous carbon materials (OPCs) were synthesized by heat treatment of glucose/potassium oxalate material. The carbon material had a large specific surface area (1697 m² g⁻¹) and a high oxygen content (18.95 at.%). OPC exhibited high adsorption capacity of toluene (309 mg g⁻¹) and methanol (447 mg g⁻¹). The specific surface area and total pore volume determined the adsorption capacity of toluene and methanol at the high-pressure range, while the oxygen-containing groups became the main factor affecting the methanol adsorption at the low-pressure range due to the hydrogen bond interaction through the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provides an important hint for developing a novel O-doped adsorbent for the VOCs adsorption applications and analyzing the role of oxygen-containing groups in the VOCs adsorption under the low-pressure range.     

Development and evaluation of a calibration gas generator for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in air based on the injection method

The development and operational evaluation of a calibration gas generator for the analysis of volatile or ganic compounds (VOC) in air is described. Details of the construction, as well as of the evaluation of the apparatus are presented here. The performance of the test gas generator is validated both by on-line GC analysis of the calibration gas produced and by off-line analysis of adsorptive samples taken from the generated calibration gas. Both, active and passive sampling have been used, and the results demonstrate the excellent accuracy and precision of the generated test gas atmosphere: For the 11 investigated organic compounds (aromatic and halogenated compounds), the found values were in most cases within 5% of the target value with a reproducibility of better than 3% RSD (as determined by the analysis of the sampled adsorbent tubes). Custom made adsorbent tubes were used for active and passive sampling and in both cases were analysed by thermal-desorption GC. Particularly the combination of passive sampling and thermodesorption-GC analysis offers significant advantages over the commonly used active sampling on activated charcoal, followed by CS2 desorption in terms of avoidance of hazardous solvents, potential for automation and improved detection limits. Both sampling techniques are capable for monitoring VOCs at concentrations and under conditions relevant for workplace monitoring.     

新型单壁碳纳米管采样吸附剂性能的评价

研究了单壁碳纳米管(SWCNTs)作为新型采样吸附剂的性能和效果,并应用于空气中挥发性有机化合物的分析测定。结果表明,单壁碳纳米管具有较大的比表面积,与经典Tenax TA吸附剂相比,对低碳数挥发性强的有机化合物回收率高,有更强的吸附能力;空白实验表明,SWCNTs易获得较低本底,具有化学惰性和疏水特性,采样时水的干扰小。当湿度增加时在误差允许的范围内准确度不受影响;实验测定具有较大的穿透容量和安全采样体积。将单壁碳纳米管吸附剂实际应用于大气中挥发性有机化合物的测定,通过与经典吸附剂Tenax TA相比,更适于采集大气中的挥发性有机化合物。     

Affinity-based elimination of aromatic VOCs by highly crystalline multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are capable of adsorbing pollutant chemicals. Their adsorptive capacities and adsorbing mechanisms, however, are not fully understood. As-grown CNTs often contain both crystalline and amorphous carbon, and the ratio of carbon types can affect adsorption. In this study, highly crystalline multi-walled carbon nanotubes (HC-MWCNTs) were used as the adsorbent for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in contaminated air samples. Air containing 23 added VOCs (1,1-dichloroethylene, dichloromethane, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, cis-1,2-dichloroethylene, chloroform, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, trichloroethylene, 1,2-dichloropropane, bromodichloromethane, cis-1,3-dichloropropene, toluene, trans-1,3-dichloropropene, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, dibromochloromethane, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene, bromoform, and p-dichlorobenzene) was used for model samples. Adsorptive experiments were carried out by passing the air samples through a cartridge packed with HC-MWCNTs. Initial results showing high selectivity and high affinity for adsorbing aromatic VOCs (benzene, toluene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene, and p-dichlorobenzene) have provided new insight into the adsorption mechanisms. Data suggest that the HC-MWCNTs, unlike conventional carbon materials, adsorb aromatic compounds according to Fukui's frontier theory, which is based on the interactions between the HOMO and LUMO of the aromatic VOCs and those of the HC-MWCNTs.