Effect of addition of a graphitized carbon black trap to a glass beads trap on the cryoconcentration of some non-methane hydrocarbons in ambient air

Carbotrap was added to a glass beads cryotrap in order to increase the retention of the very volatile two-carbon hydrocarbons, ethylene, ethane and acetylene. Indeed the obtained recoveries increased from 2 to 3% for ethylene, the poorest retained compound, from 7 to 20% for ethane and from 23 to 31% for acetylene between the glass beads only and the Carbotrap/glass beads cryotrap. The addition of the Carbotrap, however, decreased the obtained recovery of o-xylene by 22–46%, depending on the employed conditions. The smaller decrease was observed when the longer desorption time was employed. The variation of the temperature of desorption by 40°C had very little effect on the resulting recoveries.