Different capillary needle trap (NT) configurations are studied and compared to evaluate the suitability of this methodology for screening in the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air samples at ultra-trace levels. Totally, 22 gauge needles with side holes give the best performance and results, resulting in good sampling flow reproducibility as well as fast and complete NT conditioning and cleaning. Two different types of sorbent are evaluated: a graphitized carbon (Carbopack X) and a polymeric sorbent (Tenax TA). Optimized experimental conditions were desorption in the GC injector at 300°C, no make-up gas to help the transport of the desorbed compounds to the GC column, 1 min splitless time for injection/desorption, and leaving the NT in the hot injector for about 20 min. Cross-contamination is avoided when samples containing high VOC levels (above likely breakthrough values) are evaluated. Neither carryover nor contamination is detected for storage times up to 48 h at 4°C. The method developed is applied for the analysis of indoor air, outdoor air and breath samples. The results obtained are equivalent to those obtained with other thermal desorption devices but have the advantage of using small sample volumes, being simpler, more economical and more robust than conventional methodologies used for VOC analysis in air samples.

Please cite this article as: M. Alonso, L. Cerdan, A. Godayol, E. Anticó, J.M. Sanchez, Headspace needle-trap analysis of priority volatile organic compounds from aqueous samples: application to the analysis of natural and waste waters, Journal of Chromatography A (2010), doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2011.09.042 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Odorous emissions from wastewater collection systems and treatment facilities affecting quality of life have given local populations reasons to complain for decades. In order to characterise the composition of such malodorous emissions, a method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed to determine a list of compounds belonging to different chemical families, which have been previously described as potentially responsible for odour complaints, in wastewater matrices. Some parameters affecting the chromatographic behaviour of the target compounds were studied (e.g. splitless time). Experimental conditions affecting the extraction process (temperature, time and salt content) were evaluated by applying a factorial design at two levels. Using a DVB/CAR/PDMS fibre and the optimised HS-SPME conditions, calibration curves were constructed with detection limits in the range of 0.003-0.6 μg L(-1). Recovery values higher than 70% and relative standard deviation values between 5 and 16% (n=5) were obtained for all compounds and found to be satisfactory. In wastewater samples, a decrease in the concentration of the analysed compounds through the different treatments was observed. Most of the target analytes were found in influent samples while only octanal and carvone were detected in samples from the plant effluent.

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Contamination by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on premises where smoking is permitted is evaluated. Although all target VOCs evaluated show significant differences between smoking and nonsmoking indoors, the results obtained indicate that 2,5-dimethylfuran is the most appropriate and effective marker of ETS contamination given that this compound is only detected in environments where people have smoked and so the detection of this compound cannot be attributed to other contamination sources such as traffic. Moreover, the air levels of this compound due to coffee aroma are below the detection limits for this methodology. A preliminary study is performed to evaluate whether 2,5-dimethylfuran, a smoking breath biomarker, can be detected in passive smokers working in smoking environments. The compound was continuously detected in the breath of nonsmoking employees after being in direct contact with ETS for just a few hours. The Tedlar gas sampling bags had 5% loss of 2,5-dimethylfuran after 3 h of storage, which we took as the maximum recommended period for air sample storage.

A needle trap (NT) device filled with Carbopack X as a sorbent material is evaluated for the static headspace analysis of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds in aqueous samples. Injection parameters used with the NT device (e.g. volume of carrier gas and time to open the split valve) are evaluated to determine the mechanism involved during the desorption and transferring of the target compounds into the GC column. Furthermore, different parameters affecting the adsorption capacity of the sorbent are studied (e.g. sampling time and temperature, headspace/sample volume ratio, salting-out, and stirring). The evaluation of the method with aqueous samples shows that repeatability and recoveries with the NT device are equivalent to those obtained using solid-phase microextraction with a carboxen/PDMS (CAR/PDMS) coating. LODs obtained with flame ionization detection are in the range of 10-25 μg/L, and in the range of hundredths of μg/L with MS detection. The method developed is satisfactorily applied to the analysis of aqueous samples obtained from wastewater treatment plants.

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