Multisorbent tubes for collecting volatile organic compounds in spacecraft air

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Spacecraft air monitoring relies on solid sorbent air samplers.
• Existing Tenax-TA tubes exhibit breakthrough for volatile compounds.
• Improved sampling is crucial for crew health and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the sampling capability of Tenax-TA tubes for volatile contaminants.
• To evaluate dual-sorbent configurations for improved contaminant capture.
• To address breakthrough limitations in current spacecraft air samplers.

Main Methods:

• Tested Carboxen 569 and Carbosieve S-III for trapping volatile compounds.
• Determined breakthrough volumes using direct gas chromatography analysis.
• Evaluated dual-bed tubes (Tenax-TA/Carbosieve S-III, Tenax-TA/Carboxen 569, Carbotrap/Carboxen 569) with a 10-component gas mixture in dry and humid air.

Main Results:

• Carboxen 569 and Carbosieve S-III showed significant breakthrough volumes for methanol and Freon 12.
• The Tenax-TA/Carboxen 569 dual-sorbent tubes provided the best overall recoveries (75-114%) for 10 compounds.
• Even the lowest recovery (acetaldehyde at 75%) represented an improvement over single-sorbent tubes.

Conclusions:

• Dual-sorbent tubes significantly improve volatile compound capture efficiency in spacecraft air samplers.
• The Tenax-TA/Carboxen 569 combination offers a superior solution for monitoring spacecraft air quality.
• This advancement enhances the reliability of air contaminant detection in space environments.