Observation of sorptive losses of volatile sulfur compounds during natural gas sampling

The reason for the compound-dependent over-estimation of the recoveries of several volatile organic sulfur compounds when using a Silcosteel cylinder for sample storage as reported earlier was examined. From the different possible sources of errors that were taken into consideration, the silicone tubing, which was used to fill a standard Tedlar sample bag for calibration, was identified as the cause of the artefact. The comparison of different tubing materials showed that PTFE is the best choice since it causes only minor losses (<10%) of propyl- and butylmercaptans.