Diffusive sampling of airborne furfural by solid-phase microextraction device with on-fiber derivatization.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Occupational Hygiene

Background:

• Furfural is an industrial chemical with potential health risks.
• Accurate monitoring of airborne furfural is crucial for workplace safety.
• Existing sampling methods may have limitations in efficiency or ease of use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device as a diffusive sampler for airborne furfural.
• To compare the performance of the SPME diffusive sampler against a standard OSHA method.
• To assess the influence of environmental factors like relative humidity and face velocity on sampling accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber coated with O-2,3,4,5,6-(pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA).
• Assembled the SPME fiber into a PTFE tubing for diffusive sampling.
• Generated known furfural concentrations in a dynamic system and validated against OSHA organic method 72 using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Main Results:

• The experimental sampling constant for the SPME diffusive sampler was determined to be (1.75 +/- 0.03) x 10(-2) cm(3)/min at 25°C.
• Face velocity and relative humidity showed no significant impact on the sampler's performance within tested ranges.
• Excellent linear correlation (r=0.9849) and consistency (slope=0.99 +/- 0.03) were observed when compared to the OSHA method.

Conclusions:

• The developed SPME diffusive sampler is a reliable and accurate tool for monitoring airborne furfural.
• The method is robust against variations in face velocity and relative humidity.
• Temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients must be considered, requiring adjustments to the sampling constant for accurate measurements at temperatures other than 25°C.