Odour-causing compounds in air samples: gas-liquid partition coefficients and determination using solid-phase...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Odor-causing compounds from wastewater pose environmental and public health concerns.
• Accurate quantification and air monitoring are crucial for managing these emissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel quantification method for airborne odor compounds.
• To determine gas-liquid partition coefficients for selected compounds.
• To apply the method for air monitoring near a wastewater treatment plant.

Main Methods:

• Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fiber.
• Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for compound identification and quantification.
• Adsorption kinetics studies to optimize extraction time and avoid fiber saturation.

Main Results:

• An optimized 10-minute extraction time allowed external calibration in the 0.4-100 μg/m³ range.
• Detection limits were achieved between 0.1 and 20 μg/m³ for the target compounds.
• Inter-day precision (RSD) ranged from 12% to 24% for all analyzed compounds.
• Dimethyl disulfide, limonene, and phenol were detected in air samples near a wastewater treatment plant.
• Dimethyl disulfide and limonene exhibited the highest partition coefficients.

Conclusions:

• The developed SPME-GC-MS method is effective for quantifying airborne odor compounds from wastewater.
• The method provides reliable data for air monitoring and assessing environmental impact.
• The findings contribute to understanding the fate and transport of volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere.