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Development of needle trap technology for on-site determinations: active and passive sampling
Saba Asl-Hariri1, German A Gómez-Ríos, Emanuela Gionfriddo
1Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1.
Analytical Chemistry
|May 21, 2014
Summary
New needle trap (NT) prototypes with extended tips enhance desorption efficiency for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis. These robust devices are effective for in situ biogenic emissions and indoor air sampling, showing reliable performance across multiple uses.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Accurate sampling of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial for environmental and health monitoring.
- Existing needle trap (NT) devices have limitations in desorption efficiency and ease of use for various sampling scenarios.
- Development of improved sampling devices is needed for in situ and on-site air quality assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate new prototypes of extended tip needle trap (NT) devices for enhanced performance.
- To assess the application of these NT devices for in situ sampling of biological emissions.
- To investigate the use of NTs for active and passive on-site sampling of indoor air.
Main Methods:
- Construction of new NT prototypes featuring an extended tip and side hole to improve desorption efficiency.
- Packing of NTs with divinylbenzene particles for biogenic emission studies and with PDMS-immobilized carboxen for spot and passive sampling.
- Evaluation of NT robustness through multiple uses (n > 10) and quantification of extracted VOCs using ANOVA tests.
- Development and testing of a reusable pen-like diffusive sampler for needle traps (PDS-NT).
Main Results:
- No statistical differences were observed among 9 tested NT prototypes at a 95% confidence level, indicating consistent performance.
- NTs used as spot or passive samplers under controlled laboratory conditions yielded a relative standard deviation of less than 15%.
- The PDS-NT combined with NT-spot sampling showed good agreement for toluene analysis in indoor air (0.03 vs. 0.025 ng/mL).
Conclusions:
- The new extended tip NT prototypes offer improved desorption efficiency and robust performance for VOC analysis.
- These NT devices are suitable for diverse applications, including in situ biogenic emission sampling and on-site indoor air monitoring.
- The developed PDS-NT provides a practical and effective tool for passive sampling of indoor air pollutants.