Development of semi-automatic station for monitoring concentrations of volatile organic contaminants in ambient air of cities using chromatographic methods (2015-2017)
Importance of the Project
Ambient and indoor air pollution causes the highest health risks all around the world. Air monitoring is very important for decrease of its pollution. Standard analytical methods for determination of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) are based on sampling to containers or sorbent tubes. They are very complex, laborious and require expensive thermal desorption and cryogenic focusing units. It significantly limits their application and decreases the efficiency of air monitoring.
The most perspective method for determination of VOCs in air is solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based on sorption of VOCs by micropolymer fiber and their desorption in injection unit of gas chromatograph. Desorption of analytes from fiber is fast and no cryogenic focusing is required. Using SPME, more than 100 VOCs are identified in Almaty.
In air monitoring, determination of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of VOCs is of huge importance. They can be determined by SPME inside protecting needle of fiber holder. However, the main drawback of such approach is low accuracy caused by competition between analytes, their uncontrolled adsorption at metallic parts of SPME holder and effect of temperature.
During this project, semi-automatic VOCs monitoring station in ambient air based on SPME will be developed. It will have controlled air supply at desired temperature kept constant during sampling. For selection of optimal design, three prototypes working at different air supply principles to the extraction chamber will be developed and tested. Faster, simpler and more efficient calibration method will be developed. A possibility for calibration during air sampling will be considered.
Project aim is to develop semi-automatic station for monitoring concentrations of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) in ambient air of cities using chromatographic methods.
Project tasks:
• Development of three prototypes of stations based on different principles (diffusion, air pumping and combined).
• Development of the analytical method for simultaneous determination of time-weighted average concentrations of 20 main volatile organic contaminants in ambient air using the developed station.
• Testing of the prototypes for determination of the main VOCs in ambient air at different conditions (on model and real air) for discovery of their weaknesses and selection of the most efficient prototype.
• Development of the pilot version of monitoring station, manufacture of three stations and their testing at various conditions and laboratories.
Applied methods:
Advantages of the developed sampler over sorbent tubes with thermal desorption approach
For potential end-users
If you are interested in application of the developed sampler, please feel free to contact Dr. Bulat Kenessov via email (bkenesov@cfhma.kz).
Publications of the project results
Articles in international peer-reviewed journals
Conferences Abstracts and Proceedings
Interactive lectures:
Ambient and indoor air pollution causes the highest health risks all around the world. Air monitoring is very important for decrease of its pollution. Standard analytical methods for determination of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) are based on sampling to containers or sorbent tubes. They are very complex, laborious and require expensive thermal desorption and cryogenic focusing units. It significantly limits their application and decreases the efficiency of air monitoring.
The most perspective method for determination of VOCs in air is solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based on sorption of VOCs by micropolymer fiber and their desorption in injection unit of gas chromatograph. Desorption of analytes from fiber is fast and no cryogenic focusing is required. Using SPME, more than 100 VOCs are identified in Almaty.
In air monitoring, determination of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of VOCs is of huge importance. They can be determined by SPME inside protecting needle of fiber holder. However, the main drawback of such approach is low accuracy caused by competition between analytes, their uncontrolled adsorption at metallic parts of SPME holder and effect of temperature.
During this project, semi-automatic VOCs monitoring station in ambient air based on SPME will be developed. It will have controlled air supply at desired temperature kept constant during sampling. For selection of optimal design, three prototypes working at different air supply principles to the extraction chamber will be developed and tested. Faster, simpler and more efficient calibration method will be developed. A possibility for calibration during air sampling will be considered.
Project aim is to develop semi-automatic station for monitoring concentrations of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) in ambient air of cities using chromatographic methods.
Project tasks:
• Development of three prototypes of stations based on different principles (diffusion, air pumping and combined).
• Development of the analytical method for simultaneous determination of time-weighted average concentrations of 20 main volatile organic contaminants in ambient air using the developed station.
• Testing of the prototypes for determination of the main VOCs in ambient air at different conditions (on model and real air) for discovery of their weaknesses and selection of the most efficient prototype.
• Development of the pilot version of monitoring station, manufacture of three stations and their testing at various conditions and laboratories.
Applied methods:
- Solid-phase microextraction (SPME)
- Gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS)
Advantages of the developed sampler over sorbent tubes with thermal desorption approach
- Substantially (>10 times) lower cost due to simple design;
- Ease of use because no thermal desorption unit and cryogenic focussing are required.
For potential end-users
If you are interested in application of the developed sampler, please feel free to contact Dr. Bulat Kenessov via email (bkenesov@cfhma.kz).
Publications of the project results
Articles in international peer-reviewed journals
- Baimatova N., Koziel J., Kenessov B., 2015. Quantification of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene in internal combustion engine exhaust with time-weighted average solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta 873, 38-50. (IF=4.712, first quartile of the "Chemistry, Analytical" section of the Journal Citation Reports)
- Baimatova N., Kenessov B., Koziel J.A., Carlsen L., Bektassov M., Demyanenko O., 2016. Simple and accurate quantification of BTEX in ambient air by SPME and GC-MS. Talanta 154, 46-52. (IF = 4.035, first quartile of the "Chemistry, Analytical" section of the Journal Citation Reports)
- Baimatova N., Koziel J.A., Kenessov B., 2017. Sampling and analysis of naphthalene in internal combustion engine exhaust with retracted SPME device and GC-MS. Atmosphere 8, 130. (IF = 1.487)
Conferences Abstracts and Proceedings
- Bektassov M., Zagainova M., Baimatova N.K., Kenessov B.N., 2015. Volatile organic compounds monitoring in air of Almaty city by using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and solid-phase microextraction. Abstracts of the International conference “Mendeleev-2015”, Saint Petersburg, Russia. P.371.
- Demyanenko O., Baimatova N., Kenessov B., Bektassov M., Koziel J.A., 2016. Accurate quantification of time-weighted average concentrations of BTEX by SPME and GC-MS. Abstracts of 18th International Symposium on Advances in Extraction Technologies & 22nd International Symposium on Separation Sciences, Torun, Poland, 2016. P.100.
- Baimatova N., Derbissalin M., Kabulov A., Dalabaeva A., Kenessov B., 2016. Application of SPME for the development of technologies of BTEX removal from air by carbon-based adsorbents. Abstracts of 18th International Symposium on Advances in Extraction Technologies & 22nd International Symposium on Separation Sciences, Torun, Poland, 2016. P.150.
- Kenessov B., Koziel J., 2017. Modelling of time-weighted average air sampling by retracted SPME fiber using Comsol Multiphysics software. Abstracts of 19th International Symposium on Advances in Extraction Technologies, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. P.89.
- Koziel J., Kenessov B., Baimatova N., Tursumbayeva M., Maurer D.L., 2017. Recent developments in time-weighted average sampling of gases with retracted solid-phase microextraction. Abstracts of 19th International Symposium on Advances in Extraction Technologies, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. P.56.
Interactive lectures:
- Kenessov B., Tukhmetova D., Shakeshev M. "Introduction to solid-phase microextraction"
- Kenessov B., Orazbayeva D., Umirbekova Z. "Quantification using solid-phase microextraction"