Volatile organic compounds sampling and analysis using needle trap device

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are very toxic and harmful to living organisms and easily found as major pollutans in contaminated areas such as military bases and industrial sites. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of VOCs is required as part of the site assessment. VOC analysis is usually followed several complex steps such as solvent extraction, reverse extraction, and purification. Needle Trap Devices (NTDs) as an miniaturized adsorbent sampler can improve and simplify this analysis process. NTD is a one-step sampling, sample preparation and injection device optimized for gas chromatography, which is eco-friendly because no extraction solvent is required to extract VOCs from the sample matrix. This report uses the advantages of NTD to report the results of sampling and analysis from the monitoring well. That is, seven VOCs were identified and their concentration gradients according to the sampling depth were successfully figured out. VOCs decreased exponentially by diffusion as they moved away from contaminated groundwater, of which Tetrachloroethylene was the most detected component at 80.74 ng/mL at a depth of 1.5 m.