Analysis of volatile organic compounds

An apparatus and method are described for reproducibly analyzing trace amounts of a large number of organic volatiles existing in a gas sample. Direct injection of the trapped volatiles into a cryogenic percolum provides a sharply defined plug. Applications of the method include: (1) analyzing the headspace gas of body fluids and comparing a profile of the organic volatiles with standard profiles for the detection and monitoring of disease; (2) analyzing the headspace gas of foods and beverages and comparing the profile with standard profiles to monitor and control flavor and aroma; and (3) analyses for determining the organic pollutants in air or water samples

Gas chromatography of volatile organic compounds

System has been used for problems such as analysis of volatile metabolities in human blood and urine, analysis of air pollutants, and in tobacco smoke chemistry. Since adsorbent is reusable after porper reconditioning, method is both convenient and economical. System could be used for large scale on-site sampling programs in which sample is shipped to central location for analysis

Air Pollution and Per Capita Income: A Disaggregation of the Effects of Scale, Sectoral Composition, and Technological Change

During the last decade, researchers have investigated the relationship between per capita income and environmental quality. This paper disaggregates the relationship between per capita income and emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds into scale, composition and technology effects, using data from European and North American countries from the period 1980-1986. Results indicate that the scale effect outweighs the composition and technology effects in the cases of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds, while the opposite is true in the cases of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. The results also suggest that greater democracy is associated with lower emissions of all four pollutants.Environmental Kuznets curve; emissions; carbon monoxide; carbon dioxide; sulfur dioxide; volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds destruction by catalytic oxidation for environmental applications.

Pt/{esc}gc{esc}s-Al2O3 membrane catalysts were prepared via an evaporative-crystallization deposition method. The obtained Pt/{esc}gc{esc}s- Al2O3 catalyst activity was tested after characterization (SEM-EDAX observation, BET measurement, permeability assessment) in the catalytic oxidation of selected volatile organic compound (VOC) i.e. propane, fed in mixture of oxygen. The VOC conversion (nearly 90%) obtained by varying the operating temperature showed that flow-through membrane reactor might do better in the abatement of VOCs

Food waste materials appear efficient and low-cost adsorbents for the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from wastewater

In recent studies, the adsorption capacity of several food waste materials has been assessed by performing adsorption experiments in heterogeneous operating conditions. In a latest study, the efficiency of such food waste materials for the removal of metals and metalloids from complex multi-element solutions was evaluated in homogeneous experimental conditions, which allowed comparing the adsorption capacities of the individual adsorbents. Considering the high efficiency of the examined low-cost adsorbents for the removal of inorganic pollutants, preliminary studies were conducted in our lab for assessing the potential of the investigated food waste materials to adsorb volatile organic compounds from a real polluted matrix of leachate. Some recent studies have shown the efficiency of low cost materials for the removal of industrial organic dyes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds. However, the food waste adsorbents’ efficiency for the removal of volatile organic compounds was not investigated. Our preliminary studies showed good adsorption capacities of the examined food waste materials for aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Therefore, it is worth to carry out further studies about volatile organic compounds’ removal by food waste adsorbents

Volatile organic compounds as diagnostic biomarkers in gastrointestinal and liver diseases

The assessment of disease activity in various conditions may be performed using a range of different techniques. These include the use of non-invasive tests, such as acute phase inflammatory markers and simple radiological techniques, to more advanced invasive and complex modalities. Over the past two decades the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in biological specimens has attracted a considerable amount of clinical interest. The investigation of VOCs, using a variety of analytical techniques, has shown a significant correlation between the pattern and concentration of VOCs and the occurrence of various diseases. This provides a potentially non-invasive means of diagnosis, monitoring of pathological processes and assessment of pharmacological response. It may be rapid, simple and acceptable to patients. In this paper we review the medical literature and research efforts that have been carried out over the past decades, and try to summarize the clinical implications of VOC analysis of various biological emanations including stool, breath and blood samples and their correlation with gastrointestinal and liver diseases

Porous silica spheres as indoor air pollutant scavengers

Porous silica spheres were investigated for their effectiveness in removing typical indoor air pollutants, such as aromatic and carbonyl-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and compared to the commercially available polymer styrene-divinylbenzene (XAD-4). The silica spheres and the XAD-4 resin were coated on denuder sampling devices and their adsorption efficiencies for volatile organic compounds evaluated using an indoor air simulation chamber. Real indoor sampling was also undertaken to evaluate the affinity of the silica adsorbents for a variety of indoor VOCs. The silica sphere adsorbents were found to have a high affinity for polar carbonyls and found to be more efficient than the XAD-4 resin at adsorbing carbonyls in an indoor environment

The study of volatile organic compounds associated with decomposition of pig tissue as a model for human decomposition

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston UniversityVolatile organic compounds are a topic of interest for researchers in a variety of fields. These areas include the postmortem interval (PMI), cadaver dogs, postmortem toxicology, search and rescue, human scent as a biometric measure, human scent as an attractant to mosquitoes, and cancer biomarkers. In the research of volatile organic compounds associated with human decomposition, a number of methods and techniques are being used, which leads to inconsistencies in the compounds detected. The difficulty in the procurement of human tissues for research also adds to the inconsistencies and the limitations of current research. The domestic pig is often used as a substitute for human research because it has been determined to be the best model corpse. Due to the many restrictions associated with testing on human cadavers, pigs are often substituted because of their anatomical and physiological similarities to humans. This study analyzed the volatile organic compounds associated with the decomposition of pig tissue as a model for the volatile organic compounds associated with human decomposition. Heated passive headspace concentration with activated carbon as the adsorbent material followed by analysis with GC/MS was tested for its reliability in recovering and detecting volatile organic compounds of decomposition. The volatile organic compounds detected were examined for their applicability in determining the postmortem interval and for their use as cadaver dog training aids. The volatile organic compounds detected were compared to volatile organic compounds reported in the literature and examined to determine their reliability in using the domestic pig as a research model for humans. The results of this study demonstrated the need for a reliable, consistent method for analyzing volatile organic compounds associated with decomposition. It also demonstrated the need for procurement of human tissue for further research. The results of this research further demonstrated the variability surrounding the decomposition process and the difficulty in determining the postmortem interval based on the volatile organic compounds detected. This research corroborated that the compounds detected from decomposition are not unique or specific to human decomposition and exposes a number of areas that require further research and exposes aspects of current research that need to be reexamined