Low-cost photoionization sensors as detectors in GC × GC systems designed for ambient VOC measurements

TY - JOUR

T1 - Low-cost photoionization sensors as detectors in GC × GC systems designed for ambient VOC measurements

AU - Pang, Xiaobing

AU - Lan, Haijun

AU - Zhong, Jinping

AU - Ye, Daiqi

AU - Shaw, Marvin D.

AU - Lewis, Alastair C.

N1 - © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PY - 2019/5/10

Y1 - 2019/5/10

N2 - Conventional volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring based on thermal desorption - gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC–MS) or gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (TD-GC-FID) is relatively cumbersome and expensive. In this study commercial off the shelf low-cost and low-power photo-ionization detector (PID) sensors are used as simple detectors in VOC analysis systems based on GC, including a miniaturised GC × GC device with portable, low-cost, and low-energy-consumption features. PID sensors produce a voltage signal positively proportional to VOC concentration, which when incorporated into a TD-GC system gave limit of detection of 0.02 ppbV for isoprene. To test PID performance in real-world applications, PID sensors were deployed as (i) a second alternative detector in a GC-Quadruple Time Of Flight Mass spectrometry (GC-Q-TOF-MS), and (ii) the main detector in a compact two-dimensional gas chromatograph (GC × GC). PID sensors with 10.6 eV and 11.7 eV lamps were used to measure eight toxic chemicals including organic sulfide and organic phosphonates via GC; two species were ionized by a 10.6 eV lamp and four species by the 11.7 eV lamp. Commercially available low-cost PIDs designed for standalone could be straightforwardly and effectively re-used as detectors in compact GC × GC systems, in this work showing excellent VOC sensitivity, fast response and low operational demands compared to comparable field instruments based on GC-FID or MS.

AB - Conventional volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring based on thermal desorption - gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC–MS) or gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (TD-GC-FID) is relatively cumbersome and expensive. In this study commercial off the shelf low-cost and low-power photo-ionization detector (PID) sensors are used as simple detectors in VOC analysis systems based on GC, including a miniaturised GC × GC device with portable, low-cost, and low-energy-consumption features. PID sensors produce a voltage signal positively proportional to VOC concentration, which when incorporated into a TD-GC system gave limit of detection of 0.02 ppbV for isoprene. To test PID performance in real-world applications, PID sensors were deployed as (i) a second alternative detector in a GC-Quadruple Time Of Flight Mass spectrometry (GC-Q-TOF-MS), and (ii) the main detector in a compact two-dimensional gas chromatograph (GC × GC). PID sensors with 10.6 eV and 11.7 eV lamps were used to measure eight toxic chemicals including organic sulfide and organic phosphonates via GC; two species were ionized by a 10.6 eV lamp and four species by the 11.7 eV lamp. Commercially available low-cost PIDs designed for standalone could be straightforwardly and effectively re-used as detectors in compact GC × GC systems, in this work showing excellent VOC sensitivity, fast response and low operational demands compared to comparable field instruments based on GC-FID or MS.

KW - Flame ionization detector (FID)

KW - Gas chromatography (GC)

KW - Photo-ionization detector (PID)

KW - Quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS)

KW - Two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC)

KW - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061341879&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.348

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.348

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85061341879

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 664

SP - 771

EP - 779

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

ER -