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The IIA-CNR has a high level of experience in the sampling and analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Over the years, methodologies have been developed for sampling VOCs in emission and in ambient air. Multi-adsorbent traps, systems for sampling and analysis of polymerizing compounds, new adsorbents and passive samplers have been developed.
The VOC laboratory currently performs sampling and analysis of VOCs in remote areas, indoors and in industrial emissions. It evaluates VOC abatement systems in ambient air and in emissions and studies the presence of VOCs also in matrices other than air such as soils, water and materials. The most used instrument is the Thermodesorber coupled with Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry TD/GC/MS using liquid nitrogen both for the cryofocusing of the analytes and for cooling the GC oven. In this way, maximum performance is obtained both in terms of chromatographic efficiency (Cryotrap at -180°C) and multicomponent separation, retaining in the separation column the very volatile VOCs (VVOC) with the aid of sub-ambient temperatures while the heavier compounds up to the semi-volatiles (SVOC) are determined with the simple increase in the temperatures of the GC oven.
For sampling we have Canisters, multilayer thermodesorption traps packed according to analytical needs, adsorbent traps for elution with solvents and passive samplers. Active sampling is performed with a multitude of suction systems ranging from Atex safety pumps for personal sampling to pumps with dilution systems for industrial emissions sampling. Inside the laboratory there are also gas chromatographs interfaced with flame ionization detectors (GC / FID) and with thermo conductivity detectors (GC / TCD). For the analysis of various polar compounds, such as carbonyl compounds (eg Formaldehyde), two dedicated HPLCs are used, equipped with a UV detector and a Fluorescence detector. The laboratory is equipped with systems for the calibration of flows and for the generation of dilute mixtures using certified cylinders and diffusive generation systems.