Simultaneous Extraction and Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds and Semi-volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air Using Multi-bed Solid Phase Extraction Device

Abstract

A method for the simultaneous extraction and determination of indoor volatile compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), was developed using a multi-bed solid phase extraction (SPE)-type collection device. The collection device was prepared by packing styrene-divinylbenzene polymer particles and activated carbon particles. The collected analytes were completely desorbed by passing 7 mL of acetone, and the solvent was then injected into a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry without the concentration process. Because the proposed method does not require ultrasonication and a concentration process of eluted solvent, quantitative determination of a relatively volatile compound could be achieved. The total recovery including extraction and elution recoveries for all the investigated analytes were in the range from 91.6 to 109%. The limit of quantification was less than 4.0 ng L⁻¹ for all the investigated analytes, and relative standard deviations of the peak area of the analytes in indoor air were less than 12%. The collection device could be reused for over 50 samplings.