Determination of Gaseous Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Emitted from a Diesel Engine by GC-MS with Novel Sample Preparation

Abstract

Aqueous capture collection, low pressure purge-and-trap concentration, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were employed for the determination of gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emitted from a diesel engine. The collection method was improved with help of several cosolvents rather than solid adsorbents. The concentration system was modified by using a purge-and-trap instrument to enhance recovery of the high boiling point polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from 22% to 81%. GC-MS analysis of diesel engine exhaust emissions included 16 main polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at the picogram level. The present method shortened the collection and pretreatment time to no more than 10% of the traditional methods and minimized the loss of analytes.

Keywords:

• Aqueous capture collection
• GC-MS
• Low pressure-purge-and-trap
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by the Science Foundation for Youths of Yantai University.

Notes

Abb: Abbreviation; BP: Boiling point; LR: Linear range; SR: Spiked recovery.

/, not mentioned; ACC, aqueous-capture-collection; PUF, polyurethane foam.