scholarly journals Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted from Air Fresheners

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Pino-Delgado ◽  
Danielle Vado ◽  
Dajon McLeese ◽  
Shizuka Hsieh

Air fresheners contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which are possible hazardous air pollutants, carcinogens, or chemicals associated with adverse health effects such as asthma. This screening study identifies VOCs emitted from two types of air fresheners. Plug-in air fresheners are household products that release scents from a heated liquid. Little Tree air fresheners are commonly-used solid devices designed to hang in from the rear view mirror in cars. VOCs that were released from heated samples of air fresheners were identified by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GCMS). In a pilot study to characterize how air fresheners affect air quality in real settings, air samples were collected on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) field samplers in a home setting and inside a vehicle, before and during air-freshener use. This pilot demonstrated the potential for SPME field samplers to track changes in VOC levels in real-life settings.

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihab Alnajim ◽  
Manjree Agarwal ◽  
Tao Liu ◽  
YongLin Ren

Background: The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is one of the world’s most serious stored grain insect pests. A method of early and rapid identification of red flour beetle in stored products is urgently required to improve control options. Specific chemical signals identified as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are released by the beetle can serve as biomarkers. Methods: The Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) technique and the analytical conditions with GC and GCMS were optimised and validated for the determination of VOCs released from T. castaneum. Results: The 50/30 μm DVB/CAR/PDMS SPME fibre was selected for extraction of VOCs from T. castaneum. The efficiency of extraction of VOCs was significantly affected by the extraction time, temperature, insect density and type of SPME fibre. Twenty-three VOCs were extracted from insects in 4 mL flask at 35 ± 1°C for four hours of extraction and separated and identified with gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The major VOCs or chemical signals from T. castaneum were 1-pentadecene, p-Benzoquinone, 2-methyl- and p-Benzoquinone, 2-ethyl. Conclusion: This study showed that HS-SPME GC technology is a robust and cost-effective method for extraction and identification of the unique VOCs produced by T. castaneum. Therefore, this technology could lead to a new approach in the timely detection of T. castaneum and its subsequent treatment.


Author(s):  
Antonia Flores ◽  
Silvia Sorolla ◽  
Concepció Casas ◽  
Rosa Cuadros ◽  
Anna Bacardit

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) arise from the chemicals used in the various stages of the leather manufacturing process. An important aim of the tanning industry is to minimize or eliminate VOCs and SVOCs, without lowering the quality of leather.   This paper shows the development of a new headspace-solid phase micro extraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) method for the identification of VOCs and SVOCs emitted by newly designed polymers for the leather finishing operation. These new polymers are polyurethane resins designed to reduce the VOC and SVOC concentration. This method enables a simple and fast determination of the qualitative and semi-quantitative content of VOCs and SVOCs in polyurethane-type finishing resins. The chemicals that are of concern in this paper are the following: Dipropylene glycol Monomethyl Ether (DPGME), DBE-3 (a mixture of dibasic esters) and Triethylamine (TEA). The test conditions that have been determined to carry out the HS-SPME assay are the following: incubation time (2 hours), extraction temperature and time (40°C; 5 minutes) and the desorption conditions (280°C, 50 seconds).  Ten samples of laboratory scale resins were tested by HS-SPME followed by gas chromatography (GC-MS). DPGME and DBE-3 (a mixture of dimethyl adipate, dimethyl glutarate and dimethyl succinate) have been identified effectively. The compounds are identified by a quantitative method using external calibration curves for the target compounds. The technique is not effective to determine the TEA compound, since the chromatograms shown poor resolution peaks for the standard. 


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