Thermal Desorption - Current Technology & Implementation Examples

Dr. Gal Openhaim, EH, Perkinelmer, Hod Hasharon, Israel

Thermal desorption (TD) is a sample concentration technique suitable for the analysis of volatile organic components (VOC’s) from the air. These VOC’s could be hazardous, toxic compounds from perhaps a petrochemical site through to less troublesome odours and aromas in an essential oil laboratory. Sample components can be collected either by diffusive or pumped monitoring onto the tube.

Thermal desorption is an Ideal technique for collection of and subsequent analysis of ppt through  to percent concentration levels of volatiles in air.

Using thermal desorber - GC, enabels the chromatographer performimg analysis of any organic compounds of C2 - C44 that are suitable for Gas Chromatography when using PerkinElmer’s TurboMatrix TD & ATD.

Analysis involved in a wide range of GC applications including indoor and outdoor air monitoring, flavors and fragrances, outgassing from packaging, polymers, pharmaceuticals semiconductor materials and much more can be done using TD-GC & TD-GC/MS systems.

Current systems allow the operator performing impedance tests for checking the tubes & trap packing situation. Sample-split re-collections is additional benefit as well as the pressure-pulse desorption.

This lecture will include the description of instrument design and several application examples in environmental, pesticides and VOC’s & fragrance.