Simple and accurate on-site quantitation of BTEX in atmospheric air using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with photoionization detection

This paper represents an improved method for on-site quantitation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in atmospheric air using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and portable gas chromatography with a split/splitless inlet and photoionization detector (GC-PID). The developed method includes air pumping to four replicate 250 mL gas sampling bulbs, three of which are extracted by 85 µm Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (Car/PDMS) coating at 40°C, while the last one is spiked with BTEX standard in nitrogen and extracted under the same conditions. Compared to other similar SPME-based methods, the developed method does not require a standard gas generator and traceable certified permeation tubes for instrument calibration.

The method was applied for on-site BTEX quantitation in air of Talgar, Almaty oblast, Kazakhstan in February and March 2024, at two different extraction times, among which 15 min was chosen as optimal because it provided sufficient detection limits of ethylbenzene, and xylenes. The on-site standard addition calibration allowed accurate BTEX quantitation. In February, only benzene (18.3 and 6.8 µg/m³) and toluene (15.7 and 8.5 µg/m³) were detected. In March samples, concentrations of benzene were 12.3 and 7.4 µg/m³, toluene - 23 and 5.4 µg/m³, ethylbenzene – 5.5 µg/m³ and not detected, m-/p-xylene - 3.6 and 2.1 µg/m³, o-xylene - 6.8 and 10.6 µg/m³. The LODs for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-/p-xylene, and o-xylene were 0.07, 0.3, 2, 0.8 and 2 µg/m³, respectively. The developed method can be recommended for quick and low-cost on-site quantification of BTEX in atmospheric air, particularly at remote locations.