Aire / Air
Air
Our Analytical Services department offers the possibility of determining organic and inorganic contaminants species in ambient air. Among these species, stand ozone precursors and within this group fundamentally the volatile organic compounds (VOCs: BTEX, linear hydrocarbons, aromatic, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, ethers, esters, terpenes). Additionally are analyzed the halogenated organic compounds (Freon’s type), volatile carboxylic compounds such as formaldehyde and its derivatives, as well inorganic species such as inorganic acids.
Ozone is one of the most important contaminants in ambient air, being part of VOCs chemical group one of its main precursor. Continuous analysis of VOCs with monitoring of the environmental data allows determining the impact of these chemical species emissions to the environment in urban and industrials areas. Our laboratories provide continuous and discrete analysis of VOCs in ambient air, from an in-situ measurement with portable analytical instrumentation, as well sampling in different reservoirs: canister, bags, and preconcentration tubes. The best technique is the thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MSD-TD), but the samples collected in canister or bags can be analyzed directly by GC-MSD technique.
Also, our laboratories determine inorganic acids (HF, HCO3, HCl, HNO2, HBr, HNO3, H3PO4, H2SO4) in ambient air by doing the sample collecting in specific preconcentration tubes and using subsequent analysis by LC-conductivity technique.