Application of On-line Membrane Extraction Microtrap Gas Chromatography (OLMEM-GC) for Continuous Monitoring of VOC Emission

In the last few years we have developed on-line membrane extraction microtrap gas chromatography (OLMEM-GC) where volatile organics are extracted on-line from air or water. The permeated organics are pneumatically transported by an inert carrier gas and concentrated using a micro-sorbent trap referred to as a microtrap. The microtrap is electrically heated to desorb the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a "concentration pulse" that serves as an injection for gas chromatography (GC) separation. In our previous studies with air we reported that the OLMEM system is able to monitor VOCs at ppb levels and can handle complex environmental samples with high moisture content. In this article we provide further results on the characteristics of the OLMEM system and demonstrate its applicability in a real-world application by monitoring the emissions from a catalytic incinerator.