Overview
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ABSTRACT
Volatile Organic compounds (VOC) present a wide range of physico-chemical properties and numerous emission sources. Analysis methods of VOCs at trace level in air are required in order to comply with increasingly strict regulation requirements and assess risk exposure at best. According to the environment studied (ambient air, indoor air or industrial gaseous emissions), the analytical procedure always involves a sampling step which can include or not VOCs pre-concentration. A chromatographic analysis is then carried out which allows for the identification and quantification of the target compounds. Therefore, the aim of this article is to describe the current various sampling principles and analytical methods and discuss how they are to be selected according to the desired measurement objectives, the conditions of implementation as well as their performances and drawbacks.
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Valérie DESAUZIERS: Doctor of Science - Lecturer at the École des Mines d'Alès (Pau site), Industrial Environmental Engineering Laboratory
INTRODUCTION
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include a very large number of molecules with very different physico-chemical properties. They are mainly solvents used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, surface treatment and printing industries, as well as plasticizers, sulfur and nitrogen compounds likely to cause odor nuisance, and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Given this diversity, definitions have been proposed. European Directive 1999/13/EC of March 11, 1999 defines VOCs as "any organic compound having a saturation vapour pressure of 0.01 kPa or more at a temperature of 293.15 K, or having a corresponding volatility under the particular conditions of use". Under the Ministerial Order of February 2, 1998, French legislation excludes methane from this definition, as it is not very toxic and is not involved in atmospheric photochemical pollution (it is a greenhouse gas). This last criterion is also used by the US-EPA (US – Environmental Protection Agency) to define VOCs. Along with nitrogen oxides, VOCs are precursors in the formation of tropospheric ozone, which is their main impact on the environment. Health risks to humans vary according to the molecule in question. They range from olfactory discomfort to mutagenic (unsaturated hydrocarbons) and carcinogenic (aromatic hydrocarbons) effects, as well as irritation and other disorders (respiratory, cardiac, renal, headaches, etc.). Sources of VOCs can be either biotic or anthropogenic, the latter having risen steadily until the end of the 20th century, mainly as a result of industrial activity and road transport. According to CITEPA (Centre interprofessionnel d'étude sur la pollution atmosphérique), the level of non-methane VOC (NMVOC) emissions has been falling steadily since 1988, reaching 1,400 kt in 2003, a drop of 47%. During this period, a reversal of the most emitting sectors has also been observed: manufacturing industry has become predominant, accounting for 30% of total emissions in mainland France, compared with 24% for road transport, formerly the most emitting sector. These improvements are the result of the political will of many nations to reduce their emissions. Under the Gothenburg Protocol (1999), 26 European countries have committed to emission ceilings: in France, a maximum of 1,100 kt of VOCs is to be achieved by 2010.
As a result, regulations concerning industrial effluents have become stricter, and VOC emission limit values have been lowered. Similarly, ambient air quality monitoring has been organized, with limit values set for priority pollutants (including one VOC, benzene) and measurement networks set up. In comparison, regulations concerning indoor environments are still underdeveloped. Indeed, this is a relatively recent concern, even though indoor air quality has become a major public health issue. For...
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Analysis of trace VOCs in air
Bibliography
- (1) - EZRATTI (V.) - The Sick Building Syndrom - Presse Médicale, Vol-32, p. 1572-1579 (2003).
- (2) - - Institut National des Risques Sanitaires (INRS), fiches toxicologiques (disponible sur www.inrs.fr...
Standards and norms
- Emissions from stationary sources – Determination of high dust mass concentrations – Manual gravimetric method. - NF X 44-052 - mai 2002
- Emissions from stationary sources – Sampling and analysis guide for volatile organic compounds. - FD X 43-319 - 2008
- Workplace atmospheres – Guidance on assessing exposure to chemical agents for comparison with limit values and measurement strategy. - NF EN 689 - juillet...
Regulations
Council Directive 1999/13/EC of March 11, 1999 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations.
Ministère de l'aménagement du territoire et de l'environnement, Arrêté du 2 février 1998 relatif aux prélèvements et à la consommation d'eau ainsi que aux émissions de toute nature des installations classées pour la protection...
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