Testing for Volatile Organic Compounds in Water and Soil: Methods and Equipment

This article discusses the methods and equipment used for testing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water and soil. It explains the importance of testing for VOCs and the harmful effects they can have on human beings and the environment. The article also provides an overview of the 8260 and 824 methods used for testing, as well as the materials and equipment required for each method.

1) Company brief
During my attached period, I was attached at APPL Inc. Company. There I was able to gain a lot
of experience in testing of sample and reporting their quantities. The Agriculture & Priority
Pollutant Laboratories Inc., AAPL Inc is a testing laboratory company which is based in Central
Valley in Clovis California. The company has for years been able to analyze environmental
samples from different waste water, solid wastes and drinking water methods. Recent and
popular electronic formats for reporting the analyses are usually used by the company. Some of
the key technologies which the company uses in analyzing different parameters include ADR,
SED, ERPIMS, LabSpec7, Swamp, SNEDD NEDD among others. Database programing is a key
data deliverable method which is used by the APPL Inc. in order to meet the different aspects of
client needs. The company is able to fall under the U.S Small Business Administration and it is a
certified Small Woman-Owned Business. The company has been able to operate in di9fferenty
projects since 1982, giving it a great experience in handling different materials testing and
reporting. The projects which the company has handled are diverse and able to tackle different
issues. In addition, the projects are not localized and are able to range from different areas. The
company in addition focuses in analysis of water, soil and tissue samples. Moreover, the
company is able to engage in full service laboratory. Moreover, the company is able to focus on
the environmental issues when analyzing water and soil samples. APPL Inc is able to focus on
more than 3,000 chemical concerns when analyzing the different samples. Most importantly,
APPL Inc. is able to carry out the air or biological contamination testing. In this company, I was
engaged on different procedures to analyze samples and generate proper reporting.
2)
Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals which records high vapor pressure at their
normal and normal room temperature. The VOCs are able to have low B.P at high vapor pressure
and this is able to lead to most of the particles to vaporize or even sublime from liquid form or
solid form (Barro, et al. 2009). Different countries such as United States, Canada and European
Union have set their own definitions of the VOC. For instance, the EU defines VOC as "any
organic compound having an initial boiling point less than or equal to 250 °C (482 °F) measured
at a standard atmospheric pressure of 101.3 kPa" (Mendell, 2013). Additionally, the VOCs are
generated from different sources and therefore are able to find themselves in different
environmental places such as in water, air and even soils. Some VOC are naturally occurring
while others are manmade. The human made and naturally occurring VOCs are chemical
compounds which are harmful to the human beings and the environment. This makes it
important top test for the VOCs in water and soil. They water and soils have to be monitored to
these chemicals to avoid health and environmental hazards. GS/MSD is Gas
Chromatography/Mass Selective Detector, which is an analytical method that is able to use
combined features of both gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry to recognize diverse
elements in a sample when testing (Mendell, 2013). In order to detect VOCs in water and soil,
GC/MSD is able to use relative gas chromatography retention times and elution patterns of the
components which are present in the mixture. While carrying out the GC/MSD, I was also
involved in the Agilent and teledyne tekmar atomx. These are combined with the mass spectral
fragmentation patterns which help to identify the characteristics of the substances. The method is

able to aid the separation of individual components; transfers of different components to ionizing
chamber do mass analysis and detection of ions.
3
In the lab, we were able to receive most of the samples in VOA viles. While receiving them,
methanol and water sodium bisulfate were used as the main preservatives for the solid and water
samples. This helped in maintaining their ground conditions while in lab. Most importantly this
was able to ensure that the initial conditions of water and soil could be determined without
contaminating the testing samples. In addition, in digesting them, HCL preservatives viles were
also used to ensure proper substances and components of the samples were determined.
4 methods
Two major methods were critical in testing samples while I was in the lab. I was involved in the
8260 and 824 methods. First, the 8260 method was used to determine the VOC compounds in
water. More specifically, the method is able to help in determination of the various solid waste
matrices in water. The method is mostly applicable to samples with BP less than 200 degree
Celsius regardless of their water content. First, direct injection procedure which comprises the
dose of aqueous sample which contain great levels of concentrated analytes is carried out. Purge-
and-trap of the aqueous sample is then done (Terra, Campos, and Martins, 2018). To improve
efficiency, this method is done at 40oc. vacuum distillation is then carried out which introduces
the volatile organics to the aqueous system. Also, automated static headspace technique is also
used the volatile organics to the system. The 524 drinking water method was also carried out. In
this method, first the organic compounds with low solubility are purged out by building an inert
gas through the aqueous solution. After purging, solvent tube is placed in heat bath, and then
back flushed with helium gas in order to disorb the stuck sample constituents into GC column
which is lined with MS. The support temperature remains employed to enhance the split-up
(Behr, and Johnen, 2009). The complexes eluting from the GC column are acknowledged
through the mass spectra and their retention time. The concentration of the substances is
identified through measurement of the MS quantitation ions.
5
In order to carry out the 8260 process, the following materials and equipment are required. One
of the key devices needed is the Purge-and-trap used for solid samples and for aqueous solutions,
automated static headspace device for solid samples. In addition, azeotropic distillation apparatus
for both aqueous and solid samples, vacuum distillation apparatus for aqueous, solid and tissue
samples, Desorption device for air trapping media for air, Air sampling loop for sampling from
Tedlar® bags for air samples, CD-ROM 8260B – 7, Injection port liners, Gas chromatographic
columns, Methanol, Hexadecane, Polyethylene glycol, HCL and Stock solutions.
For the 824 method, the materials needed include, sample, containers, purge and trap system,
GC/MSD system and syringe and syringe valves. The key reagents required include methanol,
reagent water, HCL, Vinyl chloride, Ascorbic acid and sodium thiosulfate. The process include
preparation of reagent blank (LRB). The syringe is filled with reagent water and adjusted to level

while driving the bubbles out. An appropriate volume of fortication solution which contained the
internal standard and surrogates was then injected through the Luer Lok valve into the reagent
water. The LRB was then transferred to the purging device for further testing. Samples were then
collected and stored properly to maintain their ground conditions. Along each sample, a FRB set
was handed over. This was to ensure that the control FRB was able to monitor the situation and
condition of the sample being tested.
Both chromatograph and spectra are curves which are able to present the concentration of the
reagents against the time taken.
Figure 1: an example of chromatograph
Figure 2: an example of spectra

References
Barro, R.; Regueiro J, Llompart M, and Garcia-Jares C. (2009). "Analysis of industrial
contaminants in indoor air: Part 1. Volatile organic compounds, carbonyl compounds,
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls". Journal of
Chromatography A. 1216 (3): 540–566. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2008.10.117. PMID 19019381.
Behr, A.; and Johnen, L. (2009). "Myrcene as a Natural Base Chemical in Sustainable
Chemistry: A Critical Review". ChemSusChem. 2 (12): 1072–
95. doi:10.1002/cssc.200900186. PMID 20013989.
http://www.applinc.com/
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/epa-524.2.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/8260b.pdf
Mendell, M. J. (2013). "Indoor residential chemical emissions as risk factors for respiratory and
allergic effects in children: A review". Indoor Air. 17 (4): 259–77. doi:10.1111/j.1600-
0668.2007.00478.x. PMID 17661923
Terra, W. C.; Campos, V. P. and Martins, S. J. (2018). "Volatile organic molecules from
Fusarium oxysporum strain 21 with nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne
incognita". Crop Protection. 106: 125–131. doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2017.12.022.