DEVELOPMENT AND SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION FOR VOC DETERMINATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Air pollution in one way or other has plagued mankind since the ascent of civilization. Volatile Organic Compounds commonly known as VOCs is a major source of worry due to their adverse effect on life forms and atmosphere. The present study deals with the development of a system for VOC determination in the ambient air. Based on literature review a suitable adsorbent namely activated carbon has been selected.The physical properties of the adsorbent have been determined. Column adsorption studies were carried out to develop a suitable column for the adsorbtion of the VOCs from the ambient air into the adsorbent. The VOCs which have been considered in the present study are methanol, etanol, benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, ethyl acetate and butyl acetate. The desorption of these VOCs and subsequently their identification in the gas chromatograph is dealt with.