ABSTRACT
Performing quantitative and qualitative monitoring of low-level volatile hydrocarbons in aqueous solutions is both difficult and essential for environmental and public health operations. These operations include industrial wastewater and process monitoring, site assessment and remediation, and disinfection byproduct control for the drinking water and beverage industries. However, measurements can be problematic in that the analytes of concern are present at low concentrations in a large, potentially interfering background of water. One solution is to separate and concentrate the organic analytes from the water matrix. This has been done with a solvent-free extraction technique. The extraction system uses a silicone-coated silica core fibre mounted on a microsyringe in which the silicone isolates organic analytes that are then thermally injected into a gas chromatograph [401].
