Analysis of vehicle emissions using thermal desorption and GC×GC–TOF MS (Laura McGregor, MDCW 2023)

• 🎤 Presenter: Laura McGregor¹, Nick Molden², Ime Usen², Caroline Widdowson³, Bob Green⁴ (¹Peterborough, United Kingdom. ²Emissions Analytics, High Wycombe, United Kingdom. ³Markes International, Bridgend, United Kingdom. ⁴SepSolve Analytical, Peterborough, United Kingdom)

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Abstract

With the increased uptake of hybrid and electric vehicles, the impact of non-exhaust emissions is of growing concern for human health and the environment. It is now important to obtain a comprehensive view of all possible sources of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from vehicles, including emissions from materials, such as foam, carpeting and trimmings, as well as those generated through tyre wear.

The recent global push towards a circular economy has also meant that automotive manufacturers are being urged to improve the sustainability of their operations by increasing the use of recycled or renewable materials, such as innovative plant-derived plastics. Robust quality control is therefore essential to ensure these novel products will not produce volatile emissions that could be considered harmful or malodourous.

However, the sample and matrix complexity, as well as an ever-expanding list of compounds of concern makes it challenging for those responsible for performing sampling and analysis. This has led to a need for innovative new methods to be created for complete emissions characterisation.

Here, we will demonstrate the use of thermal desorption (TD) for versatile sampling of emissions from exhausts, vehicle interiors and tyres. When coupled with GC×GC–TOF MS and novel chemometric analysis, this provides improved chemical fingerprinting of emissions to enhance our understanding of how vehicles may impact the environment and human health.

We will show how this future-proof system can go beyond current regulations to help accelerate research and development and guide the automotive industry towards better strategies to limit environmental impact.