Standard Practice for Fast Screening for Volatile Organic Compounds in Water Using Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME)

Abstract

4.1 This practice provides a general procedure for the SPME of volatile organic compounds from the headspace of an aqueous matrix. Absorbent extraction is used as the initial step in the extraction of organic constituents for the purpose of screening and subsequently estimating the concentration of the volatile organic components found in water samples. This information may then be used to determine whether a sample may be analyzed directly by purge and trap or headspace or will require dilution prior to analysis. 4.2 Typical detection limits that can be achieved using SPME techniques with GC with a FID range from milligrams per litre (mg/L) to micrograms per litre (μg/L). The detection limit, linear concentration range, and sensitivity of this test method for a specific organic compound will depend upon the aqueous matrix, the fiber phase, the sample temperature, sample volume, sample mixing, and the determinative technique employed. 4.3 SPME has the advantage of speed, reproducibility, simplicity, no solvent, small sample size, and automation. 4.3.1 Extraction devices vary from a manual SPME fiber holder to automated commercial devices specifically designed for SPME. 4.3.2 A partial list of volatile organic compounds that can be screened by this practice is shown in Table 1.