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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #427440
Research Project: Strategies to Manage Feed Nutrients, Reduce Gas Emissions, and Promote Soil Health for Beef and Dairy Cattle Production Systems of the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research

Title: Green sampling of gas-phase volatile organic compounds using time-weighted average SPME and GC-MS: A critical review

Author
item HADDADI, SHOKOUH - State University Of New York (SUNY)
item Koziel, Jacek
item KENESSOV, BULAT - Kazakh National Agrarian University

Submitted to: Review / Technical Review
Publication Type: Pre-print Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/16/2025
Publication Date: 7/16/2025
Citation: Haddadi, S., Koziel, J.A., Kenessov, B. 2025. Green sampling of gas-phase volatile organic compounds using time-weighted average SPME and GC-MS: A critical review. SSRN. Article 5339736. https://ssrn.com/abstract=5339736.

Interpretive Summary: Clean air is essential for life. Air quality monitoring is needed to protect human health from toxic air pollutants. A large group of air pollutants of concern to the public are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs originate from common household cleaning products, furniture, building materials, transportation, and many industrial processes. Measurements of VOCs in the air can be very expensive and require sophisticated equipment. A measurement technology called solid-phase microextraction (SPME) emerges as a simpler and environmentally friendly alternative to standard air sampling methods. Researchers from USDA ARS (Bushland, Texas), University of Oswego (New York), and Kazakh National University reviewed and summarized current knowledge on the use of SPME for VOC sampling in air and provided practical user recommendations based on multiple studies and experiences.

Technical Abstract: Time-weighted average solid-phase microextraction (TWA-SPME) is a green, solvent-free passive sampling technique increasingly used for the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. Its integration of sampling and preconcentration, combined with direct thermal desorption into gas chromatography, reduces energy and solvent consumption while minimizing sample handling. This review presents the theoretical basis of TWA-SPME based on Fick’s laws of diffusion and discusses key parameters such as fiber coating, diffusion path length, and sampling duration. Quantification strategies—both theoretical and empirical—are evaluated in terms of accuracy and field applicability. Applications spanning ambient air, vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions highlight the method’s versatility and low environmental footprint. Limitations, including adsorption on metallic components and coating saturation, are critically examined alongside proposed corrective approaches. Future developments in coating materials, device design, and computational modeling are expected to further enhance the sustainability, sensitivity, and accessibility of TWA-SPME for green analytical monitoring of atmospheric pollutants.