Dynamic generation of low-ppt to ppb benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene gaseous standards using custom permeation tubes and a flow-sucking system: fast characterization by on-line gas chromatography
Abstract
Volatile aromatics such as benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene (BTE) are key anthropogenic air pollutants and precursors of photochemical smog. Due to limitations in gas calibration using static cylinders or liquid injections, we developed custom-built permeation tubes (PTs) integrated into a dynamic gas generation system. To expand the generated concentration range down to trace levels, a novel flow-sucking system was introduced. This device was coupled with a compact thermal desorption gas chromatograph (TD-GC-FID) for fast, on-line detection and quantification of emission rates (ERs). At 40 • C, the ERs were 14.6 ± 0.6 ng min -1 for benzene, 90.6 ± 3.7 ng min -1 for toluene, and 16.1 ± 0.7 ng min -1 for ethylbenzene, demonstrating high stability and repeatability (RSD < 2%). Overall and across the temperature range of 40-70 • C, experimental ERs varied from 14.0 to 101.6 ng min -1 , 89.4 to 845.0 ng min -1 , and 15.9 to 391.0 ng min -1 for BTE, respectively. The corresponding generated concentration ranges were 0.8-45.7 ppb (2.6-149 μg m -3 ) for benzene, 4.2-322 ppb (16-1234 μg m -3 ) for toluene, and 0.6-127.4 ppb (2.6-562.4 μg m -3 ) for ethylbenzene. Two predictive models (Arrheniustype and Fickian-Antoine) successfully described the ER-temperature dependence over a 40-70 • C range with high correlation factors (R 2 > 0.999). By adjusting the dilution and sucking flows, the system dynamically generated stable concentrations spanning from low-ppt up to high ppb levels between 62.3 and 1062.3 mL min -1 . Finally, a two-dimensional weighted regression confirmed the excellent accuracy of the TD-GC-FID measurements against theoretical values (R 2 = 0.999), proving the system's reliability for on-site and industrial calibration.
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BibTeX
@article{ghaddar2026dynamic,
title = {{Dynamic generation of low-ppt to ppb benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene gaseous standards using custom permeation tubes and a flow-sucking system: fast characterization by on-line gas chromatography}},
author = {Ali Ghaddar and Jean-Philippe Amiet and Damien Bazin and Stéphane Le Calvé},
journal = {Microchemical Journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.microc.2026.119256},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05846169v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dynamic generation of low-ppt to ppb benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene gaseous standards using custom permeation tubes and a flow-sucking system: fast characterization by on-line gas chromatography
AU - Ali Ghaddar
AU - Jean-Philippe Amiet
AU - Damien Bazin
AU - Stéphane Le Calvé
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Microchemical Journal
DO - 10.1016/j.microc.2026.119256
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05846169v1
AB - Volatile aromatics such as benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene (BTE) are key anthropogenic air pollutants and precursors of photochemical smog. Due to limitations in gas calibration using static cylinders or liquid injections, we developed custom-built permeation tubes (PTs) integrated into a dynamic gas generation system. To expand the generated concentration range down to trace levels, a novel flow-sucking system was introduced. This device was coupled with a compact thermal desorption gas chromatograph (TD-GC-FID) for fast, on-line detection and quantification of emission rates (ERs). At 40 • C, the ERs were 14.6 ± 0.6 ng min -1 for benzene, 90.6 ± 3.7 ng min -1 for toluene, and 16.1 ± 0.7 ng min -1 for ethylbenzene, demonstrating high stability and repeatability (RSD < 2%). Overall and across the temperature range of 40-70 • C, experimental ERs varied from 14.0 to 101.6 ng min -1 , 89.4 to 845.0 ng min -1 , and 15.9 to 391.0 ng min -1 for BTE, respectively. The corresponding generated concentration ranges were 0.8-45.7 ppb (2.6-149 μg m -3 ) for benzene, 4.2-322 ppb (16-1234 μg m -3 ) for toluene, and 0.6-127.4 ppb (2.6-562.4 μg m -3 ) for ethylbenzene. Two predictive models (Arrheniustype and Fickian-Antoine) successfully described the ER-temperature dependence over a 40-70 • C range with high correlation factors (R 2 > 0.999). By adjusting the dilution and sucking flows, the system dynamically generated stable concentrations spanning from low-ppt up to high ppb levels between 62.3 and 1062.3 mL min -1 . Finally, a two-dimensional weighted regression confirmed the excellent accuracy of the TD-GC-FID measurements against theoretical values (R 2 = 0.999), proving the system's reliability for on-site and industrial calibration.
SN - 0026-265X
SN - 1095-9149
ER -