Free Access
Issue
Analusis
Volume 27, Number 3, April 1999
Isotopic analysis
Page(s) 235 - 240
Section Original articles
DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/analusis:1999112
Analusis 27, 235-240 (1999)
DOI: 10.1051/analusis:1999112

Analysis by GC-MS of monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in thermolysed waste products

B. Disdier, C. Arfi, J. Pastor, A.M. Pauli and H. Portugal

Laboratoire de chimie analytique, Faculté de Pharmacie, 13000 Marseille, France


Abstract
Thermolysis is a new thermal decomposition process of waste products involving partial vacuum and oxygen free environment. The GC-MS study covered 5 monocyclic and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced by the thermolysis of four samples (three samples from domestic wastes and one sample from pneumatic wastes). Qualitative results were similar for all of the four samples: benzene, toluene, xylenes, styrene, naphtalene, biphenyl, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene were found. None of the most toxic such as benzo[a]pyrene and 1,2 benzanthracene were found. Quantitative results were relatively homogeneous for the first three samples (< 10 ng g-1 for all of the compounds) but concentrations of hydrocarbons were higher (4 to 9 times) for pneumatic wastes samples. Naphtalene remained the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in any case.


Key words: Monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAH) / polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) / thermolysis / GC-MS.


© EDP Sciences, Wiley-VCH 1999