The Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor for Fast Sampling of Emissions from Products and Materials

The Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor™ (µ-CTE™) is a compact and versatile unit comprising of up to six small cylindrical chambers that enable sampling of chemicals discharged from materials or products. Released semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds (SVOCs and VOCs) are collected onto sorbent tubes for analysis by TD–GC–MS.

As a practical tool for rapid emission screening in R&D or as part of routine factory production control, the Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor is capable of being used to check surface or bulk emission profiles, and can be used to examine raw materials and compare products across a range.

Who uses the Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor?

The Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor is used by those needing to sample SVOCs or VOCs emitted from materials and products. The applications range from emissions screening of construction materials, consumer products and car trim, to profiling the fragrance or aroma or foods and consumer products.

Product Benefits

The key benefits of the Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor are as follows:

Confidence in results – Data obtained from the Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor has been shown to correlate with longer-term reference-test results

Complies with international standard methods ASTM D7706 (rapid screening of VOC emissions from products) and ISO 12219-3 (interior air of road vehicles)

Save money and time by minimizing the requirement for third-party reference tests

Avoid tedious and time-consuming sample preparation – the sample just has to be placed in the microchamber

Peace-of-mind – users are buying a quality product from the recognized leader in thermal desorption instrumentation

Fast and convenient – test multiple samples in minutes, not days, for efficient quality control

Features

The main features of the Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor include:

Construction from inert-coated stainless steel – compatibility with thermally labile or reactive chemicals

A constant flow of heated air or gas guarantees rapid production of a representative SVOC/VOC profile

The six-chamber model has a maximum temperature of 120 °C and a chamber volume of 44 mL

The four-chamber model has a maximum temperature of 250 °C and a chamber volume of 114 mL

Accessories allow permeation testing or surface-only sampling

Sample preparation is not needed – just place the material in the chamber

Results can be correlated with longer-term reference methods

An optional humidifier accessory, available for both models of microchamber, supplies gas/air at up to 50% relative humidity to allow closer simulation of conditions used in reference tests and to improve the recovery of some less-volatile polar compounds

Volatiles are collected on sorbent tubes for analysis by TD–GC–MS; also compatible with DNPH cartridges for formaldehyde monitoring.