Abstract
This application note demonstrates a method for using thermal desorption as a way to screen asphalt binder samples for the presence automotive fluids. Automotive fluids such as gasoline, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and motor oil are added to asphalt samples to qualitatively identify the presence of VOC’s.
Introduction
In recent years, roadway asphalt has begun to draw attention due to the VOC’s that are emitted from the roadway material. When paved fresh, hot roadway asphalt emits numerous VOC’s that directly represents potential health concerns for the construction workers performing roadway maintenance and development.(1,2) Moreover, even after asphalt has been laid and dried, asphalt still possesses the ability to emit VOC’s as it heats up under the direct sunlight. The VOC’s emitted from both fresh and dried asphalts have the potential to undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere to form aerosols that can impact both human health and climate.(3)
Although asphalt binder materials combined with automotive fluids is a complex mixture of VOC’s, thermal desorption has presented itself as an effective solution for initial sampling and screening. Here the CDS 7550S automated Thermal Desorber is combined with GC-MS analysis to directly analyze asphalt samples. For complex and dirty samples, such as asphalt binder, the sample split of the 7550S can be utilized to reduce the mass loading of VOC’s entering the flow path of the 7550S to reach the injection port of the GC. The sample splitting feature and inert flow paths of the 7550S are key components in preventing carryover when performing thermal desorption analysis on dirty samples.
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