Supercritical CO2 desorption for air sampling analysis

We propose a innovative method for air sampling analysis. Samples are extracted with supercritical CO2 prior to analysis with conventional gas or liquid chromatography. Results presented in this communication concern the first step of the study : the optimization of the extraction parameters and the extractor design. We determined the supercritical CO2 optimal conditions and designed a re-usable either active or passive sampler which can be filled with any sorbent with classical HPLC columns. Extraction efficiency are similar to conventional solvent extraction methods and allow further research to set an fully automated on-line system.