Environmental analysis using DMA/MS

No chromatography + top performance IMS = Real-Time Measurement

SEADM’s Differential Mobility Analysis-Mass Spectrometry technology (DMA-MS) has made the dream of all environmental researchers true: analysing toxic organic micro-pollutants in a automated, real-time basis. This applies for different media (air, soil, biota) and even for the most scarce compounds such as dioxins and furans. Total analysis times (including sampling) range from minutes (PAHs) to approximately one hour for dioxins. (In current GC/MS methods, these times normally exceed 24 h, which provokes intense sample degradation and increases analytical uncertainty).

We have substituted the chromatographic column, leading to resource-intensive analysis by the most advanced Ion Mobility Spectrometer currently available: SEADM’s Differential Mobility Analyzer. This peculiar device operates in the space domain, thereby achieving 100% duty cycle for no sample loss, and acts as narrow-band mobility filter for a triple quad mass spectrometer. As a result, virtually all background noise is excluded in miliseconds, and best of all: in a fully automated basis.

Two products are currently offered for environmental researchers: 1) A complete DMA-MS equipment, that is SEADM’s Vapor Analysis System and 2) For those users owning a Mass Spectrometer already (Triple Quad recommended), we offer our Vapor Analysis Front End, a DMA which is fully customized for your MS.

Both systems have a two-stage operation: 1) Sampling, which for air basically consist in establishing a flow through a filter where the target vapours and particles are reatained and 2) Analysis, including thermal desorption, ionization, mobility filtration, filtration by mass and filtration by mass fragment. This unique, four stage filter (volatility + mobility + mass + mass fragments) is the key to achieve outstanding analytical performance. Unlike chromatography, all the work is automatically performed by means of physical fields, thereby simplifying operation and maintenance to unprecedented levels in research labs.

Use case examples

Our DMA/MS systems has been used for the following environmental applications:

• Thorough assessment (time, space, season) of dioxins and furans concentrations in the vicinity of a municipal incinerator in Valdemingómez, Madrid, Spain.
• Real time assessment (one sample every 10 min) of PAHs concentration in the air of a subterranean parking and correlation with garage occupation and time of the day.
• Measurement of Phthalates concentrations in indoor and outdoor atmospheres, showing higher overall levels for the first.
• Successful assessment of herbicides deposited onto a vegetal substrate.

Want to learn more? Check the references:

Compound(s)	Object of the study	References
DIOXINS AND FURANS	Municipal Incinerator plant	A novel atmospheric pressure photoionization – Mass spectrometry (APPI-MS) method for the detection of polychlorinated dibenzo Pdioxins and dibenzofuran homologues in real environmental samples collected within the vicinity of industrial incinerators. Jun-17. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry LIFE “DIOXDETECTOR“ Project Layman’s summary report. Dec. 2017
PAHs	Parking Garage	Fast detection of environmental vapors by thermal desorption – atmospheric pressure photoionization differential mobility analysis – mass spectrometry (TD-APPI-DMA-MS) Food Control (2017), 81, 107-112 64th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics; San Antonio, Texas, Jun 2016
PHTHALATES	Indoor and outdoor spaces
HERBICIDES	Vegetal substrate