Development of Membrane Hollow Fiber for Determination of Maleic Anhydride in Ambient Air as a Field Sampler

Abstract

Abstract This research develops a rapid method for sampling and analysis of maleic anhydride (MA) in air using a one-step hollow fiber (HF) membrane in the liquid phase followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. A sampling chamber was prepared for sampling of MA with HF-supported de-ionized water absorbency. Several important parameters, such as sampling flow rate, sampling time, and breakthrough volume (BTV), were optimized at different concentrations using a central composite design. The results showed that sampling could be performed at the maximum period of 4 h with a flow rate of 1 mL min–1 for different concentrations (in the range of 0.05–2 mg m–3). The BTV was 240 mL. The relative standard deviations for the repeatability of interday and intraday were 7–10%, 10%, respectively, and the pooled standard deviation was 0.088. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation values were 0.033 and 0.060 mg m–3, respectively. Moreover, our findings revealed that the samples could be stored in sealed HF flexible plastic tubes in a cover at refrigerator temperature (4°C) for up to 7 days. The HF method was compared with method number 3512 National Institute Occupational Safety and Health for determination of MA. There was a good correlation (R2 = 0.99) between the two methods at a concentration of 0.05 to 2 mg m–3 in the laboratory and the average concentration of MA for both methods was 0.11 mg m–3 in the ambient air at an adhesive manufacturer. Our findings indicated that the proposed HF can act as a reliable, rapid, and effective approach for sampling of MA in workplaces.