Rapid Analysis of Tile Industry Gaseous Emissions by Ion Mobility Spectrometry and Comparison with Solid Phase Micro Exctraction / Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry

The present paper reports on a rapid analysis of gaseous emissions from ceramic industry, using Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) as a means for on-site monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) produced during tile baking. IMS was calibrated with a set of reference compounds (i.e. Ethyl Acetate, Ethanol, Ethylene Glycol, Diethylene glycol, Acetaldehyde, Formaldehyde, 2-Methyl-1,3-Dioxolane, 2,2-Dimethyl-1,3-Dioxolane, 1,3-Dioxolane, 1,4-Dioxane, Benzene, Toluene, Cyclohexane, Acetone, Acetic Acid) via air-flow permeation. Secondly, the technique was tested on a laboratory-scale kiln and tiles prepared with selected glycol-, and resin-based additives. Finally, IMS was applied to emissions from two industries in the Modena (Italy) ceramic area. The results of all experimental phases were compared to those obtained by Solid Phase Micro-Extraction/Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (SPME/GC/MS). The techniques produced similar results and IMS showed potential as a real-time monitoring device for quality assessment in ceramic industry emissions. IMS spectra, SPME/GC/MS data, relationship between additives/baking conditions and produced VOC, and advantages and limitations of both techniques will be discussed.