Better Thermal Extraction: Tips and Tricks for VDA-278 and Other Thermal Desorption – GC/MS Methods Used for Material Emissions Testing

Separation Science, in collaboration with GERSTEL, Inc, offers an on-demand webinar covering the history and analytical basis of analytical thermal extraction for interior air quality.

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Thermal extraction of polymers and other vehicle interior materials followed by GC/MS analysis is a popular and useful technique for screening materials for potential emissions, from fogging of windshields to vehicle interior air quality (VIAQ) in general.

The technique was popularized by the German VDA-278 method 25 years ago. Now both the understanding of the technique and the instrumentation to perform it have advanced. We talk about the history of thermal extraction for material screening and how good sample preparation, instrument design, and temperature calibration can give these techniques continued utility and reliability.

By viewing this presentation you will learn:

• the history and analytical basis of analytical thermal extraction for interior air quality
• the current state of the art, including tips and advice for scientists and engineers that perform VDA-278 and related methods for material emissions analysis
• where these methods fit in the overall strategy for automotive air quality and where these methods are headed in the future

Presenter: Kurt Thaxton (GERSTEL International Product Manager, Pyrolysis and Thermal Desorption)

Kurt Thaxton was a research associate at International Paper, where he worked with the analysis of paper and building products, including thermal extraction and pyrolysis. Seven years later Kurt moved on and became involved in developing new instrumentation, as a mass spectrometry specialist, business director, and now as International Product Manager for Pyrolysis and Thermal Desorption at GERSTEL. His main focus is in instrument design and development of standard methods at SAE, ASTM and ISO.