Static and dynamic headspace analysis of volatile organic compounds in soils
Dynamic headspace analysis, or purge and trap, is widely used in the United States for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soil because several Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods specify this approach. In this study, alternative methods based on static headspace analysis were developed and compared to purge and trap. Analyte recovery and method precision were quantified for nine VOCs, including both halogenated aliphatics and nonhalogenated aromatics, and five dissimilar soils. Direct headspace analysis of a soil sample/water slurry with equilibration for 1 h at 95 o C was found to provide recovery and precision superior to that obtained with purge and trap for most soil/analyts combinations.