Two approaches (GC-ECD and electrochemical sensors signals processing) to the determination of carbonyl compounds as markers of air pollution

This article presents the application possibilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the rapid and efficient determination of carbonyl compounds: formaldehyde and acetaldehyde concentrations in gaseous environmental samples. One of the described methods is the use of special electrochemical sensors (PMS5003 and SEN0231) to measure air pollution in real time (every 10 seconds). The second method involves adsorbing gas samples into sorption tubes with XAD-2 cartridges and uses chromatographic analysis: gas chromatography coupled with a selective electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The proposed analytical technique allows the determination of carbonyl compounds at low concentration levels (μg/m
³
) using pre-derivatization of samples with the reagent 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl-hydroxylamine (PFBOA). Comparing the results obtained from electrochemical sensors and chromatographic analysis, we can conclude that there are discrepancies between the determined concentrations of formaldehyde in the analyzed gas samples.