Using Hydrogen as An Alternative Carrier Gas for US EPA 8260

Due to regional shortages and increasing costs of helium, the preferred carrier gas in gas chromatography, alternative carrier gas options are increasing in demand. The application note evaluates the Teledyne Tekmar Atomx VOC Sample Prep System in conjunction with a Thermo Scientific TRACE 1310 / ISQ GCMS while employing hydrogen GC carrier gas and nitrogen purge gas to perform EPA method 8260C. A working linear calibration curve, Method Detection Limits (MDLs), and a BFB tuning evaluation will be presented to determine the validity of alternative helium gases for VOC analysis by USEPA 8260C.