TY - JOUR A1 - Dorgerloh, Ute A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Nehls, Irene T1 - Volatile hydrocarbons in contaminated soil: Robustness of fractional quantification using headspace gas chromatography-mass-spectrometry JF - Soil and sediment contamination N2 - Fuel contamination of soils display complex and variable hydrocarbon mixtures with different volatility and toxicity characteristics. A recently suggested headspace procedure for the structure-based quantification of volatile hydrocarbons is evaluated regarding repeatability, reproducibility, and practical robustness. Three aliphatic and three aromatic fractions covering the boiling range between 69 and 216°C were defined as summation parameters by their respective equivalent carbon number ranges. A standard mixture of 35 aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was used for calibration on basis of selected mass fragments specific for the aliphatics and aromatics, respectively. Two standard soils were fortified with the standard mixture or different fuels, respectively, and submitted to the analytical procedure. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were for all fractions lower than 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively. Analyte recovery was linear up to between 20 and 110 mg hydrocarbons/kg soil depending on the fraction. Hydrocarbon recovery ranged between 80% and 110% depending on the fraction and the repeatability was typically better than 10%. Finally, the impact of extraction solvent variation, column solid-phase polarity, and alternative summation of fractions were investigated. The procedure was applied to liner samples taken from a site contaminated with aviation fuel and its practicability is discussed. KW - Gasoline KW - Contaminated site KW - Equivalent carbon number KW - Fuel KW - Static headspace PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/15320383.2018.1418287 SN - 1532-0383 SN - 1549-7887 VL - 27 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-43889 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bachmann, H. J. A1 - Bucheli, T. D. A1 - Dieguez-Alonso, A. A1 - Fabbri, D. A1 - Knicker, H. A1 - Schmidt, H.-P. A1 - Ulbricht, A. A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Buscaroli, A. A1 - Buerge, D. A1 - Cross, A. A1 - Dickinson, D. A1 - Enders, A. A1 - Esteves, V.I. A1 - Evangelou, M. W. H. A1 - Fellet, G. A1 - Friedrich, K. A1 - Gasco Guerrero, G. A1 - Glaser, B. A1 - Hanke, U. M. A1 - Hanley, K. A1 - Hilber, I. A1 - Kalderis, D. A1 - Leifeld, J. A1 - Masek, O. A1 - Mumme, J. A1 - Paneque Carmona, M. A1 - Calvelo Pereira, R. A1 - Rees, F. A1 - Rombola, A. G. A1 - de la Rosa, J. M. A1 - Sakrabani, R. A1 - Sohi, S. A1 - Soja, G. A1 - Valagussa, M. A1 - Verheijen, F. A1 - Zehetner, F. T1 - Towards the standardization of biochar analysis: the COST action TD1107 interlaboratory comparison JF - Journal of agricultural and food chemistry N2 - Biochar produced by pyrolysis of organic residues is increasingly used for soil amendment and many other applications. However, analytical methods for its physical and chemical characterization are yet far from being specifically adapted, optimized, and standardized. Therefore, COST Action TD1107 conducted an interlaboratory comparison in which 22 laboratories from 12 countries analyzed three different types of biochar for 38 physical–chemical parameters (macro- and microelements, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pH, electrical conductivity, and specific surface area) with their preferential methods. The data were evaluated in detail using professional interlaboratory testing software. Whereas intralaboratory repeatability was generally good or at least acceptable, interlaboratory reproducibility was mostly not (20% < mean reproducibility standard deviation < 460%). This paper contributes to better comparability of biochar data published already and provides recommendations to improve and harmonize specific methods for biochar analysis in the future. KW - Biochar KW - Analysis KW - Standardization KW - Ring test KW - Interlaboratory comparison PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05055 SN - 0021-8561 SN - 1520-5118 VL - 64 IS - 2 SP - 513 EP - 527 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Columbus, Ohio AN - OPUS4-35289 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Scholz, Philipp A1 - Jung, Christian A1 - Weidner, Steffen T1 - Thermo-Desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for investigating the thermal degradation of polyurethanes JF - Analytical Methods N2 - Thermo-Desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) was used to investigate the thermal degradation of two different polyurethanes (PU). PU samples were heated at different heating rates and the desorbed products were collected in a cold injection system and thereafter submitted to GC-MS. Prospects and limitations of the detection and quantification of semi-volatile degradation products were investigated. A temperature dependent PU depolymerization was found at temperatures above 200 °C proved by an increasing release of 1,4-butanediol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) representing the main building blocks of both polymers. Their release was monitored quantitatively based on external calibration with authentic compounds. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) of the residues obtained after thermodesorption confirmed the initial competitive degradation mechanism indicating an equilibrium of crosslinking and depolymerization as previously suggested. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry of SEC fractions of thermally degraded PUs provided additional hints on degradation mechanism. KW - Thermo-desorption KW - Mass spectrometry KW - Polyurethanes KW - Thermal degradation PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3AY00173C SN - 1759-9660 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Royal Society for Chemistry AN - OPUS4-57307 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dorgerloh, Ute A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Theißen, H. A1 - Nehls, Irene T1 - The quantification of hydrogen and methane in contaminated groundwater: validation of robust procedures for sampling and quantification JF - Journal of environmental monitoring N2 - A number of currently recommended sampling techniques for the determination of hydrogen in contaminated groundwater were compared regarding the practical proficiency in field campaigns. Key characteristics of appropriate sampling procedures are reproducibility of results, robustness against varying field conditions such as hydrostatic pressure, aquifer flow, and biological activity. Laboratory set-ups were used to investigate the most promising techniques. Bubble stripping with gas sampling bulbs yielded reproducible recovery of hydrogen and methane which could be verified for groundwater sampled in two field campaigns. The methane content of the groundwater was confirmed by analysis of directly pumped samples thus supporting the trueness of the stripping results. Laboratory set-ups and field campaigns revealed that bubble stripping of hydrogen may be restricted to the type of used pump. Concentrations of dissolved hydrogen after bubble stripping with an electrically driven submersible pump were about one order of magnitude higher than those obtained from diffusion sampling. The gas chromatographic determination for hydrogen and methane requires manual injection of gas samples and detection by a pulsed discharge detector (PDD) and allows limits of quantification of 3 nM dissolved hydrogen and 1 µg L-1 dissolved methane in groundwater. The combined standard uncertainty of the bubble stripping and GC/PDD quantification of hydrogen in field samples was 7% at 7.8 nM and 18% for 78 nM. PY - 2010 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c0em00091d SN - 1464-0325 SN - 1464-0333 VL - 12 IS - 10 SP - 1876 EP - 1884 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-22176 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mönch, Bettina A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Jung, Christian A1 - Nehls, Irene T1 - The homogeneity testing of EtG in hair reference materials: A high-throughput procedure using GC-NCI-MS JF - Forensic science international N2 - The validation of a robust quantification procedure for EtG in hair using GC–NCI–MS is presented. Aqueous extraction is followed by complete lyophylization of the extract and derivatization with pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PFPA) under controlled temperature and duration. Clean-up of extracts was dispensable and standard single quadrupole MS displayed sufficient selectivity and sensitivity. The method displayed a wide linearity range and enabled LOD of 0.68 pg/mg, LOQ of 2.4 pg/mg, and precision below 8.12%. Since EtG was seen to display prolonged stability in the aqueous extracts and after derivatization with PFPA this straightforward procedure allows a routine throughput of large quantities of samples with little proneness to procedural scatter of results. The method was applied to demonstrate the homogeneity of two hair reference materials with mean EtG contents of 8.48 pg/mg and 22.0 pg/mg. Aside from the application in homogeneity studies of hair reference materials predominantly in the concentration range of 10–50 pg/mg the method was also designed for daily routine quantification of real-world sample with regard to drinking behavior assessment. KW - Extraction KW - Derivatization KW - High-throughput analysis KW - Reference materials KW - Homogeneity KW - Measurement uncertainty PY - 2013 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.01.018 SN - 0379-0738 SN - 1872-6283 VL - 226 IS - 1-3 SP - 202 EP - 207 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-27998 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mueller, Axel A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Dorgerloh, Ute A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - The effect of polymer aging on the uptake of fuel aromatics and ethers by microplastics JF - Environmental Pollution N2 - Microplastics are increasingly entering marine, limnic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, where they sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants. Here, the sorption behavior of the fuel-related water contaminants benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) and four tertiary butyl ethers to virgin and via UV radiation aged polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) pellets was investigated. Changes in material properties due to aging were recorded using appropriate polymer characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and microscopy. Pellets were exposed to water containing BTEX and the ethers at 130-190 mg/L for up to two weeks. Aqueous sorbate concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography. Sorption to the polymers was correlated with the sorbate's Kow and was significant for BTEX and marginal for the ethers. Due to substantially lower glass transition temperatures, PP showed higher sorption than PS. Aging had no effect on the sorption behavior of PP. PS sorbed less BTEX after aging due to an oxidized surface layer. KW - BTEX KW - Polypropylene KW - Polystyrene KW - Sorption KW - Degradation PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.127 SN - 0269-7491 VL - 240 SP - 639 EP - 646 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-44990 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Sporkert, F. A1 - Lô, I. A1 - Baumgartner, M. T1 - The determination of ethyl glucuronide in hair: Experiences from nine consecutive interlaboratory comparison rounds JF - Forensic Science International N2 - The increasing request for hair ethyl glucuronide (HEtG) in alcohol consumption monitoring according to cut-off levels set by the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) has triggered a proficiency testing program based on interlaboratory comparisons (ILC). Here, the outcome of nine consecutive ILC rounds organised by the SoHT on the determination of HEtG between 2011 and 2017 is summarised regarding interlaboratory reproducibility and the influence of procedural variants. Test samples prepared from cut hair (1 mm) with authentic (in-vivo incorporated) and soaked (in-vitro incorporated) HEtG concentrations up to 80 pg/mg were provided for 27–35 participating laboratories. Laboratory results were evaluated according to ISO 5725-5 and provided robust averages and relative reproducibility standard deviations typically between 20 and 35% in reasonable accordance with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Evaluation of results regarding the analytical techniques revealed no significant differences between gas and liquid chromatographic methods In contrast, a detailed evaluation of different sample preparations revealed significantly higher average values in case when pulverised hair is tested compared to cut hair. This observation was reinforced over the different ILC rounds and can be attributed to the increased acceptance and routine of hair pulverisation among laboratories. Further, the reproducibility standard deviations among laboratories performing pulverisation were on average in very good agreement with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Use of sonication showed no effect on the HEtG extraction yield. KW - Ethyl glucuronide KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Proficiency testing KW - Society of hair testing KW - Reproducibility KW - Pulverization PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.04.025 SN - 0379-0738 SN - 1872-6283 VL - 288 SP - 67 EP - 71 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-44881 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Buge, Hans-Gerhard A1 - Nehls, Irene T1 - The determination of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in soil: interlaboratory comparisons and reference materials JF - Accreditation and quality assurance N2 - The interlaboratory variability in the quantification of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in industrially contaminated soil is presented. Three consecutive rounds of a proficiency testing scheme, in which between 88 and 119 routine laboratories participated, yielded relative reproducibility standard deviations between 7 and 20% at AOX contents between 10.9 and 268 mg kg-1. Nineteen laboratories with established proficiency were invited to participate in the certification of the AOX content in three soil reference materials meant for the internal quality control in analytical laboratories. The certified values are (1349 ± 59) mg kg-1, (80 ± 7) mg kg-1 and (102 ± 8) mg kg-1, respectively. KW - Certified reference materials KW - European Reference Material KW - Proficiency testing KW - Organohalogen compounds KW - Summation parameter PY - 2007 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-007-0308-z SN - 0949-1775 SN - 1432-0517 VL - 12 IS - 12 SP - 647 EP - 651 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-16670 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esslinger, Susanne A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Jung, Christian A1 - Schröter-Kermani, C. A1 - Bremser, Wolfram A1 - Nehls, Irene T1 - Temporal trend (1988-2008) of hexabromocyclododecane enantiomers in herring gull eggs from the german coastal region JF - Chemosphere N2 - Levels of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were determined in pooled eggs from herring gulls (Larus argentatus) sampled on three bird sanctuaries near the German North Sea coast between 1988 and 2008 (Mellum and Trischen) and the German Baltic Sea coast between 1998 and 2008 (Heuwiese) and archived by the German Environmental Specimen Bank. Pressurized fluid extraction, gel permeation chromatography, and LC–MS/MS using 13C12-labelled isotope standards and a chiral column were applied. α-HBCD was the dominating diastereomer and ranged between 3.7 and 107 ng g-1 lw while β- and γ-HBCD were throughout close to LOQ. The highest α-HBCD concentration was found in eggs from Mellum sampled in the year 2000. Interestingly, HBCD in eggs from the three islands displayed similar time courses with levels increasing to a peak contamination around 2000 and decreasing levels ever since. Chiral signatures of α-HBCD in eggs differed among the islands but indicated a preferential enrichment of the first eluting enantiomer (-)-α-HBCD. KW - Brominated flame retardant KW - Chiral separation KW - HPLC-ESI-MS/MS KW - Enantiomer-specific bioaccumulation PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.12.047 SN - 0045-6535 SN - 0366-7111 VL - 83 IS - 2 SP - 161 EP - 167 PB - Elsevier Science CY - Kidlington, Oxford AN - OPUS4-23351 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ogrinc, N. A1 - Rossi, A. M. A1 - Durbiano, F. A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Milavec, M. A1 - Bogozalec Kosir, A. A1 - Kakoulides, E. A1 - Ozer, H. A1 - Akcadag, F. A1 - Goenaga-Infante, H. A1 - Quaglia, M. A1 - Mallia, S. A1 - Umbricht, G. A1 - O'Connor, G. A1 - Guettler, B. T1 - Support for a European metrology network on food safety Food-MetNet JF - Measurement: Sensors N2 - This paper describes Food-MetNet, a coordinated preparatory initiative to establish the European Metrology Network on Food Safety (EMN-FS). Food-MetNet aims to establish a long-term ongoing dialogue between the metrology community and relevant stakeholders, in particular, European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs), National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC). This dialogue is meant to support the collection of needs from stakeholders, the take-up of metrological research output and the development of the roadmaps needed to navigate future research. KW - Network KW - Metrology KW - Food KW - Safety KW - Stakeholders PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measen.2021.100285 VL - 18 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-53740 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -