Project of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan AP14871374
Quantitative determination of organic pollutants includes environmental sampling, transportation to the laboratory, and their laboratory analysis. Conducting analysis in the field would avoid transportation, reduce costs, increase accuracy, and speed up decision-making regarding environmental and human health risk levels, and contamination areas. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is one of the best solutions for on-site sample analysis, as it is simple, does not require organic solvents, and combines sampling and sample preparation into one step. However, the number of available SPME methods for field quantitative determination of organic pollutants is limited due to the complexity of their development. Most available methods based on SPME cannot be used for on-site analysis, as they are not optimized for portable instruments and field conditions.
The project is aimed at developing four simple and accurate methods for gas chromatographic determination of volatile organic compounds in soil, water, and air at the sampling site using solid-phase microextraction.
Methods for the quantitative determination of transformation products (TP) of rocket fuel unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in soil, air, and water, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene) in air using SPME and portable gas chromatography (GC) will be developed, tested, and prepared for application.
The developed methods will be ready for use by laboratories conducting research and monitoring of environmental objects, as well as forensic investigations. New methods for the quantitative determination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine transformation products at the sampling site will allow for faster, cheaper, and more accurate data collection and processing (due to reduced losses of unstable analytes during transportation) on soil, water, and air pollution levels, and enable more effective decision-making aimed at reducing environmental and health risks associated with regular and accidental spills of toxic rocket fuel. The new methods can significantly reduce the negative consequences of accidental spills of toxic rocket fuel. Faster data collection at the sampling site using the developed methods will help develop more effective sampling plans for further laboratory analyses. The new method for determining BTEX in air at the sampling site will allow for more accurate monitoring of these analytes' concentrations in the air, as well as prompt data collection and processing in emergency situations (gasoline and crude oil spills, fires, etc.). The developed methods can be further improved for use with portable GC-MS. The new knowledge gained during the project should stimulate the development of new methods for the quantitative determination of organic pollutants based on SPME at the sampling site. Recommendations for developing such analytical methods should provide significant assistance in these studies. In the long term, the developed methods and acquired knowledge can reduce environmental monitoring costs and positively impact environmental cleanliness and safety. During the project, at least two Doctors of Philosophy (PhD) and one Master will be trained. The scientific and technical potential and competitiveness of our and other research groups will increase, as they will be able to conduct more advanced environmental studies more efficiently (obtaining more data at lower costs). Commercialization can be achieved by providing external services using the developed methods.
1. A portable gas chromatograph (GC) SRI 8610C with a built-in compressor, split/splitless sample injection device, combined flame ionization and nitrogen-phosphorus detector, photoionization detector, and QL-M150 pure hydrogen generator was acquired, installed, and configured.
2. Four new analytical methods were developed based on solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography for the quantitative determination of:
- eight main transformation products (TP) of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in soil;
- eight main TPs of UDMH in air;
- eight main TPs of UDMH in water;
- benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in atmospheric air
3. The developed methods were tested in field conditions and improved based on the test results.
4. Two Ph.D. candidates were prepared: Tolkyn Kurmanbayeva and Bauyrzhan Bukenov, with their dissertation defenses planned for 2025. One master's thesis (Nargiz Kazhkenova) and one bachelor's thesis (Zhansaya Rymzhanova) were defended.
1. Kenessov B.N., Bukenov B.O., Kapar A.A., Kurmanbayeva T.S., Kazhkenova N. On-site quantification of transformation products of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in environmental samples using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography // 25th International Symposium on Advances in Extraction Technologies, ExTech. - Tenerife, Spain, 2023, oral presentation
2. Kenessov B.N., Kurmanbayeva T.S., Bukenov B.O., Rymzhanova Zh., Kazhkenova N., Imangabassov A., Smail A., Karimkyzy N. On-site quantitation of BTEX in atmospheric air using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with photoionization detector // 3rd European Sample Preparation Conference and 2nd Green and Sustainable Analytical Chemistry Conference. - Chania, Greece, 2024, oral presentation.
3. Kenessov B., Kurmanbayeva T., Bukenov B., Karimkyzy N., Rymzhanova Zh., Yermakhan M., Imangabassov A., Smail A. On-site quantification of transformation products of rocket fuel unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in environmental samples using solid-phase microextraction // Pacifichem - 2025, USA, poster presentation.
1. Kurmanbayeva T., Bukenov B., Rymzhanova Z., Kazhkenova N., Imangabassov A., Smail A., Karimkyzy N., Kenessov B. Simple and accurate on-site quantitation of BTEX in atmospheric air using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with photoionization detection // Advances in Sample Preparation. – 2024. – Vol. 10, Is. May. - Article 100117. (IF = 5.2, Q1 by impact factor in the category Chemistry, Analytical)
2. Kurmanbayeva T., Rymzhanova Z., Kenessov B. On-site gas chromatographic quantification of transformation products of rocket fuel unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in water using vacuum-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction // International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry. – 2025. – DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2025.2452951 (IF = 2.32, Q3 by impact factor in the category Chemistry, Analytical).
3. Bukenov B., Karimkyzy N., Smail A., Kurmanbayeva T., Kenessov B. On-site quantification of transformation products of rocket fuel unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in air using solid-phase microextraction. – Journal of Separation Science. – Vol. 48, Is. 3. – Article e70113 (IF = 3.2, Q2 by impact factor in the category Chemistry, Analytical)
4. Kurmanbayeva T., Bukenov B., Imangabassov A., Rymzhanova Z., Yermakhan M., Karimkyzy N., Smail A., Kenessov B. On-site quantitation of transformation products of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in soil using vacuum-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. - Microchemical Journal. - 2025. - Article 114492 (IF = 4.9, Q1 by impact factor in the category Chemistry, Analytical).
If you are interested in using the developed model, please contact the project leader Bulat Nurlanovich Kenessov at bkenesov@cfhma.kz. We are continuously looking for companies ready to commercialize and implement the laboratory's developments.
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