Quantitative Determination of LPG Hydrocarbons by Modified Packed Column Adsorbent of Gas Chromatography Via Full Factorial Design

In this study, a new silica gel based adsorbent was fabricated and its ability in separation and quantification of alkanes mixture was investigated. Silica gel (SiO2) is a polar absorbent which is mainly used to separate polar compounds. Also, the carbon materials such as activated carbon and recently carbon nanotube (CNTs), have been widely used for separation of nonpolar materials. Carbon nanotubes are nanosized carbon-based sorbents that have a high surface area and a large aspect ratio and are known to be stable at high temperatures. It is, therefore, conceivable to use of their unique properties in gas chromatography. Optimization of gas chromatography with modified and unmodified columns was investigated by full factorial design. According to the results of proposed design, the temperature, flow rate and carrier gas are known to be important factors affecting performance. In this work, a MWCNT-Silica gel nanocomposite was prepared by Sol-Gel process and it was used as stationary phase in gas chromatography for separation of alkanes mixture. In first part, ability of silica gel adsorbent was studied and then results were compared with new MWCNT-Silica gel nanocomposite. Finally, a quantitative investigation was done on a LPG sample and propane, 2-methylpropane, n-butane, 2,2-dimethylpropane, 2-methylbutane and n-pentane were measured by standard addition. Finally, the greatest difference between the response profiles in modified and unmodified column was determined.