IMPROVED CHARACTERIZATION OF VOCS IN VIRGIN AND RECYCLED PLASTICS VIA HS‑SPME AND GC×GC-MS ANALYSIS

The tightening of European regulations on plastic waste has intensified the demand for robust analytical tools to characterize volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which play a critical role in determining the quality and suitability of recycled plastics for applications such as food packaging and automotive components. In this study, the headspace (HS) containing VOCs released from plastic materials were investigated using polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene/carboxen (PDMS/DVB/CAR) solid‑phase microextraction (HS‑SPME) combined with comprehensive two‑dimensional gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC×GC‑qMS). Two extraction approaches (a traditional single HS‑SPME extraction and the multiple vials-multiple cumulative trap (MV‑MCT) method) were compared to enhance analyte coverage and sensitivity. Method optimization evaluated the effects of sample mass and reduced headspace extraction temperatures to better replicate real‑world conditions associated with off‑flavor formation in recycled polymers. The chromatographic configuration employed a 20 m × 0.18 mm × 1.0 μm low/mid‑polarity first‑dimension column and a 3 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 μm polar second dimension column, connected via reverse fill/flush flow modulator.