New Formaldehyde Analysis Capability

In 2009, Rubber Consultants’ analytical division had the opportunity to bid for a contract to analyse for the presence of traces of formaldehyde in materials used by the pharmaceutical industry, but knew that this would
present challenges. Rubber Consultants is the Consultancy Unit of the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC), the UK-based research and promotion centre of the Malaysian Rubber Board.

Rubber Consultants’ Head of Analytical Services, Sue Stephens, explained: “The LOD required for this analysis was very low and so our client had, as part of their method development, modified an Agilent GC with the addition of a Valco helium ionisation detector (HID). As a consequence, when the time came for the client to outsource the routine analytical work, we could not buy a suitable standard instrument. Our client had worked with Cambridge based chromatography solution provider, Anatune, in the past and recommended the company as one that had the capabilities to duplicate non-standard analysers and provide us with effective support.”

The trace analysis of formaldehyde is challenging, as formaldehyde readily converts to other species. Initially Rubber Consultants had some difficulty getting the system to work; despite the fact that the new system was identical to the development system operated by Rubber Consultants’ client, the new system failed to generate acceptable peaks for formaldehyde.

Anatune worked closely with Rubber Consultants and its client in order to find a resolution, eventually tracing the problem to two under-performing columns. Anatune subsequently installed a Gerstel MPS2 Headspace analyser and prep station to an existing GC-MSD. This equipment has enabled Rubber Consultants to significantly enhance the capabilities of the HID system, and to analyse a wide variety of gas and volatile standards beyond the formaldehyde testing for which the system was originally designed.