Onsite Identification and Spatial Distribution of Air Pollutants Using a Drone-Based Solid-Phase Microextraction Array Coupled with Portable Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry via Continuous-Airflow Sampling

Hazardous air pollutants can be unintentionally and intentionally released in many cases, such as industrial emissions, accidental events, and pesticide application. Under such events, the onsite operation is highly dependent on the molecular composition and spatial distribution of air pollutants in ambient air. However, it is usually difficult for people to reach hazardous and upper sites rapidly. In this work, we designed a new drone-based microextraction sampler array in which a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was mounted on drones for remote-control sampling at different spaces and was then coupled with a portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PGC-MS) approach for quickly identifying hazardous air pollutants and their spatial distribution in ambient air within minutes. Acceptable analytical performances, including good sensitivity (detection limit at nanogram per liter level), reproducibility (relative standard deviation < 20%, n = 6), analytical speed (single sample within minutes), and excellent linear dynamic response (3 orders of magnitude) were obtained for direct measurement of air samples. The drone–SPME sampling mechanism of air pollutants involving an airflow adsorptive microextraction process was proposed. Overall, this drone–SPME sampling array can access hard-to-reach and dangerous environmental sites and provide air pollution distribution in different spaces, showing versatile potential applications in environmental analysis.