In situ quantification and tracking of volatile organic compounds with a portable mass spectrometer in tropical waste and urban sites.

This study outlines an experimental method for landfill volatile organic compounds (VOCs) characterization by means of a portable time-of-flight mass spectrometer in an insular tropical environment. The concentrations of six VOCs, three aromatic and three chlorinated compounds, frequently identified in landfill gas plume were determined in the main municipal solid waste of Guadeloupe archipelago and its surrounding areas (in the Leeward Islands). Measurements were carried out for various stages of waste degradation.