​​​

​Your GC M​ay Not B​e ​the Bottleneck​​​​​​

Discover practical ​​ways to improve consistency, throughput, and resource utilization across your environmental VOC workflow.

Increasing sample queues, frequent analyst intervention, repeat analyses, and avoidable instrument idle time can prevent a laboratory from reaching its full capacity.

Download the VOC Workflow Optimization Guide​ for a practical framework to evaluate the complete workflow, from sample introduction and Purge & Trap concentration through GC or GC/MS analysis.

Does your workflow show these warning signs?

How Efficient Is Your VOC Workflow?

A growing sample queue does not always mean that the GC or GC/MS needs to run faster. The constraint may occur earlier in the workflow.

Your laboratory may have an opportunity for improvement if:

  • Sample backlogs increase during routine or peak workloads.
  • Analysts spend substantial time loading samples or managing routine sequences.
  • Dilutions, troubleshooting, failed QC checks, or re-runs disrupt planned work.
  • The GC or GC/MS experiences avoidable idle time.
  • Sample demand is increasing faster than workflow capacity.

  • Differen​​t analysts or shifts follow inconsistent routine practices.​​

​What ch​​emists will learn!

The guide helps laboratory professionals explore:

  • Why VOC sample preparation affects the complete analytical workflow
  • How Purge & Trap concentrates VOCs before GC or GC/MS analysis
  • Five signs that a VOC workflow may need improvement
  • Best practices for workflow consistency and throughput
  • Ways automation can reduce routine sample handling
  • Differences between dedicated water and multi-matrix workflows
  • Questions to consider when planning for future sample demand
  • A checklist for evaluating workflow efficiency, data quality, application fit, and future readiness​


​​​Optimize th​e complete wo​​​​​rkflow

Look Beyond​​ the GC

A reliable VOC workflow depends on more than chromatographic analysis. Sample handling, analyte concentration, system coordination, exception management, and sequence planning can all affect laboratory efficiency.

The objective is not simply to run the GC faster. It is to create a consistent workflow from sample introduction through analysis.

Three areas​​ to evaluate

  • Consistency - ​Standardize routine methods, operating parameters, and sample-handling practices across analysts and shifts.
  • Utilization - ​Coordinate sample introduction, Purge & Trap concentration, and GC or GC/MS analysis to reduce avoidable idle time.
  • Analyst resources - Reduce repetitive handling so chemists can focus on data review, exceptions, quality activities, and laboratory priorities.​​


Find the right automation approa​​ch

Water-Only or Multi-Ma​trix?

The appropriate workflow depends on the laboratory’s sample types, capacity requirements, analyst resources, and anticipated growth.

Dedicated water workflow​

For laboratories focused on water and wastewater, the Lumin Purge & Trap Concentrator can be paired with the AQUATek LVA for automated water sample handling. The AQUATek LVA provides automated sample preparation for routine aqueous analysis and transfers samples to a compatible Purge & Trap concentrator.

Multi-matrix workflow

The Atomx XYZ combines a soil/water autosampler and Purge & Trap concentrator. It supports aqueous and soil applications within one automated platform and includes automated methanol extraction capability for high-level soils in accordance with USEPA Method 5035.

Assessment c​​hecklist pr​​eview

Start with the Right Q​uestions

Before changing an instrument or workflow, ask:

  • Are analysts loading individual samples throughout the day?
  • Are re-runs, dilutions, and troubleshooting disrupting queues?
  • Is avoidable idle time limiting capacity?
  • Do routine practices vary between analysts or shifts?
  • Does your existing automation match your sample matrices?
  • Are sample volumes or turnaround expectations increasing?
  • Can the current workflow support anticipated growth?

The complete guide includes an assessment checklist organized around workflow efficiency, data quality, application fit, and future readiness.​​​

​F​requently Asked Questions

What is a VOC workflow?

A VOC workflow includes the activities required to prepare, concentrate, separate, and detect volatile organic compounds. In an environmental Purge & Trap workflow, this can include sample handling, Purge & Trap concentration, transfer to the GC or GC/MS, chromatographic analysis, data review, and management of exceptions or re-runs.

What is Purge & Trap?

Purge & Trap is a sample preparation technique that transfers volatile compounds from a sample into a gas stream, concentrates them on a sorbent trap, and then releases them for transfer to a GC or GC/MS.

What samples can be analyzed using Purge & Trap?

Common environmental matrices include drinking water, wastewater, surface water, groundwater, soil, and sludge. The appropriate configuration depends on whether the laboratory requires a dedicated aqueous workflow or multi-matrix capability.

How can automation help a VOC laboratory?

Automated sample introduction and sequencing can reduce routine handling, support unattended operation, improve workflow consistency, and help laboratories use available instrumentation and staff more effectively.

How do I know whether my VOC workflow needs improvement?

Warning signs can include growing queues, repeated analyst intervention, frequent reanalysis, avoidable system idle time, inconsistent practices, and capacity that is not keeping pace with sample demand.

Do I need a water-only or multi-matrix workflow?

A water-focused laboratory may benefit from a dedicated water sample-handling configuration. A laboratory processing aqueous and soil samples may need a multi-matrix platform. The decision should consider sample types, workload, existing equipment, analyst resources, and future growth.​