Combustion is the largest anthropogenic source of solid aerosol particles, producing particulate matter (PM) that can have direct or indirect effect on climate and health. However, the solid and gas phases of the combustion by-products must be sampled and characterised to better understand their role(s) in atmospheric and biological processes. In this study, we use simple methods to separate the solid combustion-generated PM from the gas-phase semi-volatile fraction produced by various soot generators. In the first one, a “front filter” is used to collect solid PM, while a second “back filter” covered with carbon black is used to adsorb exhaust gases that passed through the front filter. In the second one, spatial distribution after impaction is used to differentiate both phases.