Online gas chromatography in ambient air monitoring / aqms

Governments are establishing regulations to limit and control environmental pollution through legislation. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), BTEX, and sulfur, often caused by human activities, are among the pollutants that need to be identified and quantified for safety reasons.

Exposure to high concentrations of some VOCs can be dangerous even for short periods, and the impact of low VOC concentrations on human health and the environment has also become a major concern in recent years. The concentrations of these compounds can vary greatly depending on the measurement area, and the accurate and continuous analysis of VOCs in the air in industrial environments or on mountaintops using the same device is a significant technological challenge. Currently, only benzene is regulated, but there are moves to measure other VOCs known to be ozone precursors.

To meet the requirements of European and US EPA regulations for continuous air quality monitoring, Chromatotec has developed automated gas chromatography systems to analyze BTX, sulfur compounds and VOCs in urban areas to ensure compliance and improve air quality. In addition, Chromatotec also offers an EPA-approved all-in-one analysis solution for accurate VOC analysis to meet on-site monitoring standards.

Application

Continuous Analysis of BTEX and VOCs Compounds

Air monitoring requirements are driven by regulations in European countries and the United States (US EPA). These regulations require continuous air monitoring, including: continuous analysis/calibration/automatic clean air sampling 24/7. CHROMATOTEC devices such as BTX, Sulfur and VOC analyzers are integrated solutions suitable for analyzing ambient air alongside other analyzers such as O3, CO2, Dust..

Continuous Automatic Analysis of Sulfur Compounds and Odors

Odors often come from sulfur compounds and NH3. Some sulfur compounds can have unpleasant odors that can affect human health. Therefore, analyzing sulfur compounds in ambient air is important to ensure air quality and protect human health. Chromatotec develops automated gas chromatography systems for analyzing odor components and sulfur compounds in ambient air. These systems can be controlled and accessed remotely via Ethernet installed in the computer and connected to the customer’s network. Chromatotec offers an automatic function for validating online industrial concentration chromatograph analysis results with high sensitivity, even at background levels.

Application in Ozone Precursor and Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) Analysis

A turnkey solution, approved by the US EPA, includes two automated GC instruments combined with FID: airmoVOC C2C6 and airmoVOC C6C12.

This solution is offered worldwide to monitor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air. They significantly contribute to the formation of tropospheric (ground-level) ozone (O3), primarily due to the reaction of VOCs with NOx (NO and NO2) under sunlight, and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) due to oxidation.

airmOzone uses airmoVOC C2-C6 and airmoVOC C6-C12 with FID to monitor:

• • 56 compounds on the USEPA list.
  • 88 compounds when adding TO 14 molecules.

By combining these two devices, both light and heavy VOCs can be analyzed. There is no interference on the 10 compounds that have the potential to interfere with benzene according to EN 14 662-3. Using an FID detector and H2 carrier gas, the separation and sensitivity are very good down to the ppt level.

The device is mCERTs certified, approved for BTEX as well as EN 15267-1: 2009, EN 15267-2: 2009 & EN 14662-3: 2015.

airmozone is an on-site VOC analysis solution. It is a stand-alone system with an H2 generator and compressed air as well as calibration integrated into the cabinet. This solution is at the forefront of field testing by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and is considered a unique integrated and automated solution for field applications.

Monitoring SVOCs, VOCs, PCBs and PAHs in ambient air

The airmoVOC C6C20+ TD/GC FID air analyzer is specifically designed to measure hydrocarbons from C6 to over C20 including semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) with a sensitivity in the range of low ng/m3. Volatile PAHs measured according to standard: Naphthalene (C10), MeNaphtalene, 1-Me-Naphtalene, Acenaphtene, Acenaphtylene, Flourene, Phenanthrene, Anthracene, Fluoranthene, Pyrene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo(b)fluorath, Benzo(k)fluorath and Benzo(a)pyrene (C20). This system is used by several leading research institutes and universities to monitor PAHs in industrial sites, tropical forests and remediation sites.