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Monitoring ppb levels of ambient air pollutants via hyphenated techniques: HRGC/ in-series selective detection

Accepted for presentation at the American Chemical Society Spring National Meeting 2013 in New Orleans, LA in the Air Monitoring Symposium in the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry. Co-sponsored by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry. 508 - Monitoring ppb levels of ambient air pollutants via hyphenated techniques: HRGC/ in-series selective detection Thursday, April 11, 2013 10:30 AMAir Monitoring (08:30 AM - 11:55 AM) Location: New Orleans Downtown Marriott at the Convention Center Room: Blaine Kern B Jack N Driscoll, Jennifer L Maclachlan. PID Analyzers, LLC, Sandwich, Massachusetts, MA 02563, United States High resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) with a capillary column (50,000 to 100,000 theoretical plates) is an efficient and effective means for separation of a complex mixture of chemicals in the ambient air. Since retention times are used for identification, either a second column with a different polarity or the ratio of two detectors are used to confirm the identity of various solutes in a number of USEPA methods. The photoionization detector [1] is a very sensitive (0.5 ppt benzene (VOC's) and non-destructive detector (second detector can be run in-series) for volatile and semivolatile organic compounds. The PID/FID method was described more than 30 years ago [2] for identification of natural gas components, and has been used more recently for identification of ambient hydrocarbons. In a similar manner, a flame photometric detector (FPD) can be used in conjunction with the PID to identify S or P compounds in the air. A PID Analyzers Model 322 Automatic GC with temperature programming and a PID/FID or a PID/FPD was used for these measurements. The ambient measurements were made near our Cape Cod, MA facility which is at the perimeter of the Mass Military Reservation. References 1. Driscoll, J.N., “Gas Chromatography in Environmental Analysis” Environmental Instrumentation Handbook, Wiley , NY (2005) 2. Driscoll, et al., "Gas Chromatographic Detection and Identification of Aromatic and Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in Complex Mixtures by Coupling Photoionization and Flame Ionization Detectors," J. Chrom., 158, 171 (1978).

Monitoring & ID of HAPs by fast capillary GC accepted at #ACSPHL

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244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

Paper # 282

Program Area: ANYL: Division of Analytical Chemistry 

Symposium Title: (ANYL014) 

New Directions in Analytical Separations

ORAL SESSION

Thursday, August 23, 2012 03:10 PM New Directions in Analytical Separations (01:00 PM - 04:50 PM) Location: Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel Room: Freedom Ballroom G

INSTITUTIONS

1. PID Analyzers, LLC, Sandwich, MA, 02563, United States

2. VICI Valco, Inc., Houston, TX, 77055, United States

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AUTHORS

1. J. N. Driscoll¹ , 2 Washington Circle, #4, Sandwich, MA, 02563, United States 

2. Jennifer L. Maclachlan¹   

3. Stan Stearns² , VICI Valco Inc., 8300 Waterbury, Houston, TX, 77055, United States 

Title: Monitoring and identification of hazardous air pollutants by fast capillary gas chromatography with PID/FID detection

Abstract Body: First passed in 1970, the Clean Air Act (CAA) intended to regulate air emissions from both mobile and stationary sources, The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) involved a new approach: regulation by industry rather than by chemical; re-focusing the program to one which is technology and performance based. The US Congress generated a list of 189 hazardous air pollutants (HAP's) as a focused guideline to reducing emissions of HAP's from major sources of air pollution (1).

Driscoll et al (2) described a method for the identification of hydrocarbons using gas chromatography to separate and the ratio of the photoionization detector (PID) and flame ionization detector for identification. The FID provides the same response for Hexane, hexane and benzene. The PID response is related to the number double bonds (p electrons) so the PID /FID ratio is 10 for hexane, 20 for hexane and 60 for benzene, so we can used this ratio along with the retention time on a 30 meter capillary for positive identification of particular components. This method, of a single column and PID/FID ratios for identification has been employed in EPA and many state agencies methods instead of using two different columns for identification.

We used a new miniature PID/FID in-series tandem design along with a 30M x 0.32 mm & 5m film column that provides with temperature programming for the analyses. This column will allow us to separate the light hydrocarbons along the SVOC's. We will be using the restistively VICI capillary columns that, because of their low mass, provide rapid heating and cooling of the column.

1.Driscoll, JN,” An Agenda for Fighting Air Toxics”, Environmental Protection, Oct. 1998.

2. Driscoll, J,N, et. al, "Gas Chromatographic Detection and Identification of Aromatic and Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in Complex Mixtures by Coupling Photoionization and Flame Ionization Detectors," J. Chrom., 158 , 171 (1978).

3. Stearns, S. “A direct resistively heated gas chromatography column with heating and sensing on the same nickel element, Journal of Chromatography A, 1217 (2010) 4629–4638”,

Blog post updated 07/18/2012