Real-Time Detection of ppb Levels of Benzene in Industrial Atmospheres

Accepted for presentation at the 2015 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition on Wednesday June 3, 2015 at SPCC: 355 C

Real-Time Detection of ppb Levels of Benzene in Industrial Atmospheres 

By: J.N. Driscoll and Jennifer Maclachlan

Objective

The OSHA method for benzene involves the collection on a charcoal tube and return to the lab, for desorption with carbon disulfide and analysis by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). While the PID is an ideal tool for detecting low or sub ppm levels of benzene, it responds to all VOC’s, so the measurement of benzene at or below 1 ppm is not very accurate.  We propose to develop a hand held GC with a PID to detect to detect low ppb of benzene in real time and “on site”.

Method

The hand held GC weighs less than 3 pounds, is able to operate for >6 hours on a battery,is easy to operate and has a small external tank for carrier gas (nitrogen) that can be clipped onto a belt. The hand held GC stores the peak height and concentration data. If a chromatogram is needed, up to 20 are stored in memory and if more are needed, the 0-1 VDC analog output can be connected directly to a PC with PeakWorks.

Results

A permeation tube was used to generate ppb levels of benzene in air. A chromatogram of 500 ppb of benzene in air is shown in the figure below. The detection limit for benzene is approximately 5 ppb. The analysis time is 2 minutes presently but with some optimization, it can be reduced to about 1 minute which would be ideal.  

Conclusions

The GC/PID method provides a very rapid and sensitive technique for the analysis of benzene  at ppb levels. The precision of benzene for 5 samples at 1/10^th of the PEL was excellent at 5.8%. A special precolumn with back flushing removes interferences.

Section: Real Time Detection Systems #RTDSC #RealTimeDetection

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Pacifichem Symposium #173: The Evolving Nature of Scholarly Communication: Connecting Scholars with Each Other and with Society

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS CLOSES 4/15/15

Scholarly journal publishing is now web based and web first, but this migration to the Internet has brought with it other changes as well. Scientists are now collaborating with each other globally in ways that would not have been possible even ten years ago. Some researchers are using social media, such as blogs and twitter, to comment on and recommend articles, and in so doing establish a reputation beyond journal article publication and citation. Some scientists are posting research results directly to the Internet, where other scientists can analyze the data and discuss its meaning. Tools and algorithms to deliver the right content to the right person help researchers navigate the ever increasing amount of scholarly content.

At the same time, both scientists and funding agencies are interested in the broader impact of their research on society. A growing contingent of scientists and science communicators from academia, government, and industry are utilizing social media tools and platforms to communicate their chemistry beyond the traditional audience. This mechanism of science communication can potentially lead to benefits to society in the form of identifying and building new and existing business relationships, helping to resolve some of the challenges of the digital classroom, and expand the science communication channels formerly limited to onsite participation at Universities or scientific conferences. Examples include use of YouTube, blogs, Twitter, Wikipedia, and scientific apps.

This symposium will examine how traditional publishing models are changing as a result of the impact of social media, as well as how social media are being used to foster new models of communication and engagement with society.

We welcome contributions that examine ways in which researchers are engaging in new communication models, as well as ways in which journals and publishers are responding to these new models.

Contact us:

Corresponding Organizer: Jennifer Maclachlan, PID Analyzers, LLC (USA), pidgirl@gmail.com @pidgirl
Brenna Arlyce Brown, Mitacs, (Canada), brennab@ualberta.ca @BrennaArlyce
Kazuhiro Hayashi, NISTEP (Japan), khayashi@nistep.go.jp
David Martinsen, ACS (USA), d_martinsen@acs.org
Antony Williams, RSC (USA), tony27587@gmail.com @chemconnector

Abstract submissions close April 15, 2015 at http://www.pacifichem.org.

Pittcon 2015