Field and Mobile Measurements of Air Toxics Using Thermal Desorption, Broadband Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy

Participatory Science
Oral Presentation

Prepared by A. Marcotte, M. Armen, J. Margolis, M. Armen
Entanglement Technologies, Inc., 1192 CHERRY AVE, SAN BRUNO, CA, 94066, United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 650-204-7875

ABSTRACT

In-field and mobile techniques to measure air toxics, or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), are becoming more widely used as new regulations are proposed and adopted and community air quality monitoring expands. These techniques have several advantages over traditional methods (e.g. grab samples followed by lab analysis) and are increasingly used by environmental agencies and communities in addition to research institutions. This work will review one technique, thermal desorption cavity ringdown spectroscopy (TD-CRDS), which is growing in popularity for these applications in the U.S. and internationally. In addition to a brief overview of the TD-CRDS technology and performance validation across a broad list of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), use cases for mobile and stationary monitoring will be discussed. For example, mobile and stationary monitoring in the Port of Rotterdam in The Netherlands was conducted in 2022 with Entanglement Technologies’ TD-CRDS analyzer, AROMA. This work highlights the benefits of mobile VOC monitoring, specifically for compound classes, using broadband CRDS in ports, at fencelines, and within refineries to screen for emission sources. Another use cases to be presented is the measurement of ethylene oxide (EtO), a common chemical used in chemical manufacturing and commercial sterilization processes, at relevant ambient air concentrations across the U.S. Emergency response applications, such as in the aftermath of natural disasters and industrial accidents, will also be discussed. Mobile monitoring can quickly identify areas of concern to inform shelter-in-place actions and dictate additional monitoring needs.