Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Industrial and Managements Systems Engineering
Committee Chair
Jeremy Gouzd
Committee Co-Chair
Gary L. Winn
Committee Member
Gary L. Winn
Committee Member
Travis Knuckles
Committee Member
Omar Al-Shebeeb
Committee Member
David Wyrick
Abstract
Using evacuated canisters for whole-air sampling allows for sampling without specific knowledge of the environment and potential analytes. Evacuated canisters are able to tolerate concentrations ranging from parts per trillion (PPT) to parts per million (PPM). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has used evacuated canisters for years to sample volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from ambient air using their method TO-15 (LeBouf, et al., 2019). The GC-MS system used for the development of NMAM 3900 used liquid nitrogen to cool sorbent traps in the preconcentrator. Liquid nitrogen allows for cooling of specified points below ambient temperature. An alternative to liquid nitrogen for cooling is Peltier cooled technology. Advantages of using Peltier cooled technology include cost saving as well as extended run times with continuous operation because it does not need to have a continuous supply of liquid nitrogen to cool the system. This research assessed the use of systems equipped with Peltier cooled technology for NMAM 3900. Parts per billion and parts per million levels were evaluated on the Peltier system for 20 volatile organic compounds. To determine the performance of the system for the compounds, bias, precision, and accuracy were calculated for each targeted analyte. At the PPB concentration level, a total of 15 compounds (2,3-butanedione, 2,3-hexandione, 2,3-pentanedione, α-pinene, benzene, chloroform, d-limonene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, methyl methacrylate, methylene chloride, n-hexane, o-xylene, styrene, toluene) passed the NIOSH accuracy criterion (± 25% error). At the PPM concentration level, a total of 16 compounds (2,3-butanedione, 2,3-hexandione, 2,3-pentanedione, acetonitrile, α-pinene, benzene, chloroform, d-limonene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, methyl methacrylate, methylene chloride, n-hexane, o-xylene, styrene, toluene) passed for this criterion. At both PPB and PPM levels, acetaldehyde, acetone, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol failed to pass the NIOSH accuracy criterion. Polar compounds did not perform well on this system due to the water management system. Overall, this method performs well for the compounds which passed and is beneficial to individuals looking to sample for these compounds and avoid the additional cost of using liquid nitrogen preconcentration.
Recommended Citation
Fernandez, Elizabeth Ann, "Performance of Peltier Cooled Technology During Preconcentration of Volatile Organic Compounds Analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) using NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM) 3900" (2022). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 11454.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/11454
Embargo Reason
Publication Pending
Included in
Environmental Public Health Commons, Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons, Other Public Health Commons