Deactivating SUMMA canisters for collection and analysis of polar volatile organic compounds in air

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:197487

Shelow, D; Silvis, P; Schuyler, A; Stauffer, J ^[1]; Pleil, J ^[2]; Holdren, M ^[3]

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1. Restek Corp., Bellefonte, PA (United States)
2. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Lab.
3. Battelle, Columbus, OH (United States)

SUMMA canisters are commonly used as the collection medium for whole air samples for the measurement of a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The interior electropolished surface is inert for most non-polar compounds even at trace levels, however, certain polar species (PVOCs) exhibit reduced recoveries after storage. A surface deactivation process, referred to as Silcosteel, has been developed wherein the interior of the canister is coated with a thin layer of fused silica. In addition to the silica layer, a variety of chemical deactivations can be used to increase the inertness of the surface for specific classes of VOCs. Canisters with the standard electropolished interior surfaces were tested and compared to those treated with the Silcosteel process and various deactivation layers. This paper presents an explanation of the process and the results of the comparisons with particular emphasis on the storage stability and minimum detectable limits for PVOCs.

• OSTI ID: 197487
• Report Number(s): CONF-9405167--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
AIR SAMPLERS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
VOLATILE MATTER