Laboratory evaluation of a volatile organic compound analysis system for the site characterization and analysis penetrometer system

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:230960

Myers, K F; Brannon, J M; Karn, R A; Price, C B; Eng, D Y; Strong, A B; Cooper, S S ^[1]

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1. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS (United States)

Conventional subsurface contaminant mapping technology requiring borings and laboratory analysis of soil samples is time consuming, expensive and often results in inadequate descriptions of contaminant plumes. An in-situ volatile organic compound sampling system to detect ppb levels of BTEX compounds and TCE has been developed for the site characterization and analysis penetrometer system. The sampler is pushed to a desired depth in the subsurface, an interior rod is retracted to form a sampling chamber, and a measured volume of soil is sampled and purged in place. Volatilized compounds are transferred to the surface, collected on tenax and desorbed into a portable gas chromatograph. The soil sample is expelled, and the penetrometer is pushed to a new depth where the process is repeated. Materials and system operating conditions were optimized during laboratory tests. Stainless steel tubing heated to 100 C and a carrier gas flow rate of 40 milliliters per minute yielded maximum recoveries (> 90%) in a thirty minute sampling period. Complete system tests yielded recoveries greater than 85 percent from soil spiked with BTEX and other chlorinated volatile compounds. These recoveries compared favorably to spike recovery data obtained from EPA Method 8240 by GC/MS.

• OSTI ID: 230960
• Report Number(s): CONF-950209--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BENZENE
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DATA
MONITORING
PORTABLE EQUIPMENT
SAMPLERS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TOLUENE
XYLENES