Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: 3-dimensional Micro-gas Chromatography Device for Rapid and Sensitive Indoor Chemical Exposure Analysis
EPA Grant Number: R835644Title: 3-dimensional Micro-gas Chromatography Device for Rapid and Sensitive Indoor Chemical Exposure Analysis
Investigators: Fan, Xudong , Kurabayashi, Katsuo , Richardson, Rudy J
Institution: University of Michigan
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2014 through July 31, 2017
Project Amount: $900,000
RFA: New Methods in 21st Century Exposure Science (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Objective:
This research project develops a portable, field-deployable device to perform automated, rapid, sensitive, and in-situ analysis of hundreds of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds for indoor air exposure assessment.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
During the 3-year project, the team at the University of Michigan has developed and tested a fully automated portable multi-dimensional gas chromatography device. This device consists of micro-preconcentrator, micro-Deans switch, micro-GC columns, micro-thermal injector, micro-photoionization detector, and micro-helium dielectric barrier discharge photoionization detector, as well as printed circuit board, control software, and graphic user interface. All the components are designed, microfabricated, and characterized, and subsequently assembled in-house. The performance of those components exceeds that of commercially available ones (if any). The performance of the multi-dimensional GC device exceeds that of bench-top 1-dimensional GC in terms of weight, dimensions, power consumption, and peak capacity production (peak capacity per unit separation time). The device has been field-tested in a paint workshop on the University of Michigan campus for real-time monitoring of indoor VOCs. The results match quantitatively those obtained using traditional occupational VOCs monitoring techniques in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration Method ORG-07.
Through this grant (and the previous grants), a number of peer-reviewed journal articles were published, and conference presentations were given, and patents were filed/issued. The related IP has been licensed to a third-party company for commercialization.
The key findings are summarized as follows.
1. Fully automated multi-channel multi-dimensional GC
We constructed the fully automated portable multi-dimensional GC that consists of power supply, control software, and graphic user interface. The device is 60 cm x 50 cm x 10 cm in dimensions and weighs less than 5 kg. Both size and weight can be further reduced, if needed. Figs. 1(A)-(C) shows the schematic, picture, and internal layout of the GC device. Fig. 1(D) shows that the GC device is able to separate 50 VOCs in about 800 seconds. The peak capacity product exceeds that in bench-top 1-D GC. The details of the related information can be found at Lee et al., Analytical Chemistry 88, 10266-10274 (2016).
Figure 1. (A) Schematic of a 1x4 channel 2-D GC. (B) Picture fo the 2-=D GC. (C) Internal layout of the
2-D GC. (D) The contour 2-D chromatogram shows the reapid separation of the 50 VOC's in 800 seconds.
2. Field-test and benchmark our portable multi-dimensional GC
We field-tested our GC device at a paint workshop on the Univ. of Michigan campus (Figs. 2(A) and (B)) when workers were using one (or combination) of the 6 commonly used paints. We showed that our device is able to analyze the VOCs in those paints and report the time-series results every 10-15 minutes (Figs. 2(C) and (D), and Fig. 3). We further showed that the results from our GC device match quantitatively those obtained with OSHA Method ORG-07. The manuscript containing the related information is under review at Analyst (Lee et al.).
Figure 2. Pictures of the portable 2D-GC device (marked as "1") at the Spray and Finishing Shop
of the University of Michigan (A) before and (B) during spraying. The inset in (A) shows the details
of the sampling lubingh (marked as "2") used in the portabl eGC device and the two charcoal tubes
(marked as "3") used for standard GC-MS analysis using OSHA Method ORG-7. (C) and (D) 2-D
contour plot of (C) Electrostatic semi-gloss enamel clear base V-260-88 and (D) Level sealer
C117 029 sprayed at the Booth 2 (sampling 5 min) and 3 (sampling 10 min) generated with our
GC device.
Figure 3. (A) Time-dependent 1D chromatograms of before, during,
and after spraying Magnamax C148 14 Satin-35 at Booth 2. (b) Peak
areas in (A) plotted versus time. The red, green, and blue frame shows
spraying (2 min), drying with (30 min) and without wood (60 min) sprayed
at Booth 2.
Conclusions:
The project is highly relevant to the EPA’s mission by providing a novel analytical tool for air quality control and for reduction of stressors to vulnerable populations. It also helps reduce waste generation and provides early warning for accidental releases. Furthermore, it provides a way to protect, sustain, and improve human health by generating rapid and detailed tempo-spatial information of indoor VOCs to better understand how exposure to those VOCs affects human health.
Journal Articles on this Report : 5 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 18 publications | 5 publications in selected types | All 5 journal articles |
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Lee J, Zhou M, Zhu H, Nidetz R, Kurabayashi K, Fan X. In situ calibration of micro-photoionization detectors in a multi-dimensional micro-gas chromatography system. Analyst 2016;141(13):4100-4107. |
R835644 (2016) R835644 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Lee J, Zhou M, Zhu H, Nidetz R, Kurabayashi K, Fan X. Fully automated portable comprehensive 2-dimensional gas chromatography device. Analytical Chemistry 2016;88(20):10266-10274. |
R835644 (2016) R835644 (Final) |
Exit |
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Zhou M, Lee J, Zhu H, Nidetz R, Kurabayashi K, Fan X. A fully automated portable gas chromatography system for sensitive and rapid quantification of volatile organic compounds in water. RSC Advances 2016;6(55):49416-49424. |
R835644 (2016) R835644 (Final) |
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Zhu H, Nidetz R, Zhou M, Lee J, Buggaveeti S, Kurabayashi K, Fan X. Flow‐through microfluidic photoionization detectors for rapid and highly sensitive vapor detection. Lab on a Chip 2015;15:3021‐3029. |
R835644 (2015) R835644 (Final) |
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Zhu H, Zhou M, Lee J, Nidetz R, Kurabayashi K, Fan X. Low-power miniaturized helium dielectric barrier discharge photoionization detectors for highly sensitive vapor detection. Analytical Chemistry 2016;88(17):8780-8786. |
R835644 (2016) R835644 (Final) |
Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
Micro-GC, VOC analysis, air sample, exposome, analytical, measurement methodsRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.