Grantee Research Project Results

Multi-Gas FT-IR Analysis for Air Toxics

EPA Contract Number: 68D40059
Title: Multi-Gas FT-IR Analysis for Air Toxics
Investigators: Hamblen, David G.
Small Business: Advanced Fuel Research Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 1994 through March 1, 1995
Project Amount: $54,778
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (1994) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , SBIR - Monitoring , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Description:

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments name 189 air toxics whose emissions are subject to regulation. Many industries may emit multiple species which will require monitoring. The problems of monitoring the air toxics are:

1. The cost of monitoring multiple species using present technology single species monitors will be prohibitive.
   
2. The present methods used to calibrate instruments for priority pollutants employing reference gases will not be applicable because such standard gases cannot be prepared for many of the toxics.

Technologies are needed which can measure large numbers of species with a single instrument and can provide quality assurance (QA) without employing reference gases for each species. This project will develop a multi-gas analysis and QA method employing Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The method to be developed and tested will be based on a combination of reference gas QA, and software QA as follows:

1. the use of one or a small number of reference gases will be used to provide QA for the analysis of those species and for the sampling system, optical components, frequency and resolution accuracy; and
   
2. QA for all other species will be provided through reference spectra (possibly in the form of reference interferograms) which will provide QA for the instrument's data reduction procedures.

Supplemental Keywords:

FT-IR, Air Pollution Monitor, Toxics, Quality Assurance., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Air, Scientific Discipline, Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, Monitoring/Modeling, air toxics, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Monitoring, quality assurance, Fourier transform infrared, spectroscopic, infrared spectroscopy sensor, monitoring, air pollutants, continuous emissions monitoring, air pollution, FTIR

Progress and Final Reports:

Final