Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: A Membrane Preconcentrator for Portable Trace VOC Detectors
EPA Contract Number: EPD06030Title: A Membrane Preconcentrator for Portable Trace VOC Detectors
Investigators: Lin, Haiqing
Small Business: Membrane Technology and Research Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2006 through August 31, 2006
Project Amount: $69,994
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Waste , Hazardous Waste/Remediation
Description:
The sensitivity of low-cost, portable volatile organic compound (VOC) detectors currently in use is low, which limits their application in many situations. Detectors with greater sensitivity are more expensive, less robust, and not suitable for field use. This research project report describes the development of a membrane-based preconcentrator able to concentrate trace amounts of VOC contaminants to levels that can be easily measured by existing portable detectors. This preconcentrator also can remove water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, all of which may interfere with VOC detection. The membrane concentrator is simple, compact, and lightweight; only a small vacuum pump and blower are required to power the unit.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
High-performance composite membranes and high-performance spiral-wound modules have been successfully developed that can be used to preconcentrate the VOCs present in air. The selective membrane material is Hyflon® AD 60, a commercially available perfluorinated polymer. The membranes were incorporated into spiral-wound modules that have special baffles in the feed channels. The baffles increase gas velocity and allow the module to be operated at stage cuts of 90% or higher, while maintaining their separation efficiency.
A prototype membrane-based preconcentrator was built and tested at Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR). Using a one-module design, the enrichment of toluene in the air is approximately 9. We expect to achieve a 10- to 100- fold toluene enrichment if two modules in series are used.
Conversations with potential partners in the sensor industry indicated a strong interest in the ability of the membranes and modules to remove water vapor during VOC preconcentration because the presence of dipolar water molecules interferes with the photo ionization detection mechanism used in existing ppm- to pbb- level VOC sensors. The Phase II preconcentrator research proposal objectives will reflect this industry interest in water vapor removal.
Conclusions:
The Phase I experimental work and the technical and economic analysis have demonstrated the feasibility of using a membrane-based preconcentrator to concentrate VOCs from air. The effective nitrogen/toluene separation performance in the membranes, and the baffled modules that incorporate these membranes, sufficiently achieve a 10- to 100-fold toluene enrichment.
Discussions with potential commercialization partners in the sensor industry made it clear that water vapor removal during VOC enrichment is a primary benefit of the membranes and modules developed in Phase I. MTR’s Phase II plan incorporates additional emphasis on water vapor removal as a key preconcentrator performance factor.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, volatile organic compounds, VOC, VOC detectors, membrane-based preconcentrator, environmental monitoring, air quality, public health, analytical, EPA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, pollutants/toxics, environmental chemistry, environmental engineering, environmental monitoring, monitoring/modeling, aerosol analyzers, air quality assessments, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric measurements, field deployable, field portable monitoring, membrane concentrator, membrane preconcentrator, VOC concentration,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, Environmental Chemistry, Chemicals, Monitoring/Modeling, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Engineering, atmospheric measurements, field portable monitoring, membrane concentrator, field deployable, air quality assessments, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), aerosol analyzers, atmospheric chemistrySBIR Phase II:
Membrane Preconcentrator for Portable Trace VOC DetectorsThe 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.