Abstract |
The PetroFLAGTm System developed by Dexsilo Corporation (Dexsil) was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The purpose of the demonstration was to collect reliable performance and cost data for the PetroFLAGTm System and six other field measurement devices for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil. In addition to assessing ease of device operation, the key objectives of the demonstration included determining the (1) method detection limit, (2) accuracy and precision, (3) effect of interferents and soil moisture content on TPH measurement, (4) sample throughput, and (5) TPH measurement costs for each device. The demonstration involved analysis of both performance evaluation (PE) samples and environmental samples collected in four areas contaminated with gasoline, diesel, or other petroleum products. The performance and cost results for a given field measurement device were compared to those for an off-site laboratory reference method. 'Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste' (SW-846) Method 8015B (modified). During the demonstration, Dexsil required 50 hours, 40 minutes, for TPH measurement of 181 samples and 10 extract duplicates. The TPH measurement costs for these samples were estimated to be $6,390 for the PetroFLAGTM System compared to 38,560 for the reference method. The method detection limits were determined to 20 and 6.32 milligrams per kilogram for the PetroFLAGTm Systems and reference method, respectively. During the demonstration, the PetroFLAGTm System exhibited good precision and ease of use. |