Determination of Air Pollutants: Application of a Low-Cost Method for Preparation of VOC Mixtures at Known Concentration
Abstract
:1. Introduction
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- Under-oxygenated atmospheres with the danger of asphyxiation (inert gases);
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- Explosive atmospheres (flammable gases);
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- Over-oxygenated atmospheres (oxygen), in which case the slightest flame or spark can ignite any combustible substance present.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Equations
2.2. Materials
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- Syringes: Hamilton™ 80384: glass liquid syringe with a maximum capacity of 10 µL, with an internal diameter equal to 0.485 mm, suitable for syringe pump use;
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- Reagents: Several VOCs, in pure liquid form, from different classes of compounds were chosen and are listed in Table 1 where producers and main properties are provided too, calculated at 293 K [20]. These VOCs were selected due to their potential presence in odorous emissions, their potential odorous/toxicological impact [21], and their different chemical–physical parameters, as shown in Table 1;
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- Mass flow meter: Alicat™ Portable Calibration Unit Mass Flow Meters, an instrument used to set the desired flow rate of the diluting gas;
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- Nitrogen: SAPIO® liquid evaporated pure nitrogen, used as diluent gas;
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- Syringe pump: NE-300 Just Infusion™ Syringe Pump. It allows obtaining the continuous injection of liquid inside the mixing node. By setting the diameter of the syringe used and the required injection rate, it maintains the proper linear velocity of the pump to control the set point liquid flow;
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- Nalophan: Nalo Kalle™. This is the constituent material of the bags used to sample the gaseous mixture flows to be analysed. It is a transparent material, with characteristics that make it particularly suitable for containing gas mixtures: it is impermeable, inert, odourless, and resistant to traction, tearing, and impact [3].
2.3. Analysis
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Gross Results
3.2. Repeatability and Accuracy
3.3. Low Concentration
4. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Compound | Vapour Pressure @ 293 K(Pa) | Viscosity (mm2/s) | Density (kg/m3) | Surface Tension (mn/m) | Purity (%) | Producer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Toluene | 2900 | 0.6 | 867 | 28 | 99.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Pentane | 57,000 | 0.4 | 626 | 16 | ≥99.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Hexane | 16,000 | 0.5 | 660 | 18 | ≥95.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Heptane | 4703 | 0.6 | 684 | 20 | 99.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
2-Methylpentane | 22,700 | 0.6 | 653 | 17 | ≥95.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Isooctane | 5300 | 0.7 | 690 | 22 | ≥99.5% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Decane | 127 | 1.3 | 730 | 24 | 99.5% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Dodecane | 12 | 2.0 | 750 | 25 | ≥99.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
n-Butanol | 625 | 3.7 | 810 | 70 | 99.8% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Cyclopentane | 36,660 | 0.6 | 751 | 23 | 98.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Cyclohexane | 10,384 | 1.3 | 779 | 25 | 99.5% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) | 9867 | 0.5 | 805 | 25 | ≥99.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) | 3000 | 0.6 | 1′060 | 44 | ≥99.0% | Sigma-Aldrich® |
Compound | PID Response Factor (Lamp Type 10.6 eV) |
---|---|
Toluene | 0.56 |
Pentane | 7 |
Hexane | 3 |
Heptane | 2.2 |
2-Methylpentane | 3 |
Isooctane | 1.1 |
Decane | 1.2 |
Dodecane | 1 |
n-Butanol | 3.9 |
Cyclopentane | 10 |
Cyclohexane | 1.3 |
Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) | 0.96 |
Dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) | 0.2 |
Compound | m | q | R2 |
---|---|---|---|
n-Butanol | 1.09 | 0.6 | 0.999 |
Cyclohexane | 1.00 | 3.4 | 0.999 |
Cyclopentane | 0.94 | 0.9 | 1.000 |
Decane | 1.07 | 0.2 | 0.999 |
Dodecane | 0.05 | 2.3 | 0.949 |
Dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) | 1.04 | 1.5 | 0.999 |
Heptane | 0.97 | 4.0 | 0.999 |
Hexane | 1.03 | 2.3 | 0.999 |
Isooctane | 1.09 | 1.2 | 1.000 |
Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) | 1.01 | 4.3 | 0.999 |
2-methylpentane | 1.01 | 1.4 | 0.994 |
Pentane | 1.20 | 8.9 | 0.998 |
Toluene | 0.93 | 2.0 | 0.999 |
Theoretical Concentration (ppm) | RSD% | RPD% |
---|---|---|
5 | 15% | 8% |
15 | 13% | 7% |
37 | 16% | 8% |
51 | 16% | 8% |
77 | 5% | 3% |
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Sartore, L.; Polvara, E.; Invernizzi, M.; Sironi, S. Determination of Air Pollutants: Application of a Low-Cost Method for Preparation of VOC Mixtures at Known Concentration. Sustainability 2022, 14, 9149. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159149
Sartore L, Polvara E, Invernizzi M, Sironi S. Determination of Air Pollutants: Application of a Low-Cost Method for Preparation of VOC Mixtures at Known Concentration. Sustainability. 2022; 14(15):9149. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159149
Chicago/Turabian StyleSartore, Lorenzo, Elisa Polvara, Marzio Invernizzi, and Selena Sironi. 2022. "Determination of Air Pollutants: Application of a Low-Cost Method for Preparation of VOC Mixtures at Known Concentration" Sustainability 14, no. 15: 9149. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159149