PSE Healthy Energy Adds AROMA-VOC to Investigate Health Impacts of Home Natural Gas
Comments Off on PSE Healthy Energy Adds AROMA-VOC to Investigate Health Impacts of Home Natural GasPSE Healthy Energy, in collaboration with Stanford University, has been using AROMA-VOC to measure volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from indoor sources of natural gas over the past year. This month, they permanently added our AROMA technology to their analytical measurement capabilities.
The average American spends around 90% of their time indoors, so better understanding the potential health effects associated with indoor emissions of hazardous chemicals, such as from gas stove tops or fireplaces, is critical. AROMA-VOC is easy to transport and set up in homes to make continuous measurements of VOCs in real-time for longer term research studies.
To learn more about PSE Healthy Energy’s Kitchen Pollutants Studies in California and Australia go to the PSE website.
Check out the write up about some of Stanford’s recent monitoring effects and see pictures featuring AROMA-VOC in the New York Times.
Entanglement Technologies’ AROMA platform features advanced sensors for many applications, including indoor air quality, ambient air quality, continuous emissions monitoring, process control, and fenceline monitoring. Universities, air monitoring professionals, and community groups around the world have chosen to add AROMA to their air monitoring capabilities. Please contact us to learn more about integrating AROMA into your air monitoring work.
EPA Adds a Second AROMA to Monitor Ethylene Oxide in Ambient Air
Comments Off on EPA Adds a Second AROMA to Monitor Ethylene Oxide in Ambient AirThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investing further in Entanglement Technologies AROMA-ETO, using it to monitor ethylene oxide (EtO) across the country. EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) has been using AROMA over the past couple years, and just invested in their second AROMA analyzer.
Understanding and improving the ability to measure the EtO has been a top priority for the U.S. EPA. In 2016, EtO was determined to be far more hazardous than previously thought for lifetime chronic exposure by an Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment conducted by the EPA. The 100-in-a-million excess cancer risk for a lifetime of continuous exposure to EtO is 0.02 µg/m3, or approximately 11 parts per trillion by volume (pptv).
AROMA-ETO has been deployed at multiple sites across the United States. Taking advantage of its ability to detect EtO at single digit pptv concentrations, EPA scientists have used the instrument to help improve current measurement methods and better understand ambient background concentrations of EtO. Due to previous analytical limitations (i.e. EPA Method TO-15), measuring ethylene oxide at relevant ambient concentrations has been challenging; however, this is an essential step to helping communities have a better understanding of their potential risk and also to reducing emissions to protect human health.
Entanglement Technologies’ ethylene oxide monitor, AROMA-ETO, is a high-performance thermal desorption, cavity ring-down spectroscopy (TD-CRDS) system that provides near-real time measurements of ethylene oxide at single digit part-per-trillion concentrations. AROMA-ETO can also provide analysis for other key volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including 1,3-butadiene, acrolein, methanol, and isopropanol in the same analytical method.
Contact us to learn more about the AROMA platform and follow us on Linkedin or subscribe to our newsletter for news and updates.
Using AROMA for Continuous Bioreactor Monitoring in North Carolina
Comments Off on Using AROMA for Continuous Bioreactor Monitoring in North CarolinaOur AROMA technology excels at real-time, continuous measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for process control in critical industries. Scientists at the Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center integrate AROMA-VOC into their small-scale yeast process to monitor methanol feed and volatile metabolites in bioreactors. The direct measurement of these VOCs allows the researchers to monitor cellular activity and gather data in real-time for development of automated process control. Such direct measurement eliminates potential contamination of the cell culture due to sampling, bypasses extensive offline analytical testing, and limits the waste of raw materials.
The Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) is located on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh, NC. BTEC provides educational and training opportunities to develop skilled professionals for the biomanufacturing industry. Its facilities feature industry-standard equipment and a simulated cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) pilot plant facility.
Entanglement Technologies continues to expand into new markets with their AROMA platform. Contact us to learn more about how AROMA can meet your VOC monitoring needs. We are committed to serving our customers in a variety of application areas.
Two States Add AROMA to Air Toxics Monitoring Toolbox
Comments Off on Two States Add AROMA to Air Toxics Monitoring ToolboxColorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) are adding our AROMA technology to their ambient air toxics monitoring capabilities. CARB, which already has one AROMA instrument, plans to use the second one to enhance its ability to monitor critical air toxics in California. CDPHE will use AROMA-VOC to support monitoring of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene(s) (BTEX) in ambient air near oil and gas activities.
AROMA-VOC is a sensitive, real-time analyzer capable of measuring several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as BTEX, 1,3-butadiene, and acrolein at part-per-trillion (pptv) concentrations. AROMA can also be outfitted with an additional capability to measure ethylene oxide at less than 10 pptv in ambient air. Contact us to learn more.
AROMA to Support Newly Funded EPA Air Monitoring Projects
Comments Off on AROMA to Support Newly Funded EPA Air Monitoring ProjectsOur AROMA technology will be supporting several newly funded air monitoring projects, which are part of the largest investment in community air monitoring in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) history. EPA announced last week that it will award $53 million to organizations in 37 states to fund more than a hundred community air monitoring projects. These projects were funded under the Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition, which was enabled by funds from the American Rescue Act ($20 million) and the Inflation Reduction Act ($30 million).
During the application process, Entanglement Technologies partnered with multiple organizations to monitor air toxics, also called hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Our AROMA instruments provide real-time, lab-quality, field and mobile measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), allowing our partners to fill critical capability gaps in air quality monitoring applications without requiring an expert operator. We look forward to supporting current and future community air monitoring projects with this new funding. We will highlight each funded project as it kicks off, but you can read more about all of the awarded projects here.
If you are interested in implementing AROMA technology in your community, please reach out to discuss a project!
Mobile monitoring with AROMA-ETO in Pittsburgh
Comments Off on Mobile monitoring with AROMA-ETO in PittsburghIn mid-October, the Presto Lab at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) will use AROMA-ETO for mobile monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the Pittsburgh, PA, area. The AROMA technology will be deployed in Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies Mobile Air Quality Lab, which houses several high-time-resolution and chemically specific pieces of equipment to identify emission sources. “We use the mobile laboratory to map both pollutant concentrations and impacts from specific emissions sources,” says Dr. Albert Presto, a Research Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies at CMU. “AROMA-ETO will allow us to better quantify sources of air toxics and other novel pollutants in Pittsburgh.” The Presto Lab also deploys low-cost sensors for long-term air quality monitoring with high spatial coverage of neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area.
AROMA-ETO is a high-performance chemical analyzer that provides near-real time measurements of ethylene oxide and other VOCs at part-per-trillion concentrations. The analyzer enables in-field, mobile, and long-term unattended VOC monitoring at the push of a button.
Contact us to learn more about how AROMA can meet your air quality monitoring needs.
AROMA-VOC Study in Italy
Comments Off on AROMA-VOC Study in ItalyWe are expanding our market presence in Europe. Previously, in April 2022, DCMR Rijnmond Environmental Service used AROMA-VOC for air quality monitoring of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene(s) (BTEX) emissions at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Now, AROMA-VOC is undergoing an independent instrument evaluation with AQUILA, the Air Quality Unit of the European Commission’s Joint Research Center, in Ispra, Italy. Sponsored by DCMR, the study will evaluate instrument accuracy, stability, and robustness to common atmospheric interferents.
AROMA-VOC provides real-time part-per-trillion chemical detection in ambient air and other complex, real-world sampling environments. The analyzer is particularly well-suited to air quality measurements where mobility and long-term stand-alone operation provide significant advantages over traditional sampling methodologies. AROMA-VOC provides a much faster response than low-resolution GC instruments while providing the sensitivity and selectivity of laboratory multi-column GC-MS systems. The AROMA family of instruments all share a simple interface that can be accessed from anywhere and that provides long-term autonomous intervention. The intrinsic stability of the cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) analyzer core minimizes maintenance and calibration requirements greatly reducing instrument operation overhead. Contact us today to learn more about how AROMA-VOC can enhance your ambient air monitoring capabilities.
Visit Us in Pittsburgh at the National Ambient Air Monitoring Conference
Comments Off on Visit Us in Pittsburgh at the National Ambient Air Monitoring ConferenceWe are exhibiting at the National Ambient Air Measurements Conference from August 23rd to August 25th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Stop by to talk with Senior Account Executive Aurelie Marcotte and Inside Sales Specialist Pedro Benavides about how AROMA can address a range of ambient air monitoring needs, including air toxics analysis, mobile monitoring, broad area surveys, long-term unattended stationary monitoring, and more. Don’t miss Aurelie speaking about Entanglement Technologies monitoring of ethylene oxide (ETO) in ambient air in California and Georgia using the AROMA-ETO on Wednesday, August 24th, at 2:20PM ET in Ballroom A. For the full agenda, please visit the conference site.
Mobile Monitoring with AROMA-ETO in Georgia
Comments Off on Mobile Monitoring with AROMA-ETO in GeorgiaEntanglement Technologies’ Aurelie Marcotte and Pedro Benavides were on the ground in the Atlanta area this week using AROMA-ETO to monitor ethylene oxide (EtO) in a minivan outfitted as a mobile lab. AROMA-ETO was co-located at a National Air Toxics Trend Station (NATTS) site managed by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD) during the month of July. On Tuesday, after uninstalling AROMA-ETO from the NATTS site, the instrument was reinstalled in a rental minivan to begin mobile operations. The mobile lab recorded near real-time measurements of EtO in communities, urban background settings, and near commercial sterilization facilities to better understand ambient levels of EtO.
AROMA-ETO collects lab quality data of ethylene oxide in the field below 10 parts-per-trillion detection limits. In addition to ethylene oxide, AROMA-ETO provides analysis for other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including 1,3-butadiene, acrolein, methanol, and isopropanol.
Contact us to learn more about how AROMA-ETO can convert any vehicle into a mobile air monitoring laboratory in less than an hour. No expertise required.
Florida International University Uses AROMA to Investigate Chemical Exposure After the Surfside Condominium Collapse
Comments Off on Florida International University Uses AROMA to Investigate Chemical Exposure After the Surfside Condominium CollapseDr. Lauryn DeGreeff, an associate professor at the Global Forensic and Justice Center of Florida International University, is currently using AROMA-VOC as part of an analysis of a variety of samples from the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. A specialist in the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by analytical instrumentation and canines, Dr. DeGreeff is undertaking the research with her graduate student, Michelle Karpinsky. They hope to better understand what search-and-rescue dogs and first responders were exposed to after the condominium collapse by analyzing water collected at the site, wipes from the dogs, and other specimens. They are using AROMA-VOC to analyze these samples in order to evaluate the deployment of AROMA for real-time characterization of chemical exposures in the event of an emergency. AROMA has been used to identify chemical leaks after hurricanes and to track emission events from industrial accidents (check out some of our Case Studies here). Reach out to talk more about how AROMA could help with emergency response and other air and water monitoring needs today.
