The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is adding AROMA-VOC to their monitoring capabilities for air toxics. AROMA-VOC is a sensitive, real-time volatile organic compound (VOC) analyzer capable of measuring critical air toxics such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene(s) (BTEX) at part-per-trillion concentrations in ambient air. AROMA-VOC can also be outfitted with the additional capability to measure ethylene oxide at less than 10 pptv in ambient air. Learn more about AROMA-VOC.
Over the last two years, Benjamin Bratten, a high school senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, has been working to study sewer pipe leakage and cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) emissions. He has had a “secret weapon” on his side: AROMA-VOC.
Bratten works with Dr. Kelly Pennell and her lab at the University of Kentucky, where they have access to cutting-edge research tools including AROMA-VOC. “Working with high school students often emphasizes the best parts of research,” Dr. Pennell says. “For example, they authentically embrace the unknown, show up with curiosity, and normalize asking questions about big and little things.”
In Bratten’s study, there are three parts. First, he learned how to use and calibrate the AROMA instrument, working with postdoctoral researcher Dr. Nader Rezaei. “AROMA is easier to use than traditional analytical techniques, such as GC-MS, and it is very accurate,” Dr. Rezaei says.
In the second part of the study, Bratten worked with second-year graduate student Herman Tay to develop a model sewer pipe apparatus with an interchangeable connector to analyze leak rates of various sewer pipe connectors. They then used AROMA-VOC to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were flushed through the apparatus, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene(s), trichloroethylene, 1,3-butadiene, styrene, isoprene, and 1,2-dichloroethylene.
The third part of Ben’s research, developing a method to measure emissions from CIPPs, is still in progress. As Bratten explains: “CIPP emissions are currently measured by PIDs or GC. I think that AROMA would have a lot of advantages over these techniques in the field.”
Bratten presented his work in a poster at the senior symposium for the Math, Science, and Technology Center at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (as pictured above). Dr. Pennell shared a picture from the symposium, reflecting: “Ben [Bratten] always seemed excited to hang out in the lab, learn something new, and work together with us to investigate solutions to big problems. We are going to miss him.” Bratten will be attending Texas A&M University in the fall of 2022 and plans to major in chemistry.
Entanglement Technologies is exhibiting at the 2022 Air Sensors International Conference in Pasadena, CA from May 10th – 13th.
Entanglement Technologies is continuously working to meet the critical and changing needs of the air monitoring community. Last year, we released AROMA-ETO, which can detect single digit part-per-trillion concentrations of ethylene oxide in ambient air. Please visit our poster, “AROMA-ETO: Part-Per-Trillion Sensitive, Realtime Ethylene Oxide Measurements in Ambient Air,” to learn more!
Senior Account Executive Aurelie Marcotte will be available throughout the conference at the Entanglement Technologies Exhibit Booth (#55) at the Pasadena Convention Center. Stop by to hear about how AROMA technology can enhance your air quality measurements.
Colorado State University is adding AROMA-VOC to its mobile monitoring capabilities this spring. As part of the Health Effects Institute Energy Research Program, Dr. Jeffrey Collett Jr. and his team will use AROMA-VOC in their project entitled “Measuring and Modeling Air Pollution and Noise Exposure Near Unconventional Oil and Gas Development in Colorado.” This work aims to assess potential links between short- and long-term community exposure to emissions from unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) processes throughout the UOGD lifecycle and is part of a collaborative effort called Tracking Community Exposures and Releases. AROMA-VOC was previously used by the Collett Research Group in the summer of 2021 to investigate emissions from the Permian Basin. Dr. Collett is a professor and head of the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU, where he and his team specialize in field measurements of unconventional sources of air pollution and their impacts.Read more about the Collett Research Group and Health Effects Institute Energy Research Program.
This month, AROMA-VOC crossed the Atlantic Ocean! Traveling more than 5,470 miles, or 8,800 kilometers, the instrument will study BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) emissions in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe and is home to several oil refineries, refinery terminals, power plants, tank storage, and many other operations. DCMR Rijnmond Environmental Service is a joint environmental organization servicing South Holland and municipalities in the Rijnmond Region. They are responsible for emissions monitoring and drafting environmental regulations in the region, as well as ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. AROMA-VOC will be used for mobile monitoring in the port area and for a short-term fixed site deployment.
At the AWMA Air Measurement Methods and Technology Conference in San Diego on March 8-9, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that AROMA instruments are capable of measuring ethylene oxide below 0.011 ppbv (0.02 µg/m3). This concentration is associated with a 100-in-a-million cancer risk for a lifetime of continuous exposure to ethylene oxide. They obtained these results during an intercomparison study evaluating a variety of instruments to measure ethylene oxide under controlled and relevant atmospheric conditions. AROMA showed unparalleled sensitivity, stability, precision, and accuracy of ethylene oxide measurements under a range of atmospheric conditions including high and low relative humidity, gas and particle interferences, and at varying concentrations.
Reference: A. Gitipour, I. George, T. Yelverton, M. Lewandowski, E. Thoma, K. Loftis, and G. Queiro. Intercomparison of Ethylene Oxide Measurement Methods Under Controlled and Relevant Atmospheric Conditions. Presentation at the AWMA Air Measurement Methods and Technology Conference in San Diego, CA. 9 March 2022.
Entanglement Technologies is exhibiting and presenting at the 2022 Air Quality Measurement Methods and Technology Conference in San Diego, CA, March 8-9.
We are constantly working to meet the critical needs of the air monitoring community. Last year, we released AROMA-ETO, which can detect single digit part-per-trillion concentrations of ethylene oxide in ambient air. At 2PM PST on Wednesday, March 9, Entanglement Technologies CEO Tony Miller will highlight our recent advances in ethylene oxide measurements during his talk titled “AROMA-ETO Part Per Trillion Sensitive, Realtime Ethylene Oxide Measurements in Ambient Air.” In the same session, at 4:35 PM PST, the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development will present on the “Intercomparison of Ethylene Oxide Measurement Methods Under Controlled and Relevant Atmospheric Conditions,” providing necessary insights on strategies for monitoring ethylene oxide in the ambient environment.
New techniques to detect and monitor per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in environmental matrices is also a prominent current focus for environmental agencies. To address a growing need for monitoring PFAS in ambient air, Dr. Miller will be presenting on our recent development efforts in this space. Check out his talk on Wednesday, March 9, at 9:20AM PST titled “Development of a Thermal Desorption Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy Analyzer to Detect PFAS Compounds in Ambient Air.”
Senior Account Executive Aurelie Marcotte will be available throughout the conference at the Entanglement Technologies Exhibit Booth (#18) in the Westin San Diego Emerald Ballroom. Stop by to see one of our AROMA instruments and learn more about how AROMA can enhance your air quality measurements.
A large area survey undertaken in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence was published this week in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This work was a collaboration between Entanglement Technologies, Texas A&M University and North Carolina State University. AROMA-VOC was used to monitor air toxics in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina. An AROMA-VOC measured benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene(s) (BTEX) along eastern North Carolina roadways during three sampling campaigns (0-8 months post-hurricane; 2018 September, 2019 January, and 2019 May) to study the spatial and temporal impacts of the hurricane on air toxics. The work found that benzene and PM2.5 routinely exceeded ambient air criteria and that these pollutants may be affected by flood-related disasters.
Read more in the journal here.
Learn more about our AROMA-VOC chemical vapor analyzer here.
Citation: Bhandari, S.; Casillas, G.; Aly, N.A.; Zhu, R.; Newman, G.; Wright, F.A.; Miller, A.; Adler, G.; Rusyn, I.; Chiu, W.A. Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Impacts of Hurricane Florence on Criteria Air Pollutants and Air Toxics in Eastern North Carolina. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 1757. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031757
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a competitive grant opportunity to increase air quality monitoring capabilities in underserved communities and to promote partnerships between government and community organizations. This funding opportunity, called the Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities (RFA#: EPA-OAR-OAQPS-22-01), encourages state, local, and tribal governments as well as private and public non-profits and community groups to apply. The assistance program was created through the American Rescue Plan to reduce pollution in underserved communities and to support communities that need better information about air quality in their neighborhoods. Approximately 50-70 grants ranging in value from $25,000 to $100,000 (20-30 “small” grants) and $100,001 to $500,000 (30-40 “large” grants) will be awarded for a total of $20 Million available.
Entanglement Technologies is an ideal partner for this grant opportunity. Our AROMA analyzers are designed for community monitoring of air toxics, also called hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). AROMA analyzers provide real-time, lab-quality, field and mobile VOC measurements, allowing our partners to fill critical capability gaps in air quality monitoring applications without requiring an expert operator. Our ethylene oxide analyzer, AROMA-ETO, is uniquely capable of performing field analysis of ambient air single digit part-per-trillion concentrations, which is below the cancer risk level.
Partner with Entanglement to protect your community. Contact us at info@entanglementtech.com. The deadline to apply for this EPA grant is February 25th, 2022.
Harris County Pollution Control Services in the Houston, Texas, area unveiled their new mobile monitoring unit called the rapid ambient air monitoring or RAAM. The RAAM is outfitted with Entanglement Technologies’ AROMA-TOX, a real-time chemical analyzer to provide critical in-field data on some of the most hazardous chemicals frequently used in the petrochemical industry. These chemicals include hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) such as benzene, hydrogen sulfide, 1,3-butadiene, and hydrogen cyanide. With this new mobile unit, Harris County Pollution Control Services will be able to respond to industrial leaks and accidents effectively and rapidly, further increasing its ability to protect the surrounding communities.
Learn more in this story about RAAM on Houston Public Radio.