Moving Beyond Conventional Methods for High-Tech Water and Air Monitoring
Comments Off on Moving Beyond Conventional Methods for High-Tech Water and Air MonitoringLearn about what makes our AROMA technology an important tool in measuring toxic chemicals in air and water in this video that features Dr. Aurelie Marcotte, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Entanglement Technologies. Marcotte discussed the international landscape for environmental monitoring while attending WWEM/AQE in Birmingham, UK, in October 2025. Read more here.
Air Quality Mapping in Sacramento with a Research-Grade Mobile Platform
Comments Off on Air Quality Mapping in Sacramento with a Research-Grade Mobile PlatformEntanglement partnered with the University of California, Davis, and Sonoma Technology to develop and research-grade mobile platform. Funded by SMAQMD and the City of Sacramento, the project used an innovative mobile air monitoring study to map neighborhood-scale air pollution levels across several disproportionately impacted communities in Sacramento.
AROMA in the Field: Mobile Monitoring with PSE
Comments Off on AROMA in the Field: Mobile Monitoring with PSE“Being mobile allowed us to see how air pollution was moving and better assess risk.” – PSE Air Quality Field Technician and Analyst Nicole Lucha
We love seeing our AROMA tech featured in a new blog post from PSE Health Energy. As described in teh post, a team of researchers in California used AROMA to measure emissions volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to be harmful to people, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. Read the full post here.
And learn more about our work with PSE health Energy in this Q&A with Dr. Eric Lebel, whose work has looked at emissions from indoor stoves.
AROMA Showcased at Water and Air Quality Conferences
Comments Off on AROMA Showcased at Water and Air Quality ConferencesEntanglement Technologies will showcase the cutting-edge AROMA analyzer alongside the latest advancements in air and water quality monitoring at the 2024 Air Quality and Emissions (AQE) and Water, Wastewater, and Environmental Monitoring (WWEM) Conferences. Held in Birmingham, UK, on October 9th and 10th, this event brings together leading experts in the environmental sector.
Our VP of Sales and Business Development, Dr. Aurelie Marcotte, will be presenting on two groundbreaking topics that highlight our industry-leading technology:
AQE Show
- Presentation: “Field and Mobile Measurements of Air Toxics Using Thermal Desorption, Broadband Cavity Ring-down Spectroscopy”
- Session: Novel Technologies
- Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024
- Time: 14:55
WWEM Show
- Presentation: “Real-Time Detection of VOCs in RO-Based Potable Reuse”
- Session: Monitoring Innovations
- Date: Thursday, October 10, 2024
- Time: 12:45
Don’t forget to vote here for “Entanglement Technologies, Inc. – AROMA Analyzer” in the Air and Emissions Monitoring – Most Innovative Instrument Product or Digital Solution Category.
Visit Aurelie at Stand G13 or schedule a meeting ahead of time by emailing her at amarcotte@entanglementtech.com and discover how our advanced solutions can drive impactful change in environmental monitoring. We look forward to seeing you in Birmingham!
CDPHE and CARB Expand Air Toxics Monitoring
Comments Off on CDPHE and CARB Expand Air Toxics MonitoringThe Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are adding AROMA instruments to their toolkit, to advance their air toxics monitoring programs.
CARB, already equipped with two AROMA instruments, is investing in two more to further bolster its ability to monitor critical air toxics throughout California. This move signifies CARB’s commitment to maintaining and improving air quality standards across the state.
In Colorado, CDPHE is expanding its air toxics monitoring capabilities with the acquisition of three additional AROMA-TOX systems. These new units will play a crucial role in CDPHE’s growing Air Toxics and Ozone Precursor Section by measuring BTEX, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), ethylene oxide (EtO), and other VOCs. This purchase marks CDPHE’s fourth investment in AROMA technology.
Entanglement Technologies’ AROMA-TOX is a state-of-the-art thermal desorption, cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) analyzer. It features an innovative dual-laser system design that measures methane, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, H2S, HCN, and other small molecules at part-per-billion concentrations in real time. In lab-scan mode, the analyzer uses thermal desorption before CRDS analysis to reach lower detection limits. AROMA-TOX can detect benzene down to 2pptv in just 8 minutes.
We are proud to support CARB, CDPHE, and other agencies in their efforts to identify and control hazardous air pollutants and we are committed to helping organizations meet their regulatory requirements.
Advanced air quality monitoring tools, AROMA technology enable regulatory agencies to detect and quantify various air pollutants to better understand the environment and protect their communities.
Contact us to learn more about AROMA-TOX and other AROMA instruments. We look forward to connecting and learning about your projects.
Louisiana DEQ Enhances Air Quality Monitoring with AROMA-ETO
Comments Off on Louisiana DEQ Enhances Air Quality Monitoring with AROMA-ETOThe Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is enhancing its air quality monitoring capabilities by incorporating several AROMA-ETO analyzers into their air monitoring network. LDEQ will integrate and deploy AROMA-ETO analyzers into both their ambient air monitoring network and their Mobile Air Monitoring Lab (MAML) for monitoring of ethylene oxide and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
By leveraging Entanglement Technologies’ advanced AROMA-ETO analyzers, Louisiana DEQ is taking a significant step towards safeguarding public health and ensuring cleaner air for its residents. This initiative deepens the department’s commitment to utilizing cutting-edge technology to address environmental concerns and enhance the quality of life in Louisiana.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to support environmental agencies and organizations in their mission to monitor and improve air quality across the nation.
New Team Members to Continue Building AROMA Capabilities
Comments Off on New Team Members to Continue Building AROMA CapabilitiesTaking the AROMA technology to new research areas, industries, and applications requires a robust team of scientists, technicians, and specialists. That’s why this summer we have supersized our team, adding several new members, including a Field Scientist, Procurement and Manufacturing Specialist, and two interns.
Joining as a Field Scientist, Tanouir Aloui, Ph.D., brings to Entanglement a wealth of experience working with analytical instruments on projects ranging from nanoscale research to large-scale instrumentation. She has a PhD from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, where she focused on integrating new technologies for use in space flight mission mass spectrometers.
As a Procurement and Manufacturing Specialist at Entanglement, Jake Sweeney brings with him 30 years of experience in the automotive industry as an expert in supply chain and parts management systems. Jake also brings with him expertise in manufacturing, customer experience, and management.
We are also pleased to welcome our two interns, Daniyal Qazi and Natalia Tuchman. Qazi, a rising junior at Duke double majoring in electrical and computer engineering and math, is working on creating a new RF signal chain to improve the frequency range of Entaglement’s platform’s laser. Tuchman is a sophomore at Columbia College from Palo Alto, California, studying chemistry on the pre-med track and actively involved in Columbia’s Systems Biological Initiative.
Learn more about our new team members.
AROMA Advancements to be Showcased at Upcoming Environmental Monitoring Conferences
Comments Off on AROMA Advancements to be Showcased at Upcoming Environmental Monitoring ConferencesThe cutting-edge AROMA instruments continue to break new ground in air quality and water quality monitoring, as will be showcased at two upcoming environmental monitoring conferences
On August 5th to 9th at the Environmental Measurement Symposium in Garden Grove, CA, Director of Sales and Business Development Dr. Aurelie Marcotte will present AROMA results from volatile organic compound (VOCs) monitoring in air and water matrices.
Mark your calendars for our presentations and stop by our booth #46 to speak with Dr. Marcotte.
Monday, August 5 @ 10:30 AM:
Field and Mobile Measurements of Air Toxics using TD-CRDS
Tuesday, August 6 @ 3:30 PM
Innovative New Technology Showcase
Wednesday, August 7 @ 3:30 PM
Real-time Detection of VOCs in RO-based Potable Reuse
The following week, on August 12th to 15th, we will be participating in the 2024 National Ambient Air Monitoring Conference in New Orleans, LA! In addition to being a conference sponsor, we will be exhibiting in Booth #311, participating in the Community Monitoring Showcase, and presenting on air toxics monitoring with AROMA. Check out our schedule of events and be sure to connect with Dr. Marcotte and our Inside Sales Specialist Pedro Benavides.
Monday, August 12 @ 3:30 PM
Community Monitoring Showcase
We will highlight the use of Entanglement Technologies’ AROMA instrument in community air quality monitoring. This includes our own projects, as well as those by consultants, air quality agencies, non-profits, and community groups.
Wednesday, August 14 @ 3:40PM
Application of Thermal Desorption Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy to Address Recent Air Toxics Regulations
We can’t wait to see you at these upcoming shows and to share our latest advancements!
Entanglement Technologies Participates in International Water Research
Comments Off on Entanglement Technologies Participates in International Water ResearchIn addition to their best-in-class performance for air quality monitoring, AROMA instruments excel in detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in water systems. These capabilities are giving Entanglement Technologies new opportunities in water quality analysis through collaboration on grant funded research with leaders in the field and participation in several major international water conferences this year.
Water scarcity is an increasing problem. Potable water reuse is becoming a necessary framework to address climate change, drought, and growing populations, but it requires effective treatment technologies and stringent monitoring for chemical and biological constituents of concern.
To meet this need, Entanglement Technologies joined principal investigator Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), as well as Hach Company, Colorado School of Mines and Orange County Water District (OCWD), as recipients of a grant from the Water Research Foundation (WRF) last year. This work is using AROMA as a real-time analyzer to detect specific VOCs at low detection limits (ppb/ppt) prior to and after wastewater treatment processes such as reverse-osmosis (RO) (Project #5210). The project is entering its third and final phase in which it will be installed at OCWD’s Groundwater Replenishment System to verify the analyzers long-term performance at full-scale, capturing actual and reoccurring spikes for several months.
In March, several of the WRF project team members, including Director of Sales and Business Development, Dr. Aurelie Marcotte, attended the 2024 WateReuse Symposium in Denver, CO. Dr. Marcotte presented a poster highlighting the analytical method developed for the WRF Project #5210, using an AROMA analyzer. Dr. Eric Dickenson from SNWA also had a platform presentation showing some preliminary results from the project including data from the analysis of RO feed and permeate samples from participating utilities.
In June, Entanglement Technologies’ CEO, Dr. Anthony Miller, will be attending Singapore International Water Week. Dr. Miller will be speaking about Entanglement Technologies’ AROMA analyzer for online analysis of VOCs in water streams at the TechXchange on June 18th. On June 21st, Dr. Dickenson will be presenting on an WRF project, which includes data from a side-by-side study of AROMA measurements with third-party laboratory analysis, as well as RO-rejection of target VOCs.
Learn more about AROMA analyzers for water analysis or contact us to talk about a customized VOC monitoring solution to meet the needs of your project.
A Decade of Developing Sensors to Characterize Air Pollutants
Comments Off on A Decade of Developing Sensors to Characterize Air PollutantsQ&A with Da Pan, PhD, Colorado State University
Growing up on the southeastern coast of China, Da Pan did not see severe air pollution until he was an undergraduate student in Beijing at Peking University. At the time, the air quality in Beijing was poor and inspired Pan to pursue atmospheric science.
Pan would go on to attend graduate school work in the United States at Princeton University. Working in an environmental engineering lab developing sensors for better measuring air pollution, he would return to China to study the air quality there. Now a research scientist in the Collett lab at Colorado State University, Pan is pioneering the use of multiple mobile sensors in characterizing the emissions from unconventional oil and gas development in Colorado. Part of a project with the Health Effects Institute, his team has several high-tech tools on their side, including AROMA-VOC.
We spoke with Pan about his early work in mobile monitoring in China, his work with AROMA in Colorado now, and what he sees as the future of air quality sensors.
ET: Tell us a bit about your early mobile montining work that took you back to China.
Pan: After I joined the environmental engineering group at Princeton, one of the things I did was bring our air quality sensor to China to measure methane emissions from natural gas vehicles. It was 2014, and we saw these huge plumes on the streets, and we didn’t know where they were coming from; the emissions were 16 times higher for passenger vehicles than what we saw in the US and Europe. The buses there said they were using “green energy” with natural gas. We measured methane there of about 10 ppm, against a background level around 2 ppm. That’s how I got started with mobile measurements.
It’s important because methane is a really potent greenhouse gas. So, switching from conventional vehicles to natural gas without controlling methane emissions is actually pretty bad for the climate.
ET: But doesn’t natural gas emit less carbon dioxide, which is a good thing?
Pan: It’s complicated because it comes down to whether you can prevent methane leaking from natural gas. Natural gas does emit about 10 to 20% less CO₂, which is good. And it emits lower SO₂ and NOx, which are precursors for PM2.5 and ozone. So in that sense, if everything goes perfectly and you can control methane leakage and remove methane from the exhaust, then it is better for the climate and for air quality; that is why in China, the central government was pushing for wider adoption of natural gas.
What we found was that because of a certain type of engine they were using in China that was better for fuel economy, the exhaust control system was not working as it should. Lots of methane was not being removed from the exhaust, with around 2% leakage. There are technologies that solve this, and in our paper [published in Nature Communications], we made some recommendations, including for new emissions standards. If there were a strictly implemented new emission standard, it would save emissions equivalent to about 12 million gasoline vehicles from China. So, that’s a huge amount of greenhouse gas that we can reduce just by implementing a strict emission standard.
The project with the Health Effects Institute-Energy is jointly funded by EPA, local agencies, and also industrial partners, to figure out what process is actually contributing to the air toxics from different drilling operations, looking at the full lifecycle of a well pad. … Currently, there is no such knowledge on what’s being emitted and by what processes.
ET: Now you are working to understand emissions from oil and gas development in Colorado… Why is that important?
Pan: Now that the US is doing unconventional oil and gas development, the technology is different and comes with different risks for emissions. It can take longer to drill and is in new locations, often in residential, community spaces. People are concerned about air toxics emitted from well pads. And the oil and gas operators are also concerned, as they want to be able to continue to drill while complying with current and expected regulations. The project with the Health Effects Institute-Energy is jointly funded by EPA, local agencies, and also industrial partners, to figure out what process is actually contributing to the air toxics from different drilling operations, looking at the full lifecycle of a well pad. This will allow local agencies and the operators to use best practices to limit toxic emissions. Currently, there is no such knowledge on what’s being emitted and by what processes.
The first phase is to measure the emissions. The next stage for this project is to develop a model for the emissions that government agencies and operators can use to basically estimate how much they are emitting. Eventually, this information will be made publicly available.
ET: What kinds of sensors are you using for this work?
Pan: We have a mobile lab (pictured above), which is a SUV outfitted with: GPS, to know where the plume is coming from; a sonic anemometer, to measure wind; an photoionization detector (PID); and AROMA. The PID is sensitive to multiple species but does not give out speciated results, only total VOC amounts. It cannot give you a benzene concentration, for example, so it’s very different from AROMA-VOC. So we use the PID to see where the plume is and AROMA to give us the detailed aromatics data. We also have a LI-COR sensor for measuring CO2 and methane, and we have canisters that we use to collect air samples when plumes are detected, which we then analyze back in our lab with gas chromatography. We use multiple sensors to take advantage of their unique characteristics.
ET: How do the AROMA results compare to the in-lab analysis you do from the canisters?
Pan: We’ve done several comparisons, and so far, it looks like AROMA is doing a pretty good job. For example (see figure above), we looked at emissions from a well pad that’s been drilled and we wanted to see the resulting emissions. We drove around and could see the plume via the PID, then we stopped and collected the air for analysis in canisters, while AROMA was measuring. We looked at methane, alkanes, and aromatics. In the graph above, the red stars are what we see from the canister, which matched what we see from AROMA.
People will come up to us and ask what we’re doing, because the mobile lab looks like something out of “Ghostbusters,” or they think it’s a Google street car.
ET: How have the local communities in Colorado been responding to this work and your mobile lab?
Pan: People will come up to us and ask what we’re doing, because the mobile lab looks like something out of “Ghostbusters,” or they think it’s a Google street car. We tell them we were here to monitor a well pad, and then they will often wonder if there’s bad stuff being emitted because sometimes they smell something. But one thing that people often don’t realize is sometimes when you smell something, it doesn’t mean it’s bad for your house. But sometimes when you don’t smell something, there could be invisible toxics present, like benzene. So we try to explain that we are using fancy sensors to measure what’s really happening and try to prevent anything bad from being emitted in the future. We get mixed feedback, as some people are more supportive of development in the area than others. We also share some concerns we receive with local agencies.
ET: Now that you have been working on air quality sensors for about a decade, what trends have you seen in the field?
Pan: Increasingly, scientists and industries are transitioning from laboratory-based technology to more portable instruments. For example, before AROMA, we would use GC [gas chromatographs], but those are pretty heavy and require a trailer that can be hard to maintain and operate in the field. Also, the power consumption is probably 100 times higher than AROMA. So, we and others are moving toward field-based sensors that are more portable and can be powered by battery easily.
The other trend is toward optical-based sensors, which relates to power consumption and portability, but is also much less expensive. Things are definitely improving quite a lot compared to 10 years ago.
ET: What do you see as the future in this technology space?
Pan: I’m really interested in combining mobile sensors with UAVs. Right now, we have to check weather conditions before measuring a plume and the plume needs to be low to the ground to see it, as we can only see 2 meters above ground. But if we can put a sensor on a UAV, we could then sense what’s in the air and potentially follow the plume. It might be possible to put up a reflector that will direct the laser beam from lasers similar to the ones in the AROMA to be able to measure the column concentrations of VOCs. That’s something I think would be really exciting in the future. Even though we are in the early phases with drone technology, I think there are a lot of possibilities.
For more information, please contact us.