Incinerators emissions - dioxins and furans: who knows any portable device for measuring these 1

[jenchem]

how are these chemicals measured from incinerator emissions? Any ideas?

 

[DRWeig]

I was thinking chromatograph, but I have never attempted this before.

-- see attached.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

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[siretb]

There are no portable devices. You have to comply with the "FULL" protocol, that is, pump a given volume of gas into a cartrige containing an adsorbent, after filtration , at a given temperature. In Europe refer to EN 1948 1; If you do not want to do that, then the only reasonable thing is to quickly determine the amount of a surrogate; could be CO -but this is risky-
Other (better) surrogates may be determined by GC-MS methods.
At any rate a calibration is needed , if you want to use surrogates, against the "FULL", standart, referenced method,
The reason is that the relationship between the surrogate and the dioxins is plant-dependant.


In incinerators we use either the "FULL" (EN 1948 in Europe, I think EPA 1613 in USA)", refrence method (3 to 6 hours sampling) + analysis in a lab , using High resolution GC + MS
or semi continous (2 to 4 weeks sampling, then analysis of the cartrige in a lab (high res GV + MS)

Again this is risky. I have followed this topic closely, and, to the best of my knowledge, all attemps to find a simple & cheap way to get at the dioxins have failed, or at least have failed to be of a broad enough usage.

 

[TexasCHe]

The previous reply goes into pretty good detail. There may be options depending on what you are trying to accomplish by collecting the data.

The US EPA publication AP-42 has published factors that can be used if you need some type of estimate.

US EPA has test methods used to collect complianec-level data. I cannot recall the specific method we use to use but it is not cheap. It's work that a satck sampling company would pretty much have to do if you intend to submit the data to regulatory agencies.

Potentially . . . potentially you could rent a Summa canister from a lab or sampling company and collect the sample for them to analyze. A Summa canister is basically a highly-polished stainless steel evacuated canister that pulls in sample either until the valve is closed or the vaccum is gone. Too high a concentration and you probably bought the $1,000 can and too low and you will not detect anything. The sample is run on a GC-MS back at the lab.