Catalytically Activated Monitor for Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

Widespread implementation of chlorinated volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions control technologies is anticipated for manufacturing plants and remediation of historical groundwater and soil contamination. To facilitate compliance monitoring and to improve cost-effectiveness of control technologies, a reliable, continuous CVOC monitor is essential. Current CVOC instruments do not meet this growing need for air toxic monitors. Such monitors must be inexpensive, continuous, capable of analyzing ppb level so CVOC's, robust, field usable, and capable of alarms, hardcopy compliance documentation, and signal processing for control systems. The Phase I research clearly demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of a continuous CVOC monitor meeting these requirements. The monitor exploits a unique CVOC oxidation catalyst to convert CVOC's exclusively to inorganic chlorine compounds, which in turn are measured by existing commercial instruments. Enhanced sensitivity arises from the favorable reaction stoichiometry, allowing measurements at ppb levels of CVOC's.