SBIR Phase I: Design and Development of a Comprehensive Instrument for Measurement of Aerosol Size and Elemental Composition

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to enhance and fuse the best of several technologies to achieve a highly sensitive and flexible measurement system for both size and composition of particulate matter (PM). If successful, this research will establish the feasibility of a device that will sample aerosol particles at ambient pressure, size particles using light scattering, and measure particles using a laser-initiated plasma. The envisioned system will overcome the problems with variability and uncertainty associated with aerosol measurements by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The goal is to provide highly accurate measurements of both coarse and fine PM as a continuous emission monitor (CEM) for stack and/or ambient monitoring. The longer term commercial goal is a rugged, low maintenance device with a significant cost reduction over currently available real-time systems. The broader/commercial impact of this project, if successful, is the availability of a tool that will address an immediate need to continuously monitor metal emissions from municipal solid waste and hazardous waste combustion facilities, while quantifying speciated coarse and fine PM, important for future EPA regulations. Such a tool will enable research in support of EPA regulations for more stringent emission control. Furthermore, the tool can also be a CEM used for enforcement as well as process control in hazardous waste treatment, power generation, and other industrial applications.