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A Diffusive Sampler for Passive Monitoring of Underground Storage Tanks
Author(s) -
Karp Kenneth E.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
groundwater monitoring and remediation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-6592
pISSN - 1069-3629
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6592.1993.tb00426.x
Subject(s) - sorbent , vadose zone , sampling (signal processing) , environmental science , contamination , environmental chemistry , gas chromatography , volatile organic compound , chemistry , waste management , chromatography , soil science , soil water , detector , adsorption , ecology , organic chemistry , biology , electrical engineering , engineering
Passive measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) provide a method for early detection and long‐term monitoring of potential leaks from underground storage tanks (USTs) and associated fuel service lines. A diffusive sampler was constructed of a sorbent tube that fits inside a specially designed sampling chamber. VOCs in the soil enter the chamber by molecular diffusion and are collected by the sorbent. The sorbent is easily retrieved for laboratory analyses by thermally desorbing into a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS), or qualitative concentrations can be determined directly in the field with specific‐indicator detectors. The diffusive samplers were evaluated in an exposure chamber under controlled conditions. Laboratory measurements of the sorbed mass of organic vapor were found to be in close agreement with theoretical values and indicate the passive sampling approach is viable for detecting relatively low concentrations of organic vapors in the vadose zone over a one‐day sampling period, as well as providing relatively long‐term monitoring periods up to 58 days. A field test found the sampling approach successful in identifying an area where the vadose zone was contaminated by leaking petroleum USTs.