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Related Experiment Videos

Electrostatic sampler for semivolatile aerosols: chemical artifacts.

John Volckens1, David Leith

  • 1Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7431, USA. volckens@unc.edu

Environmental Science & Technology
|November 16, 2002
PubMed
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Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) can accurately measure persistent semivolatile compounds like alkanes and PAHs. However, ESPs are not suitable for reactive compounds due to ozone generation and ion irradiation.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Atmospheric Chemistry

Background:

  • Filter-based methods for semivolatile aerosol sampling are prone to adsorptive and evaporative artifacts.
  • Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) offer a potential alternative with reduced artifact susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate chemical artifacts introduced by electrostatic precipitation of semivolatile aerosols.
  • To compare ESPs with traditional filter-based methods for sampling alkanes, PAHs, and alkenes.

Main Methods:

  • Laboratory-based investigation comparing ESPs and filters for sampling particles and vapors.
  • Analysis of alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and alkenes across varying concentrations.
  • Gravimetric measurements to assess mass collection efficiency.

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Main Results:

  • Gravimetric measurements showed good correlation between ESPs and filters.
  • Ozone generated by the ESP corona caused alkene reactions in the gas phase.
  • Particles and vapors collected within the corona region were susceptible to chemical alteration by ions and ozone.

Conclusions:

  • ESPs are suitable for measuring persistent semivolatile compounds (alkanes, PAHs) and total organic carbon.
  • Chemical speciation of reactive compounds (e.g., alkenes) is not appropriate with ESPs due to artifact formation.
  • ESPs can be accurate for specific semivolatile aerosol sampling applications when artifact-prone compounds are not of primary interest.