Advancements in the Detection and Monitoring of VOCs

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the ambient atmosphere. VOCs in the atmosphere can lead to dangerous levels of ozone, impacting human health and degrading ecosystems. Further, many VOCs are themselves considered highly toxic at parts-per-billion (ppb) and even parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels, potentially causing respiratory problems and contributing to elevated cancer risk in affected populations. More recently, the EPA has proposed more stringent fence line monitoring requirements for six critical air toxics: benzene, ethylene oxide, chloroprene, 1,3-butadiene, vinyl chloride, and ethylene dichloride.

 

In response to this growing need for high-performance, field-deployable VOC analyzers, Picarro has developed Broad Band Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (BB-CRDS), a laser-based technology that is capable of quantifying a wide variety of VOCs in real time (< 5 seconds) at ppb and ppt levels. This analyzer is capable of simultaneously measuring ten or more compounds, selected from our growing library of nearly 500 characterized species, which includes both VOCs and common inorganics like H₂O, CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and NH₃. It is simple to operate, and it can be deployed in harsh environments with little to no consumables. We demonstrate the design and performance of these analyzers, presenting substantial advancements for air quality management and regulatory compliance.