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A German air monitoring and testing institute named UMEG has released
a final report detailing the performance of R&P's ChemComb
Model 3500 Speciation Sampling Cartridge and Partisol
Model 2300 Speciation Sampler. The work by the testing organization
involved both laboratory characterizations of the sampling equipment
as well as field measurements. In addition, the report's appendices
provide step-by-step procedures for the preparation and analysis
of the R&P honeycomb denuders for the collection of selective
gases from a sample stream of ambient air.
The final report is available through the links below in English
and German:
The document examines the suitability of ChemComb Cartridges for
the collection of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and
ammonia (NH3) from a sample stream of ambient air. The authors found
a high collection efficiency using a single honeycomb denuder for
24-hour average concentrations of up to 400 ug/m^3 for SO2, 200
ug/m^3 for NO2, and 100 ug/m^3 for NH3 without any measurable influence
from increasing relative humidity levels. For areas with NH3 concentrations
likely to exceed a 24-hour average of over 100 ug/m^3, a second
denuder is needed in the ChemComb Cartridge to ensure a high collection
efficiency.
The testing reveals that only a very small percentage of particulate
matter contained in the sample stream deposits on the system's honeycomb
denuders.
The testing program also analyzed the 24-hour mass concentration
average of particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter (PM-10)
using the ChemComb Cartridge's PM-10 inlet and filter-based reference
methods. When using a glass fiber filter, the Partisol Speciation
Sampler collected PM-10 samples that were generally well within
5 ug/m^3 of the results from co-located filter-based samplers.
One of the atmospheric gaseous pollutants that is difficult to quantify
is ammonia (NH3). Since there is no well-established reference method
for automatically measuring the ammonia concentration, the testing
institute assessed the performance of the ChemComb Cartridge by
operating two modules in parallel. The precision data for 24-hour
ammonia mass concentrations are as follows:
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Date
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Cartridge
1
[ug/m^3]
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Cartridge
2
[ug/m^3]
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15
Oct 2001
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3.7
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3.2
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19
Oct 2001
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4.4
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4.3
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22
Oct 2001
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3.0
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3.3
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23
Oct 2001
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2.2
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2.3
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24
Oct 2001
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2.0
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1.8
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29
Oct 2001
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2.0
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2.1
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31
Oct 2001
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2.2
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2.1
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2
Nov 2001
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4.8
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4.9
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6
Nov 2001
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1.8
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2.0
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UMEG is the Baden-Wuerttemberg Center for Environmental Measurement,
Environmental Data Collection and Product Safety. The institute
operates a number of environmental monitoring networks in southwestern
Germany, provides services in other areas in Germany, and is actively
involved in many European working groups concerning environmental
pollution.
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UMEG Reports on R&P Speciation Units 
