An autonomous remotely operated gas chromatograph for chemically resolved monitoring of atmospheric volatile organic compounds

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dc.contributor.authorMcGlynn, Deborah F.en
dc.contributor.authorPanji, Namrata Shanmukhen
dc.contributor.authorFrazier, Grahamen
dc.contributor.authorBi, Chenyangen
dc.contributor.authorIsaacman-VanWertz, Gabrielen
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-06T17:27:06Zen
dc.date.available2023-04-06T17:27:06Zen
dc.date.issued2023-01en
dc.description.abstractVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) range in their reaction rates with atmospheric oxidants by several orders of magnitude. Therefore, studying their atmospheric concentrations across seasons and years requires isomer resolution to fully understand their impact on oxidant budgets and secondary organic aerosol formation. An automated gas chromatograph/flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was developed for hourly sampling and analysis of C-5-C-15 hydrocarbons at remote locations. Samples are collected on an air-cooled multibed adsorbent trap for preconcentration of hydrocarbons in the target volatility range, specifically designed to minimize dead volume and enable rapid heating and sample flushing. Instrument control uses custom electronics designed to allow flexible autonomous operation at moderate cost, with automated data transfer and processing. The instrument has been deployed for over two years with samples collected mid-canopy from the Virginia Forest Laboratory located in the Pace research forest in central Virginia. We present here the design of the instrument itself, control electronics, and calibration and data analysis approaches to facilitate the development of similar systems by the atmospheric chemistry community. Detection limits of all species are in the range of a few to tens of ppt and the instrument is suitable for detection of a wide range of biogenic, lightly oxygenated, and anthropogenic (predominantly hydrocarbon) compounds. Data from calibrations are examined to provide understanding of instrument stability and quantify uncertainty. In this work, we present challenges and recommendations for future deployments, as well as suggested adaptions to decrease required maintenance and increase instrument up-time. The presented design is particularly suitable for long-term and remote deployment campaigns where access, maintenance, and transport of materials are difficult.en
dc.description.notesThis research was funded by the National Science Foundation (AGS 2046367, as well as collaborative grants AGS 1837882 and AGS 1837891). Tower maintenance and operation were supported in part by the Pace Endowment. Deborah F. McGlynn is supported in part by Virginia Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowships.en
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation; Pace Endowment; Virginia Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowships; [AGS 2046367]; [AGS 1837882]; [AGS 1837891]en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1039/d2ea00079ben
dc.identifier.eissn2634-3606en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/114353en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherRoyal Society Chemistryen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/en
dc.subjectMass-spectrometryen
dc.subjectinstrumenten
dc.subjectemissionsen
dc.subjectaerosolen
dc.subjectsystemen
dc.subjectfluxesen
dc.subjectsesquiterpenesen
dc.subjectquantificationen
dc.subjecthydrocarbonsen
dc.subjectoxidationen
dc.titleAn autonomous remotely operated gas chromatograph for chemically resolved monitoring of atmospheric volatile organic compoundsen
dc.title.serialEnvironmental Science-Atmospheresen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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