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Title: Breakthrough of 1,3-dichloropropene and chloropicrin from 600 mg XAD-4 air sampling tubes

Author
item ASHWORTH, DANIEL - University Of California
item Yates, Scott

Submitted to: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2016
Publication Date: 4/1/2016
Citation: Ashworth, D.J., Yates, S.R. 2016. Breakthrough of 1,3-dichloropropene and chloropicrin from 600 mg XAD-4 air sampling tubes. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 227(4):127. doi: 10.1007/s11270-016-2814-2.

Interpretive Summary: The use of soil fumigants enables the production of many high-value specialty crops, such as strawberries and carrots. However, soil fumigants are easily lost to the atmosphere after application where they negatively impact regional air quality. New strategies for reducing emission are needed to protect environmental resources. In order to develop new emission-reduction methods, accurate sampling of the air for the presence of soil fumigant chemicals is required. Typically, a sorbent material enclosed in a glass tube is used to trap these chemicals and the air stream is pumped through the material at a given flow rate and for a given time. In this study we determined the conditions and sampling times that effectively captures two commonly-used agricultural fumigants (chloropicrin and 1,3-dichloropropene) during sampling. We found that a maximum flow rate of 200 mL min-1, and sampling times up to 4 h could be used without significant losses from fumigant breakthrough (i.e., fumigants exiting the sampling tube). The information is essential for those interested in sampling fumigants in air and useful to those interested in establishing effective air quality monitoring programs following fumigation events.

Technical Abstract: Accurately measuring air concentrations of agricultural fumigants is important for the regulation of air quality. Understanding the conditions under which sorbent tubes can effectively retain such fumigants during sampling is critical in mitigating chemical breakthrough from the tubes and facilitating accurate concentration measurements. Using laboratory studies, we studied the effects of air flow rate (100–1000 mL min-1) and sampling time (2–16 h) on the breakthrough of co-applied chloropicrin (CP) and 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) from 600 mg XAD-4 sorbent tubes. Due to the reversible adsorption of the chemicals, it was not possible to determine a tube adsorption capacity that was true across all flow and sample time conditions. Flow rate exerted the stronger influence on breakthrough, particularly for CP, with flow rates in excess of 200 mL min-1 resulting in significant system losses even at the shortest sampling time (2 h). A flow rate of 200 mL min-1 should therefore not be exceeded, irrespective of flow rate. With use of a single tube (no backup), sampling times up to 4 h showed no system losses (100% retention). Using a primary and backup tube, sampling periods up to 16 h also resulted in retention of all the added chemical masses. The information will be useful in establishing effective air quality monitoring programs following fumigation events.