Environmental Technology Verification Program Verification Statement Br Uker-franzen Analytical Systems EM640

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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Office of Research and Development
Washington, D.C. 20460

etV

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM
VERIFICATION STATEMENT

TECHNOLOGY TYPE: FIELD PORTABLE GAS CHROMATOGRAPH/MASS

SPECTROMETER

APPLICATION:

MEASUREMENT OF VOLATILE ORGANICS IN SOIL, WATER, AND
SOIL GAS

TECHNOLOGY NAME: EM640™

COMPANY:
ADDRESS:

BRUKER-FRANZEN ANALYTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
19 FORTUNE DRIVE, MANNING PARK
BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS 01821

PHONE:

(508) 667-9580

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a program to facilitate the deployment of innovative
environmental technologies through performance verification and information dissemination. The goal of the
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program is to further environmental protection by substantially
accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and more cost effective technologies. The ETV is intended to assist
and inform those involved in the design, distribution, permitting, and purchase of environmental technologies. This
verification statement provides a summary of the demonstration and results for the Bruker-Franzen Analytical Systems,
Inc. EM640™ field portable gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) system.

PROGRAM OPERATION

The EPA, in partnership with recognized testing organizations, objectively and systematically evaluates the
performance of innovative technologies. Together, with the full participation of the technology developer, they develop
plans, conduct tests, collect and analyze data, and report findings. The evaluations are conducted according to a
rigorous demonstration plan and established protocols for quality assurance. The EPA's National Exposure Research
Laboratory, which conducts demonstrations of site characterization and monitoring technologies, selected Sandia
National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the testing organization for field portable GC/MS systems.

DEMONSTRATION DESCRIPTION

In July and September 1995, the performance of two field transportable GC/MS systems was determined under field
conditions. Each system was independently evaluated by comparing field analysis results to those obtained using
approved reference methods. Performance evaluation (PE), spiked, and environmental samples were used to
independently assess the accuracy, precision, and comparability of each instrument.

The demonstration was designed to detect and measure a series of primary target analytes in water, soil, and soil gas.
The primary target analytes at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, were
trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene. The primary analytes at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan, were

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benzene, toluene, and xylenes. Secondary analytes at the Michigan site included a variety of chlorinated organic
solvents. The sites were chosen because they exhibit a wide range of concentrations for most of the analytes and
provided different climatic and geological conditions. The conditions at each of these sites represent typical, but not
all inclusive, conditions under which the technology would be expected to operate. Details of the demonstration,
including a data summary and discussion of results may be found in the report entitled "Environmental Technology
Verification Report, Field Portable Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer, Bruker-Franzen Analytical Systems, Inc.
EM640™." The EPA document number for this report is EPA/600/R-97/149.

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

GC/MS is a proven laboratory analytical technology that has been used in environmental laboratories for many years.
The combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry enables the rapid separation and identification of
individual compounds in complex mixtures. The gas chromatograph separates the sample extract into individual
components. The mass spectrometer then ionizes each component which provides the energy to fragment the molecules
into characteristic ions. These ion fragments are then separated by mass and detected as charged particles, which
constitutes a mass spectrum. This spectrum can be used in the identification and quantitation of each component in the
sample extract. For nontarget or unknown analytes the mass spectrum is compared to a computerized library of
compounds to provide identification of the unknown. Field transportable GC/MS is a versatile technique that can be
used to provide rapid screening data or laboratory quality confirmatory analyses. In most systems, the instrument
configuration can also be quickly changed to accommodate different inlets for media such as soil, soil gas, and water.
As with all field analytical studies, it may be necessary to send a portion of the samples to an independent laboratory
for confirmatory analyses.

The EM640™ is a commercially available GC/MS system that provides laboratory-grade performance in a field
transportable package. The instrument is ruggedized and may be operated during transport. It weighs about 140 lbs and
can be transported and operated in a small van. The EM640™ used in the demonstration used a Spray-and-Trap Water
Sampler, direct injection for soil gas, and heated headspace analysis for soil samples. The minimum detection limit
is 1 ppb for soil gas, lyWg/L for water, and 50 /ig/kg for soil. The instrument requires a skilled operator; recommended
training is one week for a chemist with GC/MS experience. At the time of testing, the baseline cost of the EM640™
was $170,000 plus the cost of the inlet system.

VERIFICATION OF PERFORMANCE

The observed performance characteristics of the EM640™ include the following:

• Throughput: The throughput was approximately 5 samples per hour for all media when the instrument was
operated in the rapid analysis mode. Throughput would decrease if the instrument were operated in the
analytical mode.

• Completeness: The EM640™ detected greater than 99 percent of the target compounds reported by the
reference laboratory.

• Precision: Precision was calculated from the analysis of a series of duplicate samples from each media. The
results are reported in terms of relative percent difference (RPD). The values compiled from both sites
generally fell within the range of 0 to 40 percent RPD for soil and 0 to 50 percent for the water and soil gas

samples.

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• Accuracy: Accuracy was determined by comparing the Bruker GC/MS analysis results with performance
evaluation and spiked samples of known contaminant concentrations. Absolute percent accuracy values from
both sites were calculated for five target analytes. For soil, most of the values are scattered in the 0-90 percent
range with a median of 39 percent. For water, most of the values fall in the 0-70 percent range with a median
of 36 percent. The soil gas accuracy data generally fall in the 0-70 percent range with a median of 22 percent.

• Comparability: This demonstration showed that the EM640™ produced water and soil gas data that were
comparable to the reference laboratory data (median absolute percent difference less than 50 percent). The soil
data were not comparable. This was due, in part, to difficulties experienced by the reference laboratory and
other problems associated with sample handling and transport.

• Deployment: The system was ready to analyze samples within 60 minutes of arrival at the site. The instrument
was operated in a van. Warmup and calibration checks were completed in transit to the site.

The results of the demonstration show that the Bruker-Franzen EM640™ can provide useful, cost-effective data for
environmental problem-solving and decision-making. The deviation of EM640™ and reference laboratory results for
the soil samples, while statistically significant, is not so great as to preclude the effective use of the EM640™ GC/MS
system in many field screening applications. We were unable to determine whether the Bruker GC/MS soil data or that
of the reference laboratory or both were problematic. Undoubtedly, this instrument will be employed in a variety of
applications, ranging from serving as a complement to data generated in a fixed analytical laboratory to generating data
that will stand alone in the decision-making process. As with any technology selection, the user must determine what
is appropriate for the application and the project data quality objectives.

Gary J. Foley, Ph.D.

Director

National Exposure Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development

NOTICE: EPA verifications are based on an evaluation of technology performance under specific, predetermined criteria and the
appropriate quality assurance procedures. EPA makes no expressed or implied warranties as to the performance of the technology and
does not certify that a technology will always, under circumstances other than those tested, operate at the levels verified. The end user is
solely responsible for complying with any and all applicable Federal, State and Local requirements.

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