Pergamon Plh S0956-053X(96)000013-X Waste Management,Vol. 15, No. 8, pp. 567-577, 1995 Published by ElsevierScienceLtd Printed in the USA. 0956-053X/95 $9.50 + 0.00 ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION USE OF FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROMETRY AS A CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITOR Zhuoxiong Mao* and Jack Demirgian Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, 1L 60439, U.S.A. Alex Mathew and Richard Hyre Clean Air Engineering, 500 West Wood Street, Palatine, 1L 60067, U.S.A. ABSTRACT. This paper describes the use of a Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, integrated with a sampling system and a control software, as a continuous emission monitor (CEM) for on-line measurement of most volatile organic and some inorganic compounds from various gas emissions. The time response of the system was tested experimentally, and can be approximated by a complete mixing model. In order to validate the measurement accuracy of the system, spiking tests are suggested. This paper discusses considerations in designing the spiking test and analyzing the spiking results. Field test results show that the FTIR-CEM has a stable performance and can be applied to stack emission monitoring, process monitoring, and unknown HAPs identification in many thermal treatment processes. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd INTRODUCTION Stack emissions from various processes cause deteriora- tion of air quality and are a source of serious public concern. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 list 189 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and mandate monitoring of air toxics from major sources. However, due to lack of cost-effective monitoring technology, only a few HAPs, such as SO2, NOx, CO and total hydrocarbons (THC), can be continuously monitored. Other compounds have to be sampled off-line and analyzed in the laboratory. It often takes days or weeks to get results, and could introduce large sampling errors. Therefore, development of an on-line continuous emission monitor (CEM) that can differentiate species RECEIVED 30 JANUARY 1996; ACCEPTED 3 APRIL 1996. *To whom correspondence may be addressed. Acknowledgements--The work was supported by the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy, Office of Technology Development, under contract W-31-109-Eng-38, and a CRADA between Argonne National Laboratory and Clean Air Engineering. The cooperation from staff at the K-25 incinerator of Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is greatly appreciated. The submitted manuscript has been authored by a contractor of the U.S. Government under contract No. W-31-109-ENG-38. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty- free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. in the parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb) range has become necessary not only to provide environmental assurance, but also to eliminate potential sampling errors and provide data for on-line control of the process. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry has been used in the laboratory to identify and quantify components for over 20 years. Its ability to simulta- neously analyze multiple compounds in a relatively short time period with high sensitivities makes the FTIR a strong candidate for continuous emission monitoring. Recent developments have shown that the FTIR, combined with extensive use of computers, is a promis- ing method for continuous monitoring of organic species in incinerator emissionsJ 5 However, because FTIR spectrometers have traditionally been used as stand-alone instruments in the laboratory, modifications for applying the instruments to field use must be considered. In a previous paper, 6 methods for obtaining calibration standards for multi-component analysis were described. In addition, as a continuous monitor, the FTIR should also meet general requirements for CEM, such as response time, stability, etc. In order to obtain reliable measurement results, certain quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) measures should be considered. The following pages describe these issues and present some field test results. 567