Jet-REMPI for Dioxin Detection

Jet-REMPI (resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization) is being applied to the problem of detecting and identifying specific polychlorinated dioxin and furan congeners at below part-per-trillion concentration directly in stack gases of waste incinerators. The Jet-REMPI technique uses a combination of supersonic pulsed nozzle gas cooling, molecule-specific, laser-based ionization, and mass spectrometry to provide extremely high specificity and sensitivity.

SRI is in the first of three years of a development effort supported by the US Department of Energy. We have assembled a working instrument and are developing and testing many innovative improvements to substantially increase the performance of the system.

Environmental regulatory and compliance monitoring of the emission of highly toxic polychlorinated dioxins and furans from incinerators requires a real-time instrument capable of detecting these species at extremely low concentrations. Moreover, because the toxicity varies greatly with the specific molecular structure of these species, it is necessary to chemically discriminate among more than 200 dioxin and furan congeners. Once developed, a real-time stack monitor for dioxins and furans can be used to both certify regulatory compliance, and to provide a continuous emissions monitor (CEM).

The current development efforts are designed to provide both increased sensitivity and chemical discrimination, as well as improved reliability for field applications, including incinerator stack sampling.

Advantage
Jet-REMPI offers many significant advantages over other vapor detection approaches, including exceptional sensitivity and chemical specificity, both achieved while operating as a real-time, continuous monitor.

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Technical Contact:
Michael J. Coggiola
(650) 859-3045
michael.coggiola@sri.com