Analysis of Flue Gas Desulfurization wastewaters b y Agilent 7700x ICP-MS

Application Note

Authors:
Richard Burrows – TestAmerica Laboratories Inc. USA
Steve Wilbur – Agilent Technologies Inc. USA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is in the process of revising effluent guidelines for the steam electric power generating industry, due to increases in wastewater discharges as a result of Phase 2 of the Clean Air Act amendments. These regulations require SO2 scrubbing for most coal-fired plants resulting in “Flue Gas Desulfurization” (FGD) wastewaters. The revised effluent guidelines will apply to plants “primarily engaged in the generation of electricity for distribution and sale which results primarily from a process utilizing fossil-type fuel (coal, oil or gas) or nuclear fuel in conjunction with a thermal cycle employing the steam water system as a thermodynamic medium. “ [1]. This includes most large scale power plants in the United States. Effluents from these plants, especially coal-fired plants, can contain several hundred to several thousand ppm of calcium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, boron, chloride, nitrate and sulfate. Measurement of low ppb levels of toxic metals (including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb Se, Tl, V and Zn) in this matrix presents a challenge for ICP-MS, due to the very high dissolved solids levels and potential interferences from matrix-based polyatomic ions. Furthermore, FGD wastewater can vary significantly from plant to plant depending on the type and capacity of the boiler and scrubber, the type of FGD process used, and the composition of the coal, limestone and make-up water used. As a result, FGD wastewater represents the most challenging of samples for ICP-MS; it is very high in elements known to cause matrix interferences, and also highly variable. To address this difficult analytical challenge, in 2009 the EPA commissioned the development of a new ICP-MS method specifically for FGD wastewaters. This method was developed and validated at TestAmerica Laboratories Inc. using an Agilent 7700x ICP-MS equipped with an Agilent ISIS-DS discrete sampling system.

Review the White Paper on this new method here >>>>

Collecting and Reporting Quality Data for Vapor Intrusion

TestAmerica Ask the Expert Webinar Series
June 16, 2011
1:30pm EST

The process of systematically evaluating the indoor inhalation risk from sub-surface vapors began with the EPA's publishing of "OSWER Draft Guidance for Evaluating the Vapor Intrusion to Indoor Air Pathway from Groundwater and Soils (Subsurface Vapor Intrusion Guidance)" in 2002. That document served as the genesis for the multitude of regulations, programs and methods that are being employed in this arena today.

As these regulations and programs have developed and matured, the clarity to the overall process of collecting and reporting quality data has become a difficult highway to navigate. This presentation will focus on clearing the landscape to facilitate navigation through the sample collection and data reporting process in support of these regulations and programs.

The presentation will be given from the perspective of an environmental testing laboratory and our 10 years of experience supporting Vapor Intrusion investigations.

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Sampling Protocols for Collecting a Tap Water Sample for Lead Analysis

Ask the Expert Question:
What are the sampling protocols for collecting a tap water sample to analyze for lead?
Expert Response:
There are 2 guidelines for collecting a sample for the testing for lead.

According to EPA's lead and copper rule for drinking water, it is recommended that you collect a first-draw sample from a tap where the sample has stood in the pipes for at least 6 hours (e.g., no flushing, showering, etc.). First draw samples collected at single-family residences should be drawn from the cold-water kitchen tap or bathroom tap. Collect the sample into a 1-liter poly container. The laboratory can acidify the sample upon receipt for preservation.

For water quality monitoring, the sampling guideline indicates that the water source should be fully flushed for 10 minutes. Then collect the sample into a 500ml (or 250ml) poly bottle preserved with nitric acid.

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