New Instrument for the Automated VOC Analysis of Air and Gas in Canisters

Markes International (UK) has announced the launch of a new instrument, the CIA Advantage™, designed for the VOC analysis of air and gas sampled using canisters. The CIA Advantage will be an invaluable tool for analytical chemists who measure VOCs in air samples using canisters. It is particularly well-suited to those using US EPA Method TO-15 and other methods involving an extended range of pollutants. The CIA Advantage offers scope for improving work-flow productivity and flexibility, and this, coupled with the additional functionality of sorbent tube analysis, makes it a unique instrument in its field.

Although canisters have traditionally been applied to ambient air analysis, in recent years they have been increasingly used for other applications, such as vapour intrusion and soil gas studies. Modern analytical systems for air monitoring applications are therefore now expected to manage a wider range of sample concentrations. To do this effectively on a single analytical system, a new approach is required. The CIA Advantage from Markes International addresses this challenge.

“The CIA Advantage can analyse samples with a wide range of analyte concentrations, with the utmost confidence” says Matthew Bates, Product Manager at Markes International. He points out that “the CIA Advantage is fully compliant with US EPA Method TO-15, making it the ideal solution for laboratories wanting a robust, high-throughput system for canister air monitoring”.

The CIA Advantage can accommodate up to 27 canisters of various sizes, and operates completely cryogen-free, eliminating the cost of using liquid cryogen. All internal lines are heated to prevent cross-contamination of samples, and it uses patented technologies to prevent the ice formation that continues to be a frustration experienced by many proponents of US EPA Method TO-15.

An added benefit of the CIA Advantage, says Bates, is that it has inbuilt capacity to handle sorbent tubes. This, he says, “extends the range of compounds that can be analysed compared to canisters, allowing laboratories to offer the widest possible range of air-monitoring services”.