EPA 600/R-01/082

Innovative Technology Verification Report

CHEMetrics, Inc., and AZUR Environmental Ltd
RemediAid™ Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon
Starter Kit

EPA 600/R-01/082
September 2001

The RemediAid™ Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Starter Kit (RemediAid™ kit) developed by CHEMetrics, Inc. (CHEMetrics), and AZUR Environmental Ltd was demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The purpose of the demonstration was to collect reliable performance and cost data for the RemediAid™ kit and six other field measurement devices for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil. In addition to assessing ease of device operation, the key objectives of the demonstration included determining the (1) method detection limit, (2) accuracy and precision, (3) effects of interferents and soil moisture content on TPH measurement, (4) sample throughput, and (5) TPH measurement costs for each device. The demonstration involved analysis of both performance evaluation samples and environmental samples collected in five areas contaminated with gasoline, diesel, lubricating oil, or other petroleum products. The performance and cost results for a given field measurement device were compared to those for an off-site laboratory reference method, “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste” (SW-846) Method 8015B (modified). During the demonstration, CHEMetrics required 46 hours, 10 minutes, for TPH measurement of 199 samples and 10 extract duplicates. The TPH measurement costs for these samples were estimated to be $8,510 for the RemediAid™ kit and $42,170 for the reference method. The method detection limits were determined to be 60 and 4.79 milligrams per kilogram for the RemediAid™ kit and reference method, respectively. During the demonstration, the RemediAid™ kit exhibited good accuracy and precision, ease of use, and lack of sensitivity to interferents that are not petroleum hydrocarbons (neat materials, including tetrachloroethene and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene). However, the device showed less than 5 percent response to neat materials, including methyl-tert-butyl ether and Stoddard solvent, that are petroleum hydrocarbons. Turpentine and humic acid, which are not petroleum hydrocarbons, caused a significant measurement bias for the device. In addition, the device exhibited minor sensitivity to soil moisture content during TPH measurement of weathered gasoline soil samples. Despite some of the limitations observed during the demonstration, the demonstration findings collectively indicated that the RemediAid™ kit is a reliable field measurement device for TPH in soil.

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Posted December 03, 2001
Jesse Armstrong
Computer Sciences Corporation