Innovative
Technology Verification Report
Field Measurement
Technologies for
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil
Environmental
Systems Corporation
Synchronous Scanning Luminoscope
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Innovative
Technology Verification Report
Environmental Systems Corporation
Synchronous Scanning Luminoscope
EPA 600/R-01/083
September 2001
The Synchronous Scanning Luminoscope (Luminoscope) developed by the Oak
Ridge National
Laboratory in collaboration with Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC)
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 Luminoscope 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,
ESC required
67 hours, 30 minutes, for TPH measurement of 199 samples and 12 extract
duplicates. The TPH
measurement costs for these samples were estimated to be $7,460 for ESC’s
on-site sample analysis
service option using the Luminoscope and $34,950 for the Luminoscope purchase
option compared
to $42,430 for the reference method. The method detection limits were
determined to be 36 and
6.32 milligrams per kilogram for the Luminoscope and reference method,
respectively. During the
demonstration, the Luminoscope exhibited good precision and lack of sensitivity
to moisture content
and to interferents that are not petroleum hydrocarbons (tetrachloroethene;
turpentine; and 1,2,4-
trichlorobenzene). However, the Luminoscope TPH results did not compare
well with those of the
reference method, indicating that the user should exercise caution when
considering the device for
a specific field TPH measurement application. In addition, field observations
indicated that operation
of the device may prove challenging unless the operator has significant
analytical chemistry skills
and device-specific training.
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Posted December 03, 2001
Jesse Armstrong
Computer Sciences Corporation
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