New universal, portable and cryogenic sampler for time weighted average monitoring of H2S, NH3, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and dimethylethylamine.

A new cryogenic integrative air sampler (patent application number 08/00669), able to overcome many of the limitations in current volatile organic compounds and odour sampling methodologies is presented. The sample is spontaneously collected in a universal way at 15 mL/min, selectively dried (reaching up to 95% of moisture removal) and stored under cryogenic conditions. The sampler performance was tested under time weighted average (TWA) conditions, sampling 100L of air over 5 days for determination of NH(3), H(2)S, and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) in the ppm(v) range.

Development of porosity in a char during reaction with steam or supercritical water.

Two series of activated carbon have been prepared by reaction of a char (from olive stones) with supercritical water (SCW) with the objective of studying the effect of temperature and residence time on the development of porosity. The results have been compared with those obtained using the same char but with classical activation with steam. Both procedures develop porosity, but (i) the reaction rate is critical in the development of porosity for steam but not for SCW activation, and (ii) SCW activation produces a larger development of microporosity at low degrees of burnoff, whereas steam produces more meso- and macroporosity.