Abstract
Soil and water samples frequently are analyzed for contamination at sites of known or suspected fuel or chemical spills. The objective of this research was to develop a soil field test method for gasoline hydrocarbons that was inexpensive, easy to use, and provided same-day results. A battery-operated sampling pump was used to pull air through gasoline-contaminated soil samples held in small plastic cassettes. The air and hydrocarbon vapors were directed through glass detector tubes filled with color-changing adsorbents. Hydrocarbon vapors converted chromic oxide [CrO3] coated on silica gel into chromium sulfate [Cr2(SO4)3], which changed the adsorbent’s color. The length of color change in the tube was proportional to the mass of hydrocarbons in the soil. This technique had a limit of detection of 20–50mg∕kg for gasoline hydrocarbons and was sensitive to both fresh and 50% weathered gasoline. Soils could be tested for less than $20/sample, lower than the $50–$100 of traditional off-site analysis.
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