Experiences in Instrumentation, Deployment, Field, and Laboratory Experiments
Field Campaign
Operation and maintenance of PTR-TOF-MS and TD-GC-FID and up-gradation of laboratory
Facilities for comprehensive VOC measurements using C2H6 & C5H15 VOC Analyzers.
Field Sampling and laboratory measurements of various non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs)
At a forest site in the Western Ghats (WG) during the late monsoon of 2016 and 2017.
Ship cruise campaign for the measurements of oceanic VOCs and other trace gases over the Arabian Sea during pre-monsoon season (April-May 2017).
Measurements of ambient VOCs near the Pirana landfill site of Ahmedabad during May 2017: Downwind dispersion and Air Quality impact.
Field Sampling and measurements of NMHCs in the temperate forest region (sub-Himalayan region) Uttarakhand, India, during the winter season of 2017.
Study of VOC emission flux in New Delhi: Eddy co-variance-based measurements of important VOC have been made using a high-time resolution PTR-TOF-MS instrument in New Delhi to understand the emission rates of VOCs from major urban sources. The Indo-UK project titled Megacity Delhi Atmospheric Emission Quantification, assessment, and Impact (DelhiFlux) (during 2017-2019).
Field campaign “Delhi Air Pollution and Health Effect” at New Delhi, India. Deployment and measurements of VOCs using PTR-TOF-MS and VOC Analyzers at urban and suburban sites of New Delhi (during 2018-19 and 2019-2020).
Ship cruise campaign for the measurements of oceanic VOCs and other trace gases over the Bay of Bengal (July-August 2018).
Continuous measurements of >50 VOCs to study the impact of COVID-19 lockdown during Jan-May 2020.
Field measurements of VOCs using PTR-TOF-MS and VOC Analyzers at an urban site of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, during winter and summer seasons (December 2020-May 2021).
Deployment of VOCs analyzers (C2 - C6, C5 - C15 and sulfur VOCs, DMS, CS2, etc.) at the Ship Sagar Kanya (ORV SK#373) for the measurements of different VOCs over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea during the post-monsoon season (September-November 2021).
Field campaign at IIT Delhi for the measurements of VOCs and change in the concentration of secondary VOCs after the photochemical aging of primary VOCs during the winter season (November- December 2021).
PTR-TOF-MS stands for Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry. It is an analytical technique used for the real-time measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trace gases in various environments, such as air quality monitoring, atmospheric chemistry research, and industrial process monitoring.
In PTR-TOF-MS, VOCs are ionized by proton transfer reactions with hydronium ions (H3O+), resulting in the formation of protonated VOC ions (M+H)+. These ions are then analyzed based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, allowing for rapid and accurate detection and quantification of VOCs.
This technique offers high sensitivity, fast response times, and wide dynamic range, making it valuable for studying complex chemical mixtures and understanding their impact on environmental and human health.
1. Instrumentation work at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedababad, India
2. Instrumentation work at Max-Planck Institute for Chemsitry, Mainz, Germany
