Feasibility study of preparation and certification of reference materials for nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide in diffusive samplers

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a feasability study for the preparation and certification of reference materials (RMs) for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in diffusive samplers. RMs for NO₂ were prepared by exposure to gas mixtures in a chamber while the RMs for SO₂ were prepared by liquid spiking. Certification of RMs for NO₂ was found feasible with a certified uncertainty of 5.8% and a proposed shelf life of 5 years. The uncertainty was calculated with contribution from the homogeneity of preparation, stability and transport of the CRMs and from an external verification of the certified value. To reach 5.8% of uncertainty, the contribution of the differences between the results of analysis by ion chromatography and colorimetry must be eliminated. It is proposed to solve this by pre-extracting the samplers with water before analysis. The results of this study indicate that the samplers are stable for at least two years before and after exposure when stored in a refrigerator. By contrast, the certification of RMs for SO₂ was found to not be feasible due to instability problems. This instability was attributed to reaction of sulfate on the walls of the samplers. Alternatively, the preparation of RMs by simultaneous exposure to SO₂ and NO₂ has been tested. Satisfying homogeneities has been reached both for NO₂ and SO₂.