I'm new on GC and I need to measure hydrogen

[paedugar]

Hi!

I'm a student of the undergraduate Program on Genomic Sciences at UNAM, which is on Mexico. I belong to a group of students (graduate and udergraduate) which is involved in a project that aims efficent hydrogen production from a bacteria, so we need to measure hydrogen by GC in order to do tests, however none of us has experience on this method. We recently obtained access to a chromatograph that is used to measure hydrocarbons by a FIT detector and the people who use it neither has experience on measuring hydrogen, but they are glad to help us if we find the requirements to get the chromatograph optimal for hydrogen analysis. I´ve been unsuccessfully looking for a explicit step-by-step protocol.

Would you please help us to obtain information?

Thanks!

[chromatographer1]

An FID will not be useful in measuring hydrogen.

For large amounts ( >1000 ppm ) a Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD) will work if you use nitrogen carrier gas.

Otherwise you need an discharge ionization detector, AIC or Valco or Gow-Mac.

These will give you a sensitivity for hydrogen similar to the sensitivity of methane on a FID.

Expect thousands of dollars to add or replace the detector on your GC, even for a TCD.

best wishes,

Rod

[AICMM]

paedugar,

If you post your e-mail I will send you some information on measuring hydrogen in groundwater that was done for a remediation project here in New Mexico. A local laboratory measured very low levels in groundwater as an indicator of efficiency of bacterial degradation.

Best regards,

AICMM