Gas and VOC Destruction Testing

Gas-Phase Chemistry

ARE Labs combines challenge gas manifolds, real-time FTIR and GC-MS analysis, breakthrough rigs, and controlled residence times to report single-pass efficiency and breakthrough curves under our ISO 17025 quality system.

Purpose & when to use

Gas and VOC Destruction Testing quantifies how a technology removes or destroys gas-phase contaminants — volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or target challenge gases — through adsorption, catalysis, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), plasma treatment, or scrubbing. Single-pass removal efficiency (RE) and destruction/removal efficiency (DRE) are measured at controlled residence times using FTIR and GC-MS aligned to ASHRAE 145.2, ISO 10121, and EPA Method 25 under our ISO 17025 quality system. Use this service when:

Qualifying sorbent cartridges, catalyst beds, or PCO media against ASHRAE 145.2 single-pass removal-efficiency targets — upstream and downstream FTIR measurements under controlled challenge gas concentration and residence time.
Generating breakthrough and capacity curves for activated-carbon or other sorbent-bed systems to set replacement intervals and define end-of-life behavior under ISO 10121 media-test framing.
Benchmarking catalytic oxidizer or thermal oxidizer destruction efficiency at defined inlet concentrations — EPA Method 25 aligned DRE data documents VOC reduction versus inlet loading for engineering or permit review.
Comparing media formulations, catalyst revisions, or device configurations under a common ASHRAE 145.2 challenge protocol — [VOC and by-product emissions studies](/testing-services/gas-voc/voc-by-product-emissions/) add oxidation by-product context when needed.
Validating plasma or photocatalytic air-cleaning units for removal claims — residence-time sensitivity studies under ISO 10121 or ASHRAE 145.2 frames document performance as a function of contact time and humidity.

Use gas and VOC destruction testing when a removal claim, capacity limit, or destruction-efficiency value requires controlled inlet and outlet measurements. Applications range from sorbent media qualification under ISO 10121 and ASHRAE 145.2 to DRE verification aligned with EPA Method 25 for catalytic and oxidative systems.

Gas-phase treatment and air-cleaning device families served

Destruction and removal efficiency testing applies to any device or media that treats gas-phase contaminants through adsorption, catalysis, photocatalytic oxidation, plasma, or scrubbing — from portable air cleaners and in-duct modules to stand-alone catalyst and sorbent systems under ASHRAE 145.2 and ISO 10121 scopes.

Catalytic oxidizerCatalytic and thermal VOC destruction units
PCO air cleanerPhotocatalytic oxidation air purifiers
In-duct air cleanerDucted HVAC gas-phase treatment modules
Sorbent systemActivated-carbon and adsorption media beds
Plasma unitNon-thermal plasma air-cleaning devices

Instrumentation & measurement ranges

Platform selection follows the target VOC species, challenge concentration range, and whether single-pass efficiency or long-run breakthrough behavior is the study focus — combinations are scoped at study planning and locked in the protocol.

0.001 – 1000 ppmconcentration

Challenge gas manifold (mass-flow controlled)

Precision blending of target VOC challenge gases at defined concentrations — mass-flow controllers set inlet loading, humidity, and residence time; configuration is verified and logged before runs begin.

0.05 – 1000 ppmconcentration

FTIR gas analyzer (real-time)

Continuous upstream and downstream monitoring for target VOC species and selected by-products — real-time FTIR captures single-pass efficiency, transient behavior, and oxidation by-product formation across conditions.

1 – 10000 µg/m³speciated-mass

GC-MS / TD-GC/MS (discrete speciated)

Compound-level speciation for inlet and outlet sampling — sorbent-tube GC-MS quantitation aligned to EPA TO-17 and EPA Method 25 framing for DRE calculations and by-product identification.

0.1 – 1000 ppmconcentration

Breakthrough rig (long-run sorbent test)

Extended continuous-flow setups to track sorbent saturation — upstream concentration held steady while downstream breakthrough is monitored over time to define usable capacity and end-of-life inflection.

Test method options

Method	Strengths	Tradeoff	Aligned with
Single-pass removal efficiency mapping (FTIR — ASHRAE 145.2 aligned)	Direct comparison across media or devices under ASHRAE 145.2 single-pass framing — RE and DRE reported at defined residence times. Real-time FTIR captures transient and steady-state RE in one run — fast screening of device revisions under ISO 17025 controls.	Accurate RE requires careful flow control and line-loss accounting — poor sampling geometry adds uncertainty exceeding the RE differences being compared.	ASHRAE 145.2ISO 17025
Breakthrough and capacity testing (breakthrough rig — ISO 10121 aligned)	Quantifies sorbent capacity and end-of-life behavior under ISO 10121 framing — breakthrough curves set replacement intervals and capacity margins for product documentation. Defined-humidity continuous-flow runs document how RH shifts capacity — critical for sorbent qualification under realistic service conditions.	Long runs require stable upstream concentration — drift biases the breakthrough endpoint and must be bounded by documented inlet stability checks.	ISO 10121ISO 17025
Destruction efficiency verification (GC-MS — EPA Method 25 aligned)	Compound-level DRE from GC-MS aligned to EPA Method 25 — inlet and treated-air concentrations quantified at each condition for permit review. TD-GC/MS extends DRE to by-product identification — oxidation products and incomplete-destruction markers captured alongside primary compound destruction data.	Discrete GC-MS windows miss transient DRE fluctuations — FTIR pairing is needed when start-up or mode-change transients matter to the decision.	EPA Method 25ISO 17025
Residence-time and humidity sensitivity study (fit for purpose)	Maps RE versus contact time and RH — identifies where shorter residence time or elevated humidity drops performance below the target threshold. Sensitivity data documents the operating envelope for design specification — conditions cover field deployments for air-cleaning and catalyst performance claims.	More conditions increase data reduction and run time — condition matrix and replicate plan must be fixed at kick-off to control scope.	—

Setup configurations

ARE Labs configures each destruction or removal efficiency study around the target VOC, the device or media type, and the decision the data must support. Challenge concentration and residence time establish the test severity and analytical detection window. The setup also accounts for environmental controls, replicate structure, and sampling geometry so line losses remain within documented bounds. These study dimensions are defined during planning:

Environmental controls

RH and temperature setpoints verified and logged throughout each run — humidity conditioning is especially critical for sorbent and photocatalytic systems where RH shifts RE by design or mechanistic constraint.

Flow & actuation profiles

Flow rates, residence-time calculations, and stability verification periods documented in the protocol — inlet concentration stability confirmed before sampling begins; replicate runs across conditions verify repeatability.

Device interfaces

Upstream and downstream sampling port placement, line-loss control, and media mounting geometry are fixed before runs begin — single-pass test holder or breakthrough rig configuration documented per study.

Media & handling

Preconditioning, weighing, sealing, and storage plans for sorbent media and catalyst beds — chain of custody from receipt through post-test weighing covers capacity calculations and configuration documentation.

Sample numbers

Replicate runs per condition plus blank and background sequences — replicate plan sized to expected RE variability from flow, mixing, line loss, and FTIR baseline drift.

Methods anchored to the standards that matter

Each gas and VOC destruction study runs within a documented quality system based on the gas-phase air cleaner performance, filter media, VOC measurement, and laboratory competence standards used to characterize removal and destruction efficiency. The four anchors below define the compliance framework for the Section 7 deliverables.

ISO 17025AccreditedTesting-laboratory competence — documented methods, calibration traceability, and uncertainty contributors.
ASHRAE 145.2AlignedGas-phase air cleaner single-pass removal efficiency — laboratory test method for gas-phase medium performance.
ISO 10121AlignedGas-phase filter media performance testing — single-pass efficiency and capacity measurement for air filtration media.
EPA Method 25AlignedVOC destruction removal efficiency — inlet and outlet concentration measurement for DRE determination.

Key data outputs & reporting

Each gas and VOC destruction study provides upstream and downstream concentration time series, single-pass removal efficiency for each condition, and breakthrough curves or capacity estimates where applicable. Reports organize the primary results, QA/QC controls, and uncertainty contributors for use in media qualification, design-change files, and destruction-efficiency submissions. Extended studies that compare media revisions, catalyst formulations, or residence-time conditions include additional comparison artifacts.

Primary outputs

Upstream and downstream concentration time series — inlet loading and treated-air VOC concentrations per condition with stability bands and FTIR or GC-MS instrument logs.
Single-pass removal efficiency by condition — RE and DRE with uncertainty contributors (flow accuracy, mixing, line losses, baseline drift) at each test set point.
Breakthrough curves and usable capacity estimates for sorbent media — efficiency versus elapsed time with end-of-life inflection documented per ISO 10121 framing.
By-product indicators where co-measurement is included — FTIR or GC-MS markers for oxidation products and incomplete-destruction compounds with interpretation notes.

Deliverables

#	Format	Contents
01	PDF report	Method appendix, time-series figures, RE and DRE tables, uncertainty contributors, and interpretation.
02	CSV / XLSX datasets	Upstream and downstream concentration time series, RE and DRE values, and breakthrough data per condition.
03	Figures	Efficiency versus residence time, breakthrough plots, and condition-comparison overlays for documentation.

Extended deliverables · multi-arm comparability · stability · predicate studies

Media comparison pack — Side-by-side RE and DRE overlays across sorbent formulations, catalyst types, or device configurations at matched conditions.
Residence-time sensitivity summary — Efficiency versus contact-time and humidity matrix with operating-envelope boundaries for design specification.

QA / QC & data integrity

Each gas and VOC destruction study includes a documented QA/QC framework matched to the challenge gas system, analytical instrument suite, and media handling plan. Under our ISO 17025 quality system, ARE Labs performs verification checks before and after each test set. Calibration records trace the work from flow controller verification and FTIR baseline checks through the final reported RE and DRE values. Every test campaign also includes leak checks and background runs.

Manifold leak checks and line-loss characterization before sampling begins — upstream and downstream sampling lines verified for integrity; measured line losses documented and applied to RE calculations.

FTIR baseline validation and span-gas verification before each run set — instrument response confirmed at the study concentration range with acceptance criteria in the calibration log.

GC-MS multi-level calibration and response-factor verification for DRE runs — calibration curves with acceptance criteria run before and after each analytical session with chain of custody for sorbent tubes.

Background and blank runs before device-on sampling — chamber or manifold background VOC levels documented; blank subtractions applied to upstream and downstream concentrations as scoped.

Inlet concentration stability check before sampling begins — FTIR or GC-MS upstream measurement confirmed within the target stability band before the downstream sampling window opens.

Replicate runs and between-run repeatability assessment — RE and DRE variability confirmed against pre-defined acceptance criteria; deviations documented and flagged in the report.

Why ARE Labs

ARE Labs connects technical topics to practical study design, method selection, controlled aerosol work, and reportable evidence without turning technical pages into sales pages.

Reviewed byJamie Balarashti (25 yrs - cascade & inhalation methods) - Weston Schaper (7 yrs - real-time sizing & nanoparticle work)

17025Accredited testing

900+Studies Performed

17+Years in operation

300+Clients supported

Common questions

Quick answers to the questions sorbent media developers, catalytic oxidizer engineers, PCO and plasma air-cleaner teams, and industrial hygiene groups ask most often when scoping a gas and VOC destruction study — difference between RE and DRE, breakthrough test design, humidity effects, by-product co-measurement, and what deliverables look like. These are starting points; reach out if your device technology, target VOC species, or regulatory frame doesn't match what's shown here — most studies need at least one configuration choice customized to the challenge gas and the performance claim.

Q.What is the difference between removal efficiency (RE) and destruction removal efficiency (DRE)?

A.RE measures the fraction of challenge gas absent from the treated-air stream, whether it was destroyed, adsorbed, or removed by another mechanism. DRE measures the fraction destroyed specifically through chemical conversion, such as catalysis, oxidation, or plasma treatment. ARE Labs reports both when the removal mechanism requires that distinction.

Q.Can you run both FTIR and GC-MS in the same study?

A.Yes. FTIR provides continuous, real-time RE profiles across the tested conditions. Discrete GC-MS sampling adds compound-level DRE measurements and by-product identification aligned with EPA Method 25 framing. ARE Labs defines the instrument pairing during study planning based on the challenge VOC and the decision the data must support.

Q.How do you set up a breakthrough test for sorbent media?

A.ARE Labs mounts the media in a single-pass holder connected to the challenge gas manifold. We hold the inlet concentration steady and continuously monitor the downstream concentration until breakthrough occurs. Capacity is calculated from the area above the breakthrough curve at the defined endpoint.

Q.Does humidity affect removal efficiency in your tests?

A.Yes. ARE Labs controls and records relative humidity (RH) setpoints throughout each run. We routinely perform humidity sensitivity studies for sorbent and photocatalytic systems because RH can be a primary driver of real-world RE variation. ASHRAE 145.2 specifies RH test conditions for this reason.

Q.Can you measure by-products during a catalytic or PCO destruction run?

A.Yes. Real-time FTIR profiling and discrete GC-MS sampling can measure oxidation by-products, including ozone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other partial-oxidation products, alongside the primary challenge gas. By-product co-measurement is added during study planning when the system chemistry warrants it.

Q.What do I receive at the end of the study?

A.Deliverables include a PDF report with a method appendix, time-series figures, and RE and DRE tables that identify uncertainty contributors. ARE Labs also provides CSV/XLSX datasets containing upstream and downstream concentrations and derived efficiency values, along with figures showing efficiency versus residence time, breakthrough plots, and comparisons across conditions.

Standards & guidance

ARE Labs aligns gas and VOC destruction studies with the gas-phase air cleaner performance, filter media, VOC measurement, and laboratory competence standards used to characterize removal and destruction efficiency. Methods covered by third-party accreditation are identified as accredited under ISO 17025. When ARE Labs follows a standard outside its formal accreditation scope, the method is described as aligned or conformant where applicable. The cards below list the standards most relevant to gas and VOC destruction programs.

QA & Regulatory - Accredited

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