XAD-2 Traps

The XAD-2 resin traps are of the ball and socket type used for the collection of various compounds by US EPA Methods. Refer to the table below for a list of methods that call for the use of these traps.

Keika Ventures rents XAD-2 resin traps used in modified Method 5 sampling trains to collect stack emissions. Rental cost of the XAD-2 resin trap is $35.

What are the trap configurations?
The rental traps are the typical size used in the EPA and CARB sampling methods. Per these methods, the traps have a coarse glass frit on one end to retain the XAD-2 resin. The trap will hold a minimum of 20g of resin and have a water jacket to cool and maintain the temperature of the stack gas. The common trap configuration is to have a 28/12 socket joint on one end and a 28/12 ball joint on the other. The ground glass ball and socket joints form connection fittings that are leak-free with vacuum tight seals per method requirements.

(The symbol is used to indicate interchangeable joint, stoppers and stopcocks that comply with the requirements of Commercial Standard CS-21, published by the National Bureau of Standards.)

What if I need another configuration?
There are other types of trap configurations available. The methods specify only that the traps contain at least 20g of resin, are water-cooled and form leak-free, vacuum tight seals. Otherwise, the traps can be configured to fit your sampling train equipment. The ball and socket type shown above is the most common type and will fit most commercially available stack sampling trains. Other types of traps used are ball and stem or screw cap and stem.

What if I don't want to rent traps, can I buy them?
Yes! We do sell the XAD-2 resin traps as well.

What do I do with the traps once I've rented them?
You will need to send them to the laboratory you've selected to perform the analyses. The laboratory will pack them with clean XAD-2 resin and spike them with the appropriate sampling surrogate if required by the method. The laboratory will then return the traps to you for sampling.

If you have not chosen a laboratory, we can assist you with the management of the analytical portion of your project. We provide you with a price quotation for the analytical work selecting a laboratory that will meet your project requirements (DL's, TAT, certification). We'll then coordinate so that the resin traps arrive on-site in time for sampling, we'll track the samples through the laboratory to help ensure you'll receive your data on time, and do a quick review of the data once the results are available to make sure there were no problems that affected data quality. Learn more about our project integration services.

How long does it take to get the traps from the lab?
Most labs can pack and spike the traps within a couple of days of receipt. Most laboratories keep a supply of XAD-2 resin along with a valid sampling surrogate (also referred to as a pre-spike) solution. However, to make sure that you get your traps when you need them. A conservative approach is to allow the lab one week prior to the date you will need the traps.

How long do I have to use the traps?
Method 23 requires that the XAD-2 absorbent must be used within 4 weeks of cleaning or within opening of a sealed jar if the resin is purchased commercially. This 4-week guideline is generally accepted for other stack sampling methods that use XAD-2 resin traps.

Fourteen days is commonly cited as the holding time requirement from the time that the XAD-2 resin is spiked with sampling surrogate until sample collection. However, this holding time is not written in nor required by any of the stack sampling methods. Over time, has evolved into a guideline that is followed by many laboratories, regulatory agencies, and stack sampling firms.

If you have any questions about the holding times requirements for your project, you should check with whomever has regulatory authority over your project to see what they require.

How do I return the rental traps to Keika Ventures?
Let us know that the laboratory has completed the analyses and are finished with the XAD-2 traps. We'll tell you if we need the traps returned to us. If the traps are at a laboratory that we send samples to on a routine basis, we'll keep the traps at the laboratory. The laboratory will store them for us until we need to use them again for another project.