Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Cindy Tran
Second Advisor
Anuradha Akmeemana
Third Advisor
Jamie D. Fredericks
Abstract
Ignitable liquids are flammable mixtures used to accelerate a fire. ILs are composed of a broad range of hydrocarbons and include commonly encountered materials such as gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. In the event of a suspected arson, ILR may be found within the pores of materials at the crime scene such as concrete. Traditionally, the whole material is collected and packaged into air-tight containers to prevent evaporation and allow transportation back to the lab. However, this may require the use of heavy machinery, such as a jack hammer, which takes a lot of manpower to operate and may increase the probability of loss of the ILR during collection. Recent research has investigated other options for direct collection of the ILR, including the use of absorbent materials because they are able to penetrate the pores of the fire debris evidence and achieve a higher collection efficiency. These materials have included granular minerals, hydrophobic absorbent pads, or everyday absorbers such as paper towels and microfiber cloths. Each of these have had limitations stemming from the ability to penetrate and/or be removed from a porous material as well as in compatibility with the individual components of an IL. In this work, tapes of a variety of compositions are investigated for direct ILR collection from nonporous and porous surfaces. Tape is a cost-effective absorbent material selected because of its sturdy but flexible backing. Additionally, the adhesive is typically composed of nonpolar films and resins which are chemically compatible with the hydrocarbons in the ILs. This work will discuss six different types of tape to classify which tape provides the highest collection efficiency of ILR and has the least amount of interference with a standard passive headspace collection using activated charcoal strips, direct solvent extraction, and analysis using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The tapes used came from a wide variety such as normal household repair tapes to stronger industrial and laboratory tapes. All six tapes were checked for interferences from the adhesive and backing. The effectiveness of the tape’s collection is assessed by comparing the amount of standard homologous n-alkanes collected by the tape to the amount left on a small area of nonporous tile or porous concrete (a relative collection efficiency). Overall, the most common household tape demonstrated some interferences with the process and the more specialized tapes show more promise.
Recommended Citation
Jarrett, Laird Vincent, "An Evaluation of Tape for the Collection of Ignitable Liquid Residues from Non-Porous and Porous Surfaces" (2024). Online Theses and Dissertations. 824.
https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/824
