Estimation of volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentration within inner void volume of vented waste drums

A test program has been conducted to demonstrate that the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOC)s within the innermost layer of confinement in a vented waste drum can be estimated using a model incorporating diffusion and permeation transport principles as well as limited waste drum sampling data. A waste drum is assumed to contain a vented rigid polymer liner that holds waste packaged in multiple layers of polymer bags. The model consists of a series of material balance equations describing steady-state VOC transport from each distinct void volume in the drum. The primary model input is the measured drum headspace VOC concentration. Model parameters are determined or estimated based on available process knowledge. This paper summarizes the experimental measurements and model predictions of 13 VOCs in three different drum configurations in vented waste drums.