ASTM D7892-2025 is a standardised method for determining volatile impurities in hydrogen fuel using thermal desorption–GC–MS. It enables sub-ppb detection of total organic halides (TOX), total non-methane hydrocarbons (TNMHC), and formaldehyde – supporting cryogen-free analysis for more sustainable and scalable hydrogen testing, particularly for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
Why monitor impurities in hydrogen fuel with ASTM D7892-2025?
Low-temperature fuel cells – such as Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) – require ultra-pure hydrogen to function correctly. Even trace levels of organic halides or hydrocarbons can poison catalysts or degrade performance.
ASTM D7892-2025 provides laboratories with a standardised approach to detect and quantify impurities at sub-ppb levels using thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD–GC–MS).
What target compounds are included in ASTM D7892-2025?
The method enables trace-level detection (down to 0.25 ppb(v)) of three key groups of impurities:
- Total Organic Halides (TOX) – e.g. chloromethane, trichloroethene, vinyl chloride
- Total Non-Methane Hydrocarbons (TNMHC) – e.g. benzene, hexane, 1,3-butadiene
- Formaldehyde
TD–GC–MS has been demonstrated to achieve these detection limits across all target compounds.
Why are cryogen-free systems important for sustainable hydrogen testing?
Traditional hydrogen analysis methods rely on cryogenic cooling with liquid nitrogen or CO₂ to trap impurities. The 2025 revision of ASTM D7892 supports cryogen-free systems, simplifying workflows and improving lab sustainability by:
- Reducing operational costs
- Eliminating the need for cryogen handling and refills
- Increasing uptime and ease of use
- Improving water management – especially important for formaldehyde analysis
Managing water: A key challenge for formaldehyde detection
Formaldehyde is both volatile and water-soluble, making accurate detection in humid hydrogen samples particularly difficult. The revised method addresses this by recommending selective water abstraction before focusing analytes.
Markes’ Kori-xr module supports this requirement by using Peltier cooling to selectively remove water from hydrogen streams while allowing target organics to pass through unaffected. This capability is critical for reliable and reproducible formaldehyde quantification.
Complying with ASTM D7892-2025
The standard requires sampling via gas containers (e.g. gas bags or canisters) and preconcentration by thermal desorption, with support for cryogen-free operation and water management.
Markes recommends the following:
- UNITY–CIA Advantage-xr – High-throughput TD system certified for hydrogen use. Supports up to 27 sample channels and integrates with GC–MS.
- Kori-xr – Peltier-cooled water management module for humidity control in hydrogen testing.
- Gas sampling bags – Fully validated for field and laboratory use with ASTM D7892-2025.
Markes International: Expert support for hydrogen testing labs
With the 2025 revision of ASTM D7892, laboratories now have a clear path to sustainable, scalable hydrogen impurity testing. Markes International played an active role in validating this approach and can support laboratories with:
- Application advice and equipment selection
- On-site training and commissioning
- Method validation and regulatory guidance
Contact us here
References
ASTM D7892-2025 – Standard Test Method for Determination of Total Organic Halides, Total Non-Methane Hydrocarbons, and Formaldehyde in Hydrogen Fuel by GC–MS
Published: 7 July 2025
ASTM D7892-2025 at ASTM.org
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