What is a canister and when is it used?

A canister is an internally polished stainless-steel vessel used to collect and store gas samples. It allows a representative volume of air to be collected without volatile organic compounds (VOCs) degrading or adsorbing onto the walls. A canister can be used for grab sampling, allowing immediate air collection, or fitted with a Veriflow controller for integrated sampling over periods ranging from a few tens of minutes to a full day. Canisters are particularly suitable for analyzing light VOCs (C2-C5), sulfur compounds and volatile halogenated compounds in outdoor and indoor air, emissions and soil gas.