Jd. Macrae et Kj. Hall, Comparison of methods used to determine the availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediment, ENV SCI TEC, 32(23), 1998, pp. 3809-3815
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), Tenax TA, and a polyethylene tube d
ialysis (PTD) methods were used to estimate the "available" fraction of PAH
in marine sediment slurries. The polyethylene membrane used in the SPMD an
d PTD methods mimics a biomembrane. The PAH must diffuse through the membra
ne into triolein or pentane, respectively. The Tenax TA scavenges PAH from
the water phase and is separated from the sediment, thus particle-associate
d PAH are excluded from all three methods. Spiked PAH were more readily ava
ilable than endogenous (unspiked) PAH, and the presence of sediment organic
matter decreased desorption and thus availability of the PAH. All three me
thods could aid in bioremediation feasibility assessments and predictions o
n the potential toxicity of sediments or soils. The SPMD method has the adv
antage of being available commercially, and the use of such a standard meth
od allows comparison with other samples from the literature. The Tenax meth
od gave similar results with the exception of the larger compounds that wer
e recovered more efficiently, and it was less expensive. The PTD method was
the most stringent assay for availability and could be useful in assessing
the risk associated with exposure to a contaminated sample.