Effect of water velocity on the uptake of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by silicone rubber (SR) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) passive samplers: An assessment of the efficiency of performance reference compounds (PRCs) in river-like flow conditions

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2014-11, Vol.499, p.319-326
• Main Authors: Estoppey, Nicolas, Schopfer, Adrien, Omlin, Julien, Esseiva, Pierre, Vermeirssen, Etiënne L.M., Delémont, Olivier, De Alencastro, Luiz F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Channels; Environmental Monitoring - instrumentation; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Low density polyethylene (LDPE); Low density polythene; Mathematical analysis; Natural water pollution; Passive sampling; Performance reference compounds (PRC); Pollution; Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB); Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polyethylene - chemistry; Polyethylenes; Rivers - chemistry; Samplers; Silicone Elastomers - chemistry; Silicone rubber; Silicone rubber (SR); Uptakes; Water Movements; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Water velocity
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.08.047

One aim of this study is to determine the impact of water velocity on the uptake of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (iPCBs) by silicone rubber (SR) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) passive samplers. A second aim is to assess the efficiency of performance reference compounds (PRCs) to correct for the impact of water velocity. SR and LDPE samplers were spiked with 11 or 12 PRCs and exposed for 6weeks to four different velocities (in the range of 1.6 to 37.7cms−1) in river-like flow conditions using a channel system supplied with river water. A relationship between velocity and the uptake was found for each iPCB and enables to determine expected changes in the uptake due to velocity variations. For both samplers, velocity increases from 2 to 10cms−1, 30cms−1 (interpolated data) and 100cms−1 (extrapolated data) lead to increases of the uptake which do not exceed a factor of 2, 3 and 4.5, respectively. Results also showed that the influence of velocity decreased with increasing the octanol–water coefficient partition (logKow) of iPCBs when SR is used whereas the opposite effect was observed for LDPE. Time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of iPCBs in water were calculated from iPCB uptake and PRC release. These calculations were performed using either a single PRC or all the PRCs. The efficiency of PRCs to correct the impact of velocity was assessed by comparing the TWA concentrations obtained at the four tested velocities. For SR, a good agreement was found among the four TWA concentrations with both methods (average RSD