Detection of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in surface water, soil, and groundwater in a chemical industrial park in Eastern China

Abstract

China is suffering from serious water and soil pollution, especially in the North China Plain. This work investigated semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in surface water, groundwater and soil within a chemical industrial park in Eastern China, for which the volatile organic compound (VOC) results have been previously reported. A total of 20 samples were collected from the field, and analyzed in the laboratory. A 100% detection frequency of SVOCs in samples from this chemical industrial park was observed (same as VOCs). Moreover, the detection frequency of 113 SVOCs in each sample reached 15.93, 12.39 and 20.35% for surface water, groundwater and soil, respectively. The most detected SVOCs in the park included N-containing SVOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, organic pesticides and polychlorodiphenyls. The elevated detecting frequencies and concentration levels of SVOCs identified in the groundwater were attributed to the intensive chemical production activities in the park. In addition, the agricultural activities in the area might also have contributed to the SVOCs to the groundwater. The results of VOCs and SVOCs from this and previous studies suggest that the groundwater in this industrial park has been severely contaminated, and the contamination likely spreads beyond the park. Imminent hydrogeological assessments and remedial actions are warranted to eliminate the source and mitigate the potential plume expansion beyond the park boundary.

Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis of Hexachlorocyclohexanes by Liquid–Liquid Extraction Gas Chromatography Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry: Method Evaluation and Applications

“…China is one of the largest producers and users of HCHs in the world and is also most seriously affected by HCHs pollution. Although HCHs were banned from production and utilization in China since 1983, due to their environmental persistence, they can still be detected in the atmosphere, surface water, groundwater and Molecules 2022, 27, 2874 2 of 11 soil [3][4][5][6][7]. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the fate and environmental behavior of HCHs in these environments.…”

Presence of Antibiotics in Shallow Groundwater in the Northern and Southwestern Regions of China

“…Human activities in these regions have led to serious environmental problems, including groundwater contamination. Previously, we have published reports on volatile and semi‐volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) detected in groundwater in China (Bi et al ; Chen et al ; Liu et al , ). Other researchers reported the detection of inorganic contaminants such as nitrate and heavy metals (Li et al ; Bai et al ; Chen et al ; Xi et al ).…”

Analysis and monitoring of odour and semi-volatile organic compounds in different environmental matrices via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

“…[166] In addition, due to being semi-volatile, they are able to exist in the vapor phase of the atmosphere or be ad/ab-sorbed by atmospheric particles, thereby facilitating transport over long distances through the atmosphere. [189] In this study, different analytical methods including gas chromatography -mass spectrometry showed high domination of the most chlorinated compounds comparing to the less chlorinated ones. PCA analysis of factor loadings for every component extracted and compared to the work previously conducted in neighbouring countries showed possible contributions of the emissions from electronic waste (incineration plant in Tuas) [62] and ship-dismantling activities [146].…”

“…Among all 16 PAHs detected and quantified, the most abundant PAHs can be classified in two groups: NAPH and ACP (lighter PAHs) and BbF, BkF, BaP, IcP, DhA, BghiP (heavier PAHs). Dominance of this specific congeners suggests domestic heating and long term transport from neighbouring countries (India, Nepal, China) as a sources of the PAHs in this sampling site [156,161,189,208,220,228]. …”

“…As SVOCs are classified as endocrine disruptive compounds with carcinogenic and mutagenic properties and their tendency to accumulate in living organisms, research about developing new improved analytical methodologies for qualification and quantification of these compounds in complicated matrices is of the top priority in environmental sciences. [187][188][189] The major problem when performing direct GC or LC analysis of SVOCs is complexity of the sample and low concentration that these compounds usually occur in the environment.…”