Performance of semipermeable membrane devices for sampling of organic contaminants in groundwater

Abstract

Lipid-filled semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) are receiving increasing attention as passive, in situ samplers for the assessment of environmental pollutant exposure. Although SPMDs have been successfully used in a variety of field studies in surface waters, only a few studies have addressed their characteristics as groundwater samplers. In this study, the performance of the SPMDs for monitoring organic contaminants in groundwater was evaluated in a pilot field application in an area severely contaminated by chemical waste, especially by chlorinated hydrocarbons. The spatial distribution of hydrophobic groundwater contaminants was assessed using a combination of passive sampling with SPMDs and non-target semiquantitative GC-MS analysis. More than 100 contaminants were identified and semiquantitatively determined in SPMD samples. Along the 6 field sites under investigation, a large concentration gradient was observed, which confirms a very limited mobility of hydrophobic substances in dissolved form in the aquifer. The in situ extraction potential of the SPMD is limited by groundwater flow, when the exchange volume of well water during an exposure is lower than the SPMD clearance volume for the analytes. This study demonstrates that SPMDs present a useful tool for sampling and analyzing of groundwater polluted with complex mixtures of hydrophobic chemicals and provides guidance for further development of passive sampling technology for groundwater.

Passive Sampler for Combined Chemical and Toxicological Long-Term Monitoring of Groundwater: The Ceramic Toximeter

“…Nevertheless, the Ceramic Toximeters in borehole 2 showed a sampling behavior that was comparable to boreholes 1 and 3 where no such extreme conditions were found. Other passive sampling devices are known to be affected by environmental parameters such as microbial deterioration of membranes (37) or hydrodynamic flow (22).…”

“…SPMDs have been found to be generally applicable to groundwater sampling. However, high sampling rates of standard SPMDs have been pointed out as a difficulty because these can easily exceed the replenishment rates of contaminants in the low-flow groundwater environment ( , ). Taken together, a sturdy groundwater passive sampling device that allows easy determination of time-weighted average contaminant concentrations linked to bioassay analysis without prior solvent extraction does not yet exist.…”

Sampling and Conservation

“…Several reviews (Gó recki and Namieśek, 2002;Vrana et al, 2005b;Stuer-Lauridsen, 2005;Seethapathy et al, 2008;Zabiegala et al, 2010) and the worldwide first anthology (Greenwood et al, 2007a) summarize these achievements. Several reviews (Gó recki and Namieśek, 2002;Vrana et al, 2005b;Stuer-Lauridsen, 2005;Seethapathy et al, 2008;Zabiegala et al, 2010) and the worldwide first anthology (Greenwood et al, 2007a) summarize these achievements.…”

Applicability of polar organic compound integrative samplers for monitoring pesticides in groundwater

“…However, passive samplers neither need pumping, nor disturb the groundwater. Most publications deal with the monitoring of industrial contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile aromatic compounds, by using ceramic dosimeters or semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMD) (Bopp et al 2005;Martin et al 2003;Vrana et al 2005a;Kingston et al 2000;Bidwell et al 2010) . These publications show that such integrative passive samplers are suitable tools for monitoring contaminant concentrations in water, even if the limitation of the in situ extraction potential of the SPMD by groundwater flow is mentioned (Vrana et al 2005a;Kingston et al 2000).…”

“…Most publications deal with the monitoring of industrial contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile aromatic compounds, by using ceramic dosimeters or semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMD) (Bopp et al 2005;Martin et al 2003;Vrana et al 2005a;Kingston et al 2000;Bidwell et al 2010) . These publications show that such integrative passive samplers are suitable tools for monitoring contaminant concentrations in water, even if the limitation of the in situ extraction potential of the SPMD by groundwater flow is mentioned (Vrana et al 2005a;Kingston et al 2000). Concerning passive sampling for polar organic compounds in groundwater, only two publications dealing with the use of POCIS for screening (qualitative information) of polar contaminants in creeks and shallow groundwater were found (Dougherty et al 2010;Bidwell et al 2010).…”