Partitioning studies of coal-tar constitutents in a two-phase contaminated ground-water system
Organic compounds derived from coal-tar wastes in a contaminated aquifer in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, were identified, and their partition coefficients between the tar phase and aqueous phase were determined and compared with the corresponding n-octanol/water partition coefficients. Coal tar contains numerous polycyclic aromatic compounds, many of which are suspected carcinogens or mutagens. Groundwater contamination by these toxic compounds may pose an environmental health hazard in nearby public water-supply wells. Fluid samples from this aquifer developed two phases upon settling: an upper aqueous phase, and a lower oily-tar phase. After separating the phases, polycyclic aromatic compounds in each phase were isolated using complexation with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and identified by fused-silica capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Thirty-one of the polycyclic aromatic compounds were chosen for further study from four different classes: 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 10 nitrogen heterocycles, 5 sulfur heterocycles, and 4 oxygen heterocycles. Within each compounds class, the tar/water partition coefficients of these compounds were reasonable comparable with the respective n-octanol/water partition coefficient.
- Research Organization:
- Geological Survey, Denver, CO
- OSTI ID:
- 5073658
- Journal Information:
- Chemosphere; (United States), Vol. 14:8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COAL TAR
CHROMATOGRAPHY
GROUND WATER
CONTAMINATION
AZAARENES
HEALTH HAZARDS
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
POLYCYCLIC SULFUR HETEROCYCLES
AROMATICS
HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROSCOPY
TAR
WATER
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)