Measuring contaminant flux through plants by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry
- Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States)
Plants have a large capacity to transfer water and associated contaminants from soil to atmosphere. The authors measured the transfer rate for a range of constitutents of gasoline that vary in volatility, solubility, and octanol/water partition coefficient. They tested benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, meta-xylene, 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene, cyclohexene, n-pentane, ethyl ether, n-propyl ether, and t-butyl methyl ether. Aliphatic hydrocarbon constituents of gasoline were either not water soluble to sufficiently high concentration for study or they are too volatile to handle conveniently (e.g., butane). An extractive Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer was used to measure concentrations in the gas phase above plants which had their root system immersed in water containing the contaminant. Deuterated water was used as a monitor for transpiration rate. The relative rate of transfer for different compounds was reasonably consistent with the work of Briggs, et al., which relates their movement in plants to the log of their octanol/water partition coefficient (log K{sub ow}). For the ethers it appeared that they moved more rapidly than expected based on log K{sub ow}.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 422865
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9605266-; TRN: 97:002385
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. Annual conference on hazardous waste remediation, Bozeman, MT (United States), 8-10 Jun 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 1996 Hazardous Substance Research Center/Waste-management Education and Research Consortium joint conference on the environment; Erickson, L.E. [ed.] [Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States)]; Grant, S.C. [ed.] [Haskell Indian Nations Univ., Lawrence, KS (United States)]; Tillison, D.L.; McDonald, J.P. [eds.]; PB: 706 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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