Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Photolytic and partitioning behavior of polynuclear aromatic compounds, aromatic amines, and phenols in aqueous coal oil

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5211694

Aqueous fractions produced by equilibrating coal oil with water are toxic to several aquatic organisms. The oil/water distribution coefficients (K/sub D/s) and photolytic behavior of components of these fractions were studied to assess their transport and persistence in aquatic systems. Comparing K/sub D/s measured for homologs showed that the addition of a ring carbon or alkyl group increased logK/sub D/ by 0.31 and 0.45, respectively. Aqueous concentrations of the highly insoluble four- and five-ring polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) based on projected K/sub D/s were in the low nanograms-per-liter range. Photolysis rate constants measured in pure water for pyrene (0.82 h/sup -1/), benz(a)anthacene (1.0 h/sup -1/), and benzo(a)pyrene (1.4 h/sup -1/) were reduced sixfold to ninefold in the aqueous coal-oil matrix. Most of the main components of the acid, base, and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions of the aqueous coal-oil solutions were not photodegraded detectably in a three-hour exposure to sunlight. Indoles and carbazoles photodegraded rapidly, with half-lives of 2 to 19 h. Indoles apparently underwent sensitized photolysis in the aqueous coal-oil matrix. Indoles individually exposed to sunlight in water exhibited autocatalytic behavior, resulting in high quantum yields. Carbazole, with a 2.2-fold reduction in its photolysis rate constant, behaved similarly to the PAH.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
5211694
Report Number(s):
DOE/MC/49533-1837; ANL/SER-4; ON: DE85013710
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English