Activity of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in sediments and water from Lake Calumet and Waukegan Harbor

Technical Report · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:7027783

Murphy, T J; Galinis, D L; Arnold, C

Techniques were developed to measure the activity (fugacity; escaping tendency) of semi-volatile organic compounds, PCBs in this case, in water and sediment samples. The techniques were applied to samples from Lake Calumet and Waukegan Harbor. Knowing the activities of the PCBs in the samples permitted the following to be determined: (1) the thermodynamic sediment/water partition coefficient, Kd; (2) the direction of movement of compounds between the sediments and water; (3) the expected PCB concentrations in the water at equilibrium with the sediments; (4) the amount of PCBs evaporating per year from these bodies of water; and (5) an average partition coefficient for the PCBs present in each sediment sample, Kd.

• Research Organization: DePaul Univ., Chicago, IL (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
• OSTI ID: 7027783
• Report Number(s): PB-90-160771/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AROMATICS
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FEDERAL REGION V
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HARBORS
ILLINOIS
INTERFACES
LAKES
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SEDIMENT-WATER INTERFACES
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
THERMODYNAMICS
USA
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER POLLUTION