Determination of [{sup 13}C]pyrene sequestration in sediment microcosms using flash pyrolysis--GC--MS and {sup 13}C NMR
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Center for Environmental Chemistry and Geochemistry
- Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
- Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States)
In this study, the use of a {sup 13}C-labeled pollutant probe, [{sup 13}C]pyrene, and the application of flash pyrolysis--GC--MS and CPMAS {sup 13}C NMR provided analytical capabilities to study pyrene interactions with soluble and insoluble compartments of sedimentary organic matter (S{sub D}OM) during whole sediments incubations in aerated microcosms. Surface sediments were collected from a site of previous hydrocarbon contamination in New Orleans, LA. Over a period of 60 days, humic acid and humin fractions of S{sub D}OM accumulated increasing amounts of pyrene that were resistant to exhaustive extraction with organic solvents. The sequestered pyrene was evident in CPMAS {sup 13}C NMR spectra of humin fractions. The amount of sequestered pyrene in humic materials was quantified by flash pyrolysis--GC--MS, a technique that destroys the three-dimensional structure of macromolecular S{sub D}OM. Noncovalent binding of pyrene to humic materials in S{sub D}OM was greater in sediments incubated with biological activity than biocide-treated sediments. The combined analytical approaches demonstrate that the sequestered pyrene, or bound residue, is noncovalently associated with S{sub D}OM and has not undergone structural alteration. Implications of these data are discussed in reference to S{sub D}OM diagenesis and long-term availability of bound pollutant residues in sediments.
- OSTI ID:
- 298241
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 33, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: 1 Jan 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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