title: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in industrial and municipal effluents: concentrations, congener profiles, and partitioning onto particulates and organic carbon.
abstract: Wastewater effluent samples were collected in the summer of 2009 from 16 different locations which included municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants and petrochemical industrial outfalls in the Houston area. The effluent samples were analyzed for all 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners using high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) using the USEPA method 1668A. The total PCBs (∑209) concentration in the dissolved medium ranged from 1.01 to 8.12 ng/L and ranged from 2.03 to 31.2 ng/L in the suspended medium. Lighter PCB congeners exhibited highest concentrations in the dissolved phase whereas, in the suspended phase, heavier PCBs exhibited the highest concentrations. The PCB homolog concentrations were dominated by monochlorobiphenyls through hexachlorobiphenyls, with dichlorobiphenyls exhibiting the highest concentration amongst them at most of the effluent outfalls, in the suspended phase. Both total suspended solids (TSS) and various organic carbon fractions played an important role in the distribution of the suspended fractions of PCBs in the effluents. The log Koc values determined in the effluents suggest that effluent PCB loads might have more risk and impact than what standard partitioning models predict.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, W455, Engineering Building 2, Houston, TX 77204-4003, USA. Electronic address: aparna.27889@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balasubramani
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, W455, Engineering Building 2, Houston, TX 77204-4003, USA. Electronic address: nlhowell@central.uh.edu.
authors.forename: Nathan L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, W455, Engineering Building 2, Houston, TX 77204-4003, USA. Electronic address: rifai@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Hanadi S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Rifai
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006812:Humic Substances; D007221:Industry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D006812:Humic Substances; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Chemical partitioning; Dechlorination; Homologs; Houston Ship Channel; Organic carbon; Persistent organic pollutants