Solid-phase extraction of pesticides from water: possible interferences from dissolved organic material.

A multiresidue analysis for trifluralin, simazine, atrazine, propazine, diazinon, parathion-methyl, alachlor, malathion, parathion, chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin, methidathion, and DEF in water that utilizes liquid-solid extraction (LSE) with octadecyl-bonded silica cartridges (C18BSCs) followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis was developed. Recoveries of most pesticides were greater than 80% with C18BSCs from fortified water at concentration levels from about 1 to 500 ppb. Recoveries with C18BSCs, from an optically adjusted humic acid solution (10 ppm dissolved organic carbon) made to simulate a natural water with a high dissolved organic content, ranged from 29 to 153% and in general were lower than recoveries obtained from pure water. 14C-Labeled diazinon and parathion were recovered from the humic acid solution at levels of 57 and 68%, respectively, with C18BSCs; the remainder of the labeled pesticides was found in the cartridge eluents. Partition coefficients with human acid were calculated based on recovery of 14C-labeled pesticides from the C18BSCs.

Microbially mediated leaching of low-sulfur coal in experimental coal columns.

The leaching of a low-sulfur bituminous coal was investigated with experimental coal columns subjected to simulated rainfall events. Leachates from the columns became dominated by iron-oxidizing bacteria as evidenced by specific enrichment cultures and measurements of CO(2) assimilation. Heterotrophic microorganisms were also present in the coal leachates, but their numbers and activity decreased with decreasing pH. This pattern could be reversed by increasing the pH of the coal with lime. Organosulfur-utilizing bacteria made up a substantial portion of the heterotrophic community. Measurements of microbial activity in coal cores indicated that although much of the microbial community remained associated with coal particles, the relative abundance of heterotrophs and autotrophs in leachate seemed to reflect that in coal cores. When bacterial growth was delayed by autoclaving coal samples, acid production and leaching of iron and sulfur were also delayed. Rapid leaching of materials from coal thus appears to be strongly dependent on the presence of the natural bacterial microflora.