Evaluation of background soil and air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations on a hill at the outskirts of a metropolitan city.

Air and soil sampling was conducted inside a forested area for 22 months. The sampling location is situated to the north of a metropolitan city. Average atmospheric gas and particle concentrations were found to be 180 and 28 pg m(-3) respectively, while that of soil phase was detected to be 3.2 ng g(-1) on dry matter, The congener pairs of PCB#4-10 had the highest contribution to each medium. TEQ concentration was 0.10 pg m(-3), 0.07 pg m(-3), 21.92 pg g(-1), for gas, particle and soil phases, respectively. PCB#126 and PCB#169 contributed to over 99% of the entire TEQ concentrations for each medium. Local sources were investigated by conditional probability function (CPF) and soil/air fugacity. Landfilling area and medical waste incinerator, located to the 8 km northeast, contributed to ambient concentrations, especially in terms of dioxin-like congeners. The industrial settlement (called Dilovasi being to the east southeast of 60 km distant) contributed from southeast direction. Further sources were identified by potential source contribution function (PSCF). Sources at close proximity had high contribution. Air mass transportation from Aliaga industrial region (being to the southwest of 300 km distant) moderately contributed to ambient concentrations. Low molecular weight congeners were released from soil body. 5-CBs and 6-CBs were close to equilibrium state between soil/air interfaces. PCB#171 was close to equilibrium and PCB#180 was likely to evaporate from soil, which constitute 7-CBs. PCB#199, representing 8-CBs deposited to soil. 9-CB (PCB#207) was in equilibrium between soil and air phases.

Cr(VI) removal from aqueous systems using pyrite as the reducing agent: batch, spectroscopic and column experiments.

Laboratory batch and column experiments, in conjunction with geochemical calculations and spectroscopic analysis, were performed to better understand reaction mechanisms and kinetics associated with Cr(VI) removal from aqueous systems using pyrite as the reactive material under both static and dynamic flow conditions similar to those observed in in situ permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and geochemical calculations suggest that the Cr(VI) removal by pyrite occurred due to the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), coupled with the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) and S2(2-) to SO4(2-) at the pyrite surface. Zeta potential measurements indicate that although the pyrite surface was negatively charged under a wide pH range in the absence of Cr(VI), it behaved more like a "metal oxide" surface with the surface potential shifting from positive to negative values at pH values >pH 6 in the presence of Cr(VI). Batch experiments show that increasing solution pH led to a significant decrease in Cr(VI) removal. The decrease in Cr(VI) removal at high Cr(VI) concentrations and pH values can be explained through the precipitation of sparingly soluble Cr(OH)(3(s)), Fe(OH)(3(s)) and Fe(III)-Cr(III) (oxy) hydroxides onto pyrite surface which may, then, lead to surface passivation for further Cr(VI) reduction. Batch results also suggest that the reaction kinetics follow a first order model with rate constants decreasing with increasing solution pH, indicating proton consumption during Cr(VI) reduction by pyrite. Column experiments indicate that nearly 100% of total Fe in the column effluent was in the form of Fe(II) species with a [SO4(2-)]/[Fe(2+)] stoichiometric ratio of 2.04, indicating that the reduction of Cr(VI) by pyrite produced about 2 mol of sulfate per mole of Fe (II) release under excess surface sites relative to Cr(VI) concentration. Column experiments provide further evidence on the accumulation of oxidation products which consequently led to a significant pressure build up in pyrite packed columns over time.

Gas/particle partitioning of PCDD/F compounds in the atmosphere of Istanbul.

Gas/particle partitioning of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) compounds in the ambient atmosphere were investigated at three different sites (urban-industrial, urban and sub-urban) in Istanbul. Average gas and particle phase concentrations were measured as 133fgm(-3) and 1605fgm(-3), respectively. Gas phase concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furan (PCDD/F) compounds were determined to be 128fgm(-3), 50fgm(-3), 153fgm(-3) during summer season and 204fgm(-3), 164fgm(-3), 154fgm(-3) during winter season for the respective three sampling sites. Particle phase concentrations were determined to be 287fgm(-3), 176fgm(-3), 160fgm(-3) during summer and 6586fgm(-3), 2570fgm(-3) and 1861fgm(-3) during winter season for those three sampling sites. Chlorination level and molecular weight of congeners affected gas/particle partitioning of PCDD/F compounds. Gas phase percentages of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and OCDD concentrations were determined to be 47% and 1% respectively. A relatively high correlation was found between total particle matter (TPM) and particle phase PCDD/F concentration during winter season.